Total Body Work Out of the Week

There’s something about having an entire day off – no work, no gym, no must dos – that is totally rejuventating. Yesterday was beautiful. The sun was shining, I was on the lake with a good book and my dog, totally relaxed. An entire day that sounds like that doesn’t happen often so I’m thankful.

So I had all of the energy in the world for a killer workout today.

I like pyramid-style workouts like this one. They are physically demanding but the number of reps you perform gets lower as your workout progresses. Mentally (and aren’t most workouts also about the mind-over-muscle mental battle?), seeing those numbers get smaller helps you push through.

Foam Rolling

My hamstrings were tight from the quick leg workout I did yesterday, so foam rolling was a must in order to not get hurt. If you don’t foam roll already, it’s something I recommend you start doing. Like, tomorrow. Here are just some of the benefits of foam rolling:

• Those tension, under-use or over-use knots that you feel after a long day? Foam rolling helps to work those out. Ah, relief.
• Foam rolling reduces muscle tightness which decreases your risk for injury and increases your range of motion.
• Muscle imbalances that you’ve developed over time can be corrected, in part, with foam rolling.

Most importantly…

• It hurts so good.

The Workout

Overhead Walking Lunges

Hold a weight plate, a dumbbell or a medicine ball overhead with with feet shoulder width apart. Keep the weight overhead inline with your shoulder joint. Take a step forward into a deep lunge position. Make sure your knee remains over your toes, not in front of them. Drive your front heel into the ground and return to the starting position. Repeat with the opposite leg. That’s one rep.

Make it easier: do body weight lunges instead of weighted overhead lunges.

Barbell Deadlifts

Center your feet in front of the bar, hip width apart. Bend at the hip and grip the bar at shoulder width (you can use an alternating grip for stability). Lower your hips and bend your knees until your shins are centimeters from the bar. Keep your chest up and your core tight as you begin driving through your heels to move the body upwards. After the bar passes your knees, pull up and back, pulling your shoulder blades together and driving your hips forward. Lower the bar by bending at the hips and bending knees slightly to guide it to the floor.

Make it easier: use a light kettlebell instead of a bar.

Barbell Step Ups

Standing behind a steady, elevated platform, hold a barbell placed on the back of your shoulders below the neck. Place your right foot on the elevated platform. Step up by extending the hip and knee of your right leg. Lift up and place your left foot on the platform. Stabilize, then step down with the left leg by flexing your right hip and knee. Place your right foot on the floor next to your left to return to your starting position. Repeat by stepping up with your left leg first. That’s one rep.

Make it easier: do body weight step ups and/or lower the elevated platform.

Kettlebell Swings

Stand with feet shoulder width apart, toes pointing slightly out, knees slightly bent. Hold a kettlebell between your legs using an overhand grip. Keeping a slight arch in your lower back, bend your hips back until the kettlebell is between your legs. Squeeze your glutes to extend your hips forward and swing the weight up. Let the weight swing, in a controlled manner, back between your legs as you bend slightly at the hips and knees. Extend your hips to reverse the momentum for you next swing.

Push Ups

Position your hands shoulder width apart in a full plank position. Keeping your core engaged and your back flat, bend your elbows at about a 45° angle as you lower your body towards the ground. Pause, then push back up to your starting position.

Make it easier: do incline push ups.

Sit Ups

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet planted about hip-distance apart. Place your fingertips lightly on the back of your head, close to your neck, elbows pointed out. Exhale and pull your belly button towards your spine while you raise your torso by bending at the hips and waist. Lift up until your torso is inches from your thighs. Pause, the lower your body back down with control.

Burpees

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Push your hips back and lower into a squat. Place your hands on the floor in front of you, just inside your feet. Shift your weight onto your hands while jumping your feet back to land softly on the balls of your feet in plank position. Keep your core tight and back straight. Jump your feet back so that they land just outside of your hands. Reach your hands up as you jump explosively into the air. Land and immediately begin the next rep.

Box Jumps

Place an elevated surface roughly 1′ in front of you. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and push your hips back into a shallow squat, swinging your arms behind you. Launch out of this position, extending through the hips, knees and ankles to jump as high as you can. Use the momentum of your arms swinging forward to help. Land on the box lightly with knees bent. Stand up to stabilize. Step back down to the ground and repeat.

Make it easier: lower the elevated surface or do box step ups again.

Barbell Thrusters

Set the bar in the squat rack at shoulder level so that when stepping under it, your knees are slightly bent. Rest the bar on front deltoids, hands lightly gripping the bar on either side of your shoulders. Push hips forward and stand up to unrack the bar. Take a step back and position feet shoulder width apart, toes pointed slightly out. Descend into a squat position until your upper legs are at or just below parallel to the floor. Firm your grip and push through your heels as you ascend. As you reach the top of your squat, press the bar up towards the ceiling (move your head slightly back to make room). Straighten your legs and extend arms overhead while keeping your back and core tight. Lower the bar slowly back to your deltoids. That’s one rep.

Make it easier: hold a dumbbell at chest level as your would for a high goblet squat. Squat down, return to standing and then press the dumbbell above your head.

Band-Assisted Pull Ups

Choke the band around the pull up bar. Pull the end of the band loop down and place knee or foot (depending on how long the band is), into the loop. Place hands in a medium grip on the bar. Contract your lats and flex at the elbow to pull your chest up towards the bar. Pause, then return to your starting position.

If you don’t have bands: use an assisted pull up machine.

If you don’t have either: do inverted rows.

Rest Times

Rest as needed, but push yourself to finish the workout as fast as you can. That being said, form comes first! If you feel yourself losing form because you are tired, take a break. Better to finish the workout with proper form than to push yourself through it and get hurt.