This workout falls into the short but not so sweet category. It is a great introduction to bodyweight training and will kick your ass. The workout comes from Eddie Lomax of Optimum Fitness (www.optimum-fitness-network.com)and is based on the Tabata protocol. He calls these Circuits.
How to do the exercises.
WARM UP 5 Minutes of active movements such as jumping jacks, marching in place, running in place or jumping rope
AIR SQUAT Doing squats is a great way to develop strong, powerful and conditioned legs.
To perform the Air Squat.: * Stand with feet slightly more than hip-width apart. * Lower your body by bending your knees until your thighs are parallel to the ground and your knees are at 90° angles. * Keep your back flat and sit your butt as low as possible. * Make sure your feet stay flat on the ground and that your knees do not extend beyond your toes. * Use your arms for balance. * Press off the ground and return to upright position.
If this movement is too hard use a chair or other support as an aid until your strength and balance improves.
THE PUSH UP You can't beat the effectiveness of this "classic" upper body power builder.
To perform the Push Up...
* Balance your weight on your toes and your palms, with your hands just beyond shoulder width. * Straighten your back by tucking in your pelvis. * Your body should form one straight line from your feet to you head and your eyes should stay focused on the floor about 6 inches in front of you. * Lower your body to the floor by bending your elbows, keeping your elbows close to your body. * Pause at the bottom and push yourself back up.
Here are some tips on doing push ups.
Tighten your abdominals, clinch your butt and grasp the floor with your fingers for added power.
If this movement is too hard instead of balancing on your toes... balance on your knees.
CHINNIES Chinnies will definitely give your core muscles something to think about.
To perform Chinnies...
* Lie on your back with your legs straight and slightly off the ground and your elbows bent, hands lightly grasping your head. * Do not grab your head tightly and pull with your arms. * Exhale and contract your abdominals while you bring your right elbow to left knee and then your left elbow to right knee. * Continue alternating at a brisk pace. * Your abdominals will stay contracted throughout the entire exercise, maintaining a semi-crunch position. * Your legs should not touch the ground until the repetitions are complete.
If this movement is too hard rest your feet on the ground and return your back to the ground in between each repetition.
Perform 3 Circuits of the 3 exercises with no rest between exercises and a 2 minute break in between circuits.
You must be able to perform the exercises with proper form and technique. You will do yourself a great disservice if you try to do too much, too fast by cheating. Here is how you determine the number of reps, pick a rep number that you can perform with proper technique for the 3 circuits that is below your maximum output.
For example, if you can do a maximum of 10 push ups you should perform 7 or 8 push ups per circuit. Don't worry if you can only do a couple reps of a certain exercise, you will get better. The maximum number of reps for any given exercise is 20.
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