Warm-up and Cool Down


Pre – workout


Post workout

Finish each workout with a Cool Down of tight muscle groups.


NOTE:  Exercise Illustrations can be found at the bottom of this page if a link is not provided


Circuit 1 

(Perform exercises back-to-back without rest)

  • split squat (body-weight only) – 8 to 15 reps 
  • push-up - 3 to 5 reps


Repeat circuit 3x

  • Rest 30 seconds


Circuit 2 

(Perform exercises back-to-back without rest)


Repeat circuit 3x

  • Rest 30 seconds


Circuit 3 Finisher 

(Perform exercises back-to-back without rest)

  • body-weight or kettlebell squat – 20 reps 
  • modified plank – 30 to 90 second hold 
  • body-weight Single-Leg Dead-lift – 8 to 10 reps each leg 
  • run in place – 60 seconds (high knees, arms pumping)


Repeat circuit 3x

  • Rest 30 seconds between each cycle


Illustrations


Split Squat

Take a giant step back so back knee is lightly touching the ground.  Weight should still be through the front heel, and the knee should be tracking over the toe. Bring back leg back to a starting position, and then repeat on the other leg - this will complete one (1) rep.


Push Up

The basic version of the Push-Up is performed from the toes. Starting from the ground, the body is nice and straight, our chest, hip and thighs all should be in the same plane. Our shoulders are pushed down and back, our abs are engaged, and our glutes squeezed.



Squat

To perform the Squat, start with your feet between hip and shoulder width apart, and your toes pointed straight ahead or slightly out. Weight is back through the heels, chest is tall, and shoulder blades are pushed down and back.  Sit back as if you’re sitting on a chair. The lower legs should stay completely vertical. Imagine that you are stuck in cement up to your knees.


You could use a weight plate, a kettlebell, even a bag of dog food or potting soil – just something to add difficulty to the exercise.  Hold a weight in front of you if you’d like (as I am in the photos below) to increase the difficulty of the exercise. 



Modified Plank

Lay flat and lift the hips along with the stomach and chest off of the floor – you’ll end up in a Push Up – type body position, but you’ll be resting on your forearms. Remember, your abs should be braced like you’re bracing for a punch in the stomach, your upper and lower body should be ‘tight’, and you should be able to breathe normally at the same time.



SLDL (Single-leg Dead-lift)

The mechanics of a SLDL are just like a regular deadlift – the exercise is simply performed on one leg.

  • Begin the exercise by balancing on one leg.  Keeping the back flat, the shoulders locked back and the abs braced, descend into a deadlift position. Think about leading with the back leg.  Pause for a moment at the bottom of the move and then squeeze the glute of the down leg to return to the starting position of the exercise.



Keywords:  kettlebell, TABATA, HIIT, full body, cardio, intermediate, advance