Total Body Strength Training

Warmup/Mobility:

Slow Burpees

• Begin standing at the top of your mat with your core braced and chest upright.
• Bend your knees, plant your hands on the mat, and step your feet back into a tall plank position with shoulders stacked over wrists, braced core, back flat and neutral gaze (not looking up or down).
• Bend your arms and lower yourself toward the mat for a push-up while keeping your shoulders away from your ears. Be mindful that your hips and torso are moving in one line.
• Maintaining a braced core and flat back, push yourself back up to the starting position.
• Step your feet back up to your hands and drive through the heels to stand.
• Repeat for allotted time.
• MOD: Complete the push-ups with your knees on the mat or complete the entire sequence with your hands planted on an elevated surface (bench/couch/chair) instead of the mat.

Dynamic stretching (reverse lunges)

• Begin standing with feet hip distance apart, core braced, chest upright.
• Step your right foot back behind you maintaining an upright posture and engaged core, bending the knees.
• Drive through the front heel to step your right foot back to meet your left.
• Repeat with your left side and alternate both sides for allotted time.

Band shoulder mobility

• Standing with feet hip distance apart and core braced, hold a stretchy band or towel taut in a Y-position above your head.
• Maintaining the tension in the band/towel and a braced core, keep your arms straight as you move through the rotator cuffs to bring the band behind you as far as your mobility allows, pain-free.
• Bring the taut band/towel back over your head to the front of your body at hip level.
• Continue this sequence for allotted time, being mindful of not shrugging your shoulders towards your ears.

Workout:

Pause back squat (8-12)

• Begin by standing tall, core braced, and feet a little wider than hip distance (it’s normal for your feet to be angled out slightly).
• Place the barbell behind your neck, resting the bar on the meaty part of your upper traps (or holding dumbbells at your shoulders or sides) and engaging between the shoulder blades.
• Send your hips back as you come into a squat, bracing your core and keeping your chest up, being mindful that your knees track in line with your toes.
• Pause and hold strong engagement for 3 seconds at the base of your squat, then drive back up powerfully using the strength of your glutes.
• Repeat for max rep range.
• MOD: Use an elevated surface like a couch, chair ottoman or bench to check your squat form and ensure you’re using the correct muscles. Consider practicing this move without any weighted objects to start.

Underhand row (8-12)

• Begin by standing tall, core braced, shoulders back and down (as if they were against a wall) and holding a barbell (or two dumbbells) with both hands, palms facing out.
• Hinge forward at the hips at a 45 degree angle with your body, keeping core braced and back flat. Allow your weighted objects or bar to hang beneath your chest and keep your head and neck in a neutral position.
• Using your back muscles, draw your elbows up and back until the barbell touches your ribcage.
• Maintaining the positioning of your body, lower the weight back down with control.
• Repeat for max rep range.

Sumo deadlift (8-12)

• Place a barbell or two dumbbells on your mat, in front of your feet.
• Begin by standing in a wide sumo stance, toes angled out, core braced and shoulders back and down (as if they were against a wall).
• Send your hips back and bend the knees. Keep your chest elevated, knees actively tracking in line with your toes, a braced core, flat back and grip the barbell (shoulder distance, with one palm facing away from you) or dumbbells with both hands.
• Create a feeling of full body tension by slightly pulling on the weight (without lifting), bracing your core, squeezing between the shoulder blades, and pressing your heels into the mat to engage your glutes.
• Powerfully drive through the glutes to stand, keeping your weighted bar (or dumbbells) in close to your body at all times, not letting them float out.
• Come back down as you came up, keeping your weighted objects touching your legs.
• Repeat for max rep range.

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Incline Bench press (8-12)

• Begin by lying on your back on an inclined bench (30-45 degrees) with your barbell above your head, lined up over your nose. Grip the bar with both palms facing out at shoulder width or a bit wider.
• With your feet planted on the floor of either side of the bench, brace your core, keeping your shoulders down and back.
• Engage between your shoulder blades, thinking of actively pinching them together.
• Unrack the barbell and lower it with control to almost rest on your chest underneath your collarbones. (Determine your optimal grip width by checking to see that your forearms are straight up and down in this bent arm position.)
• Press the weight straight up, and repeat sequence.
• Be mindful that your wrists are remaining in a straight line with your forearms throughout this move.
• Repeat for max rep range.
• MOD: This move can be completed with dumbbells and the same form.
• MOD with dumbbells and stability ball: Begin by bracing your back against a stability ball, your feet planted, and butt hovering over the mat. Complete move with same cues and form as above.

Biceps curls (8-12)

• Begin standing with weighted objects in both hands and palms facing forward.
• With a braced core and shoulders back and down (as if they were against a wall), bend at the elbows to curl the weights up to shoulder height.
• With control, lower the weights to the starting position. Be mindful that you’re keeping your elbows in at your ribcage for the duration of the curl.
• Repeat for max rep range.

Barbell hip thrust (8-12)

• Sit yourself on the floor in front of your bench (or couch/chair/ottoman) and roll the weighted barbell over your legs, positioned directly over your hips. Alternatively, you can place dumbbells in your hip creases.
• Press yourself up with your elbows and feet to position your back against the elevated surface; the edge of the surface should be at the base of your shoulder blades. Your knees should be aligned over your ankles, with your feet planted on the floor.
• Brace your core and drive through your heels to lift your hips and weighted objects to the ceiling, knees tracking in line with the toes, squeezing your glutes and pausing at the top.
• Drop your hips back down toward the floor with control and repeat.
• MOD: Perform this on your back on the mat with dumbbells.