Upper Body and Abs Circuits

Equipment Needed: Weighted Objects (water bottles, household objects or dumbbells).

Format: Perform each move for the prescribed time and repeat for 3 rounds

CIRCUIT 1: 

Move 1: Burpee Variation (0:20)

• Start in a standing position with your feet wider than hip distance apart.
• Bend your knees and plant your hands on the floor or mat in front of you (hands stacked directly below shoulders) and jump or step your feet back into a tall plank position, holding your belly button in and up to keep your core engaged.
• Keeping your core engaged, bring your body all the way down to the ground until your chest and thighs touch the ground.
• Powerfully press yourself back up to a tall plank position.
• Jump or step your feet back up towards your hands. 
• Extend your hips back to a standing position and finish by jumping with your hands reaching toward the ceiling. 
• MOD: Do this on an elevated surface and step your feet in and out for a lower impact movement. 

Move 2: Hinged Row to Fly (0:30)

• Hinge forward at the waist to be at 45 degrees, core engaged, gaze neutral, chest up, shoulders rolled back and down, and weights in your hands, hanging beneath your chest.
• Pull the weights to your sides while keeping your elbows close to the body, and squeezing your back muscles like you’re pinching the base of your shoulder blades together. 
• Slowly lower the weights down and perform a fly with straight arms by raising the weights out to the sides into a T position, leading with your elbows and pulling from the base of your shoulder blades.
• Come back to center and repeat a row and fly combo.

Move 3: Cross Cross Curl to Wide Curl (0:40)

• Holding your weighted objects with your palms facing you, pull your shoulder blades back and down with your core engaged. 
• Keeping the upper arms stationary, perform a cross body single arm bicep curl by curling the weight across your body and to your shoulder while contracting your bicep (palm facing you). 
• Reverse the movement and repeat on the other side. 
• Return to the starting position, externally rotate your arms, keeping your elbows by your sides to perform a wide bicep curl and return to your sides. 
• Repeat those 3 curls back to back.

CIRCUIT 2: 

Move 1: Plank Up Down (0:20)

• Begin in a tall plank position with your core engaged and shoulders stacked over your hands.
• Brace your core and lower yourself down to your forearms, one at a time.
• Bