Workout 5: Full Body Circuit
- Stand upright with your feet a little wider than hip width apart and your toes turned slightly out. If you can, engage your abdominal muscles and broaden your chest by gently pulling your shoulder blades in toward each other.
- Bend your knees slowly, pushing your glutes and hips out and down behind you as if youâre sitting down on a chair. Keep your head and shoulders aligned with your knees and your knees aligned with your ankles.
- Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Keep your knees aligned with your toes (without surpassing them) as you lower yourself as straight down as possible. You can raise your arms up and in front of you (no higher than parallel to the ground) as you lower your body.
- Straighten your legs to come up and squeeze your glutes as you approach the starting position.
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet resting flat on the ground hip width apart.
- Place your hands behind your head so that your thumbs are behind your ears.
- Hold your elbows out to the sides and slightly tilted inward.
- Slightly tilt your chin down leaving a few inches of space between your chin and your chest.
- Gently pull your abdominals inward.
- Curl up and forward so that your head, neck, and shoulder blades lift off the ground.
- Hold for a second at the top of the movement and then slowly lower yourself back down.
- Get in a push-up or plank position. Keep your abdominal muscles tight and your body straight while holding yourself off the floor.
- Pull your right knee into your chest. Make sure that your body doesnât come out of its push-up or plank position. Keep your spine in a straight line and donât let your head slump. Having core body stability is very crucial for this movement.
- Quickly place your right leg back down while simultaneously switching legs and pulling your left knee into your chest. Make sure that at the same time you push your right leg back, you pull your left knee into your chest using the same form. (This movement is essentially running in place while maintaining a straight and aligned body).
- Alternate sides.
4. Towel Pull
- Grab a towel or t-shirt, hold it in both hands, and stand in a squat position.
- Hold the towel out in front of you with your arms extended, and pull on both sides of the t-shirt or towel as hard as you can as if you were trying to rip it.
- As you continue to try to rip the towel or t-shirt, slowly bring your elbows backward as if you were trying to squeeze your shoulder blades together.
- When your hands get as close to your chest as possible, slowly return to the starting position, and repeat until the set is complete. Remember to KEEP trying to rip the towel throughout the entire exercise.
- Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart.
- Lift one leg as you drive your knee up toward your chest and raise your opposite arm. Slightly arch or round your lower back to keep your pelvis stationary and reduce strain on your back.
- Quickly place your foot back on the ground.
- Bring your opposite leg upward in the same motion, driving your knee to your chest, while raising your opposite arm. (This movement is essentially running in place to increase your heart rate).
- Alternate sides.
- Get into the push-up position with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your feet slightly closer than shoulder width apart.
- Complete a push-up, and as you lift yourself back up, push yourself off the ground and place your hands in a position wider than shoulder apart.
- Complete a push-up with this wide hand placement, and as you lift yourself back up, bring your hands back to shoulder width distance and complete another push-up.
- Place your forearms on the ground with your elbows aligned beneath your shoulders. Keep your arms parallel to your body at about shoulder width distance. (You should be in a push-up position, only on your forearms rather than your hands).
- Ground your toes into the floor and squeeze your glutes to stabilize your body. Be careful to not to lock or hyperextend your knees.
- Neutralize your neck and spine by looking at a spot on the floor about a foot in front of your hands. Your head should be in line with your back. Contract your abdominals to keep yourself up and prevent your booty from sticking up.
- Keep your back fat and hold the position for as long as possible without compromising form.