Exercise/Routine of the Week

[JPH]

I would like to offer a new exercise every week. We will start off simply and slowly work up to mini-workouts, then maybe even full-blown routines. I'll try to update it on Mon. or Tues. 
 
Everything will be fairly simple and we will try to keep equipment needs to a minimum.
 
This will NOT serve as a complete fitness program. If you are working out now, keep it up. If you are not, start. These posts will be here to offer some ideas. In time, the thread will be a great resourse.
 
After each weekly exercise, you are encouraged to ask questions or offer comments. If you want to submit a new exercise (please do!), send it to me via PM, just to keep the thread free of clutter. I will post it in one of the coming weeks, giving you full credit for the idea!

[JPH]

1/4/09 - 1/10/09: The Plank
 
[font=verdana]Lie in a prone position with elbows bent and closed fists directly under your shoulders. Draw in your lower abdomen toward your spine. Tighten your glutes and lift the body up onto the forearms while maintaining neutral spinal alignment.[/font]
 
[font=verdana]This is an excellent isometric exercise that targets the entire core region. It should be performed for time. You may want to begin with several sets of 20 seconds, with only short breaks inbetween, and eventually work up to 1-2 minutes.[/font]
 
[font=verdana]This is also a fantastic exrecise to do at the begining of a core routine. In other words, you may wish to perform the plank for one set of max time, then go into crunches, back extensions, etc.[/font]
 
[font=arial][font=verdana]BTW, that is not me in the photo.[/font] [/font]
 

[JPH]

1/11/09-117/09: The Bodyweight Squat
 
Begin with a shoulder width stance and drop the butt down while maintaining an upright posture. As the legs become parallel to the ground, you then push up and lock into a standing position.

Some people get very hung up on form with these. "Heels flat vs. heels off the floor. Eyes up vs. eyes forward. Hands overhead vs. hands at the hips. Never let the knees go over the toes!" The list goes on, but rather than complicate a very simple and effective exercise, I suggest working them into your routine slowly and listening to your body as you develop form.

Perform these in fairly high rep sets (15-50) and mininimize rest between sets to increase intensity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu6jQgRDR84

[JPH]

1/18/09 -1/25/09: Dumbbell Push-up/Row

This week's exercise was submitted by Keystonehunter! It is a fantastic movement that works upper body push, upper body pull and core stabilization. Thanks Keystone!

Grab two dumbbells and place them on the floor, shoulder width apart. Grab the dumbbells while assuming the classic push-up position, with feet placed wide. Lower your body until the chest is as close to the floor as possible. Then push up and as you approach the full up position, lift the right dumbbell up alongside your chest. Repeat, alternating sides with each push-up, trying to minimize lateral movement.

Experiment with  weights and reps, but I advise you to start out light. These are a little harder than they look. Enjoy!

[JPH]

1/26/2009-2/1/2009: Bodyweight Lunge (walking)
 
Back to the all too often neglected legs and lower body. The lunge attacks the hamstrings and the glutes. When coupled with squats, you will greatly increase your ability to carry, climb and drag!
 
You will start by standing with feet shoulder width apart and hands at your sides. Step forward with your left foot, planting the foot firmly as the thigh becomes parallel to the floor. The right leg will be extended with the knee slightly bent and just off the floor. Step forward with the right foot, returning to the standing position. Continue by lunging with the right foot and so on.
 
These should be performed in fairly high-rep sets for distance (say 50-100 feet) or for time (:30 sec. of lunging, :30 sec. of rest). They may also be performed in a stationary position if space is limited, but I prefer the walking variation.
 
If they seem too easy, increase the distance or time. They WILL surprise you!
 
 
 

[JPH]

2/2/2009-2/8/2009: Bodyweight Row
 
Plant your heels firmly on the ground and grasp a rope, towel, bar or rings in a manner that allows you to lean back. From this position, keep your feet grounded, maintain a straight body posture and pull toward your chest. The difficulty of this exercise is increased by lowering the angle of the body. Experiment with angles, sets and reps.
 
