Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Workout of the Day

Warm Up: 10 min on the stair master to get your heart rate going and your muscles warm

Circuit A: 3 Sets
Inclined Bench Presses: 8 Reps (I used 55 lbs today)
Full body squats and shoulder press: 15 Reps (I used a 20 lb straight barbell holding it near my shoulders for the full squat and raised the barbell over my head as I stood from the squat all the way to my tippy toes.)
Shoulder Raise: 10 Reps (I used a 5 lb weight in each hand. From a resting position, keeping your arms straight, raise the weights out to your front. Return to rest. Raise the weights to your side so you are making a "T" with your body. The motions should be slow to build muscles - count to 3 during each movement up and 3 during each movement down.)

Circuit B: 3 Sets (I used 110 lbs today)
Hip Abductor: 12 reps
Hip Adductor: 12 reps

Circuit C: 3 Sets (I used 55 lbs today)
Hamstring Curl: 10 reps
Upright Leg Curl: 10 reps
Leg Extension: 10 reps

Circuit D: 3 Sets
Back Extensions: 10 reps with 2 kettlebells
Swiss Ball Crunch: 20 crunches

The theory behind Circuits B, C and D are to develop your muscles evenly on each side of your body. If one side of your body is weaker than the other, work up to equalize the strength in the muscle. Here's an example: you want your abs as strong as your back to assist with balance. If your abs are stronger than your back, you may appear hunched over since the ab muscles are much tighter than the loose back muscles which pulls your spine/trunk forward. This is common with people who work out their abs all the time and not the rest of their core stability muscles. It can also lead to lower back and/or hip pains.

For more on core workouts, check out this fantastic book: The Core Performance.

NOTE: I'm not a certified trainer in any way.  Use this program at your own risk. (but please use some common sense!)

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