Today is the kick off of my first ever virtual challenge and it’s not too late to join! There a very few spots left, and one has your name if you are ready to crush 2019 and get in the right, healthy mindset! Sign up before midnight at this link!
If you aren’t the challenge type, I’ve got good news for you! Here it is, day one workout for my contestants and it only takes 30 minutes. Because I have a variety of ages (20-??), males and females, and beginners to experts, I started with this back and abdominal workout to get an idea of where they are at without killing them. If it is your first, or even tenth time at the gym in a long time, this workout would be a great place to start so you do not work yourself to death.
Perform two sets of each superset, then finish with the curls and plank til failure.
Exercises:
Lat Pulldown: a classic back exercise. Use a machine or the seated cable spot, like I did, with a wide bar attachment. Sit down with legs in front of you and the leg pads adjusted to hold you in place. Lean back slightly and pull bar down towards your upper chest. This really hits your lats, the biggest muscle in your back, hence the name.
Plank (Slow or Fast) Jax: if you are a beginner, please do plank slow Jax. We need to build up your leg muscles before we can get into lateral jumping movements. Hold yourself in a plank position: hands directly under shoulders and body in a straight line. Alternately reach legs out to the side and tap. Return to plank and then tap on your other side, repeating for all reps. If you have been working out, go ahead and jump it out. I’m that same plank position, jump legs out to the side at the same time, just like a jumping jack. It’s important that your hands remain directly under shoulders and not in front of your shoulders.
One Arm Pulldown: use the same cable as you did for last Pulldown, but switch out the attachment to a handle. Bend your arm to pull the weight down using your back and bicep muscles. It is important in this movement that our torso is not leaning or jerking all over the place. To prevent this, I take my resting hand and place it on the opposite leg pad. I’m also consciously engaging my abs to stabilize my body.
Mountain Climbers: start in a plank and then alternately jump your legs bent up to your chest. Keep going back and forth through all reps. This targets core and legs but most importantly raises your heart rate.
Bent Over Underhand Grip Row: grab a barbell with an underhand Grip (palms up). Bend over with a nice flat back, and row the weight up towards your lower chest. This really works the lats in your back and you should start to feel it in your arms (biceps).
Plank Shoulder Taps: in that good plank position, balance one both legs and one arm by tightening your core. Lift the other hand to tap the opposite shoulder. Alternate sides and repeat until you hit all reps.
Barbell Curl til Failure: Find the lightest bar in the gym and curl. Elbows should be locked into torso so you are not arching your entire body to get the weight up. When you can’t complete any more reps, drop the weight and rest for 1 minute. Repeat reps until failure for the next heaviest weight. Keep the process going up on the weights until you can only get 5 reps. Record the highest weight you get to and how many reps you completed.
Plank til Failure: drop down to those elbows and keep that body in a straight line. Elbows should be directly under shoulders. Hold this perfect plank position literally until you fail. Record how long you held the position.
Amber Launstein 