The bodyweight row is an outstanding exercise for the back, arms and shoulders. When coupled with push-ups (http://forum.deeranddeerhunting.com/tm.aspx?m=23894) they offer an excellent, hunting specific, upper body routine.
 
Below are three examples of the body row, increasing in difficulty from top to bottom.

[JPH]

2/09/2009-2/15/2009: Deadlift
 
Begin standing with shins against the bar, feet shoulder width, and toes at a 45 degree angle. Lower the hips and grasp the bar with palms toward the body, just outside the legs. Raise the chest so that the torso is angled upward. Begin the lift by pressing the feet downward, lifting with the hips and legs. Keep the bar against the shins. Maintain the same angle with the torso until the bar clears the knees, then straighten the torso and stand tall. Lower the bar to the ground by an exact reversal of the lifting motion. Note: Lowering to the ground is when people break form and risk injury.
 
Please watch this video link:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjBI9qxibTc
 
If you want to get stronger you need the deadlift. Make it a staple of your strength training and you won't regret it, but use caution.
 
Proper form is very important. Never deadlift when you are tired. Always begin with the deadlift if you are going to use it in a session. Also learn the movement by using low weight and low reps. Lastly, I do not suggest performing high rep sets of the deadlift. Once you learn it, I suggest no more than 5 reps in a set. This is a strength move, not an endurance move, so be careful.
 
The video is the most important, but I have included a picture of deadlift form and a grapic showing the body areas affected by it. Pretty impressive!

[JPH]

2/16/2009-2/22/2009: Burpees
 
Begin standing, drop into the push-up position, perform a pushu-up, draw the legs up into a squat and jump into the air. Repeat as fast as possible, striving to get as high as possible on each jump.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Dq_NCzj8M
 
Sell your total body conditioning machine for $30 at your next garage sale. The burpee is the worlds most perfect conditioning exercise! A short burpee workout will fry your lungs and leave very few muscles untouched.
 
Try doing ten as fast as possible to get used to them, then begin to experiment with sets and reps. Some examples are 8 rounds of burpees for 20 sec. and rest for 10 sec. Or maybe 10 burpees every 60 seconds for 5 minutes.
 
Possibly the most brutal of all is the 100 burpee challenge! This is simply performing 100 burpees as fas as you can. It has been said that an advanced athlete should be able to do this in 10 minutes and an eliete athlete may do them in as little as 5 minutes.

[JPH]

2/23/2009-3/1/2009: Sledge Strikes
 
Yet another reason to sell your Soloflex to the neighbor kid! Sledge strikes are an intense, effective, old-school strength and conditioning tool that will provide an awesome total-body workout, with an emphasis on cardio, grip, arms, shoulders, core and hips.

Get yourself a stout 8-12lb. sledgehammer and an old tire. Swing as hard and as fast as you can, working both sides equally. It's really that simple! There are a lot of routines that you can perform. 3 rounds of 1:00 work, and 1:00 rest. Strike as many times as possible in 10:00. Perform 500 strikes for time. Or the Tabata cycle shown here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJWqx-zPffs

Tips: Beware of using too heavy of a hammer. Too much weight will slow you down and rob you of the cardio benifit. Get the biggest tire you can find. Any tire shop will give you scrap tires for free, and a big tire will come in handy later. [;)]

Ps. I will be away from computer access until late next week so the next exercise will be delayed.

[JPH]

3/2/2009-3/8/2009: Stairs

Sorry I'm late but I was on a trip. This week's exercise is not exactly a revolution in fitness, but why complicate things? Stairs are easy to find and they do not require an owners manual.

Lets keep this very simple. Go to the biggest staircase you can find and ascend it as many times as you can in 20 minutes. This offers not only a great conditioning benefit but it works leg strength in a way that running on level ground does not. This translates to weight loss, and an improved ability to climb both hills and trees.