Tag Archives: functional

Full Body Circuit Workout 2

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I have another Full Body Circuit Workout for you to try this week for the Home Workout of the Week!  The feedback I have received from last weeks workout was that it was very effective and there were a lot of sore muscles going on so this workout should be equally effective!

This workout has the same structure as last weeks but the exercises are different.  The goal is to do all 8 exercises before taking a rest and then repeating it two more times before moving on to the core finisher.  Do your best and get that liquid awesome pouring!

Full Body Circuit Workout 2

Warm-Up

  • 30 seconds of Jumping Jacks
  • 10 Pushups
  • 12 Spiderman Climbs
  • 10 Spinal Rotations for each side
  • 10 Shoulder Circles for each arm

Superset

Rest for 60 to 90 seconds then repeat the superset 2 more times

Core

Full Body Circuit Workout

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Hey there everyone!  I have a challenging Full Body Circuit Workout for you this week for the Home Workout of the Week.  It’s going to work all of the major muscle groups as well as your core and because there is no rest between the exercises, you will be getting a great cardiovascular workout as well.  The goal is to do all 8 exercises in a row before taking a rest but you may need to work up to that point so do what you can and take a rest if you’re not feeling well!

Give it a shot and let me know how you do!

Full Body Circuit Workout

Warm-Up

  • 30 seconds of Jumping Jacks
  • 10 Pushups
  • 12 Spiderman Climbs
  • 10 Spinal Rotations each side
  • 10 Shoulder Circles each arm

Superset

Rest for 60 to 90 seconds then repeat the superset 2 more times

Core

Jump Squat and Hold

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Hey there HomeBody followers!  If you find your leg workouts getting boring or too easy (ok, too easy is probably not possible) and you want to shake things up a bit then give this Home Exercise of the Week a try.

Jump Squat and Hold – There are a few different aspects to this exercise that will challenge your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves in ways that standard squats just can’t do.  Regular squats are awesome and you will get great results and strength from doing them but with the Jump Squat and Hold you get the benefit of plyometric and isometric training.

Plyometric exercises will build explosive power, increase your metabolic rate, burn more calories, and strengthen your cardiovascular system.  Isometric exercises burn fat and build muscle and don’t place a lot of stress on your joints.

Before you jump right to the exercise (pun intended) and start feeling that lactic acid buildup, let’s take a look at how to do this exercise properly.

  • start with feet shoulder width apart and toes pointed out slightly
  • squat deep down keeping your head and chest up with shoulders back
  • keep your knees in line with your toes
  • from the deep squat position, jump up in the air as high as you can and with as much force as you can muster
  • land back down and immediately go back in to the squat position but this time hold the squat for 5 to 10 seconds
  • while holding the squat, extend arms out and raise them up to shoulder height.  This will give you a bonus isometric anterior deltoid (front shoulder) exercise
  • after holding the squat, jump back up and repeat

So there you have the Jump Squat and Hold.  Kick your metabolism in to high gear with this one and even try changing up the exercise a little to keep your body guessing.  For example, you can do this by doing 5 jump squats before the hold or extending the hold for longer than 10 seconds.  There are many combinations you can do but whatever you choose, have fun and work hard!

One Arm Plank Shoulder Circles

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It’s time to get your core and shoulders working with this Home Exercise of the Week!  In the video you’ll notice that this exercise has a really long name! (obviously at the time of filming it I couldn’t think of anything better)  So instead I have shortened it to One Arm Plank Shoulder Circles.

I’m going to be honest with you and say this exercise is hard!  That being said there are modifications to make it easier until you get stronger.

The plank part of the exercise is isometric which means the joint angle and muscle length doesn’t change during contraction.  This is really going to work your core!  The shoulder circle part of the exercise works your deltoids and in particular, your posterior deltoid and upper back muscles.

Let’s take a look at the key points to remember when doing One Arm Plank Shoulder Circles.

  • keep your feet wide to stabilize yourself during the movement
  • keep your body straight throughout (no butts sticking up!)
  • pull your belly button in towards your spine to keep your abdominal muscles flexed
  • raise one arm out to the side keeping it in line with your upper body
  • move your arm in small circles at an even, medium pace (this is going to burn!)
  • start by doing forward circles for 10 to 20 seconds or for 15 to 20 repetitions then go backwards for the same amount of time or reps
  • breath deeply and evenly throughout the exercise

As I mentioned earlier, there is a way to make the exercise easier if you are having trouble.  To do this, put your knees on the floor instead of being on your toes.  Keep in mind though that you still need to keep your body straight with this modification so no bending at the waist.

So there you have One Arm Plank Shoulder Circles!  If you have progressed to the point where this exercise is starting to get easy, try holding on to a dumbbell when doing the shoulder circles.  This will step up the intensity and maybe even cause you to utter some profanity while doing it!

5 Squat Hold

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This weeks Home Exercise of the Week is a variation of the regular body weight squat.  The 5 Squat Hold is an exercise that I like to add in to my training sessions and boot camps from time to time so people have another reason to curse and swear at me!  I can just picture it now…sweaty people groaning, complaining, and wondering why they ever decided to do this. 😉

All kidding aside, the 5 Squat Hold is effective.  You will be sculpting and strengthening your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.  On top of all that, the hold part of the exercise will increase your muscular endurance.  The benefits far outweigh the temporary pain and discomfort.

With any exercise, strict form is top priority.  Some key points to remember when doing the 5 Squat Hold:

  • Have your feet shoulder width apart with your toes pointed out slightly
  • Squat down like you’re going to sit in a chair keeping your knees in line or behind your toes
  • Stay as upright as possible.  There is a tendency when squatting to lean over too much.  Try to avoid this as doing so can hurt your lower back.  To stay upright, stick your chest out, keep your head looking forward, and arch your back up slightly.
  • Come down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.  If you can’t go down that far at first just do what you can and over time you will be able to go lower
  • As you are coming up out of the squat make sure that you are pushing up through your heels.  If you push up through your toes, a lot of stress will be placed on your knees.  We don’t want that!  Pushing through the heel will put more of the strain on the working muscles

In the video, I said to hold for 5 seconds.  That is a good time to start off with but if you want more of a challenge take each hold to 10 seconds.  1 set of this exercise would be 5 squats with a 5 – 10 second hold for 3 – 4 times through giving you 15 to 20 repetitions of squats total.  To get a shoulder workout at the same time, hold your arms in front of you at shoulder height throughout the exercise and they will be burning too!

So there you have the 5 Squat Hold.  Fire up your legs and let me know how you do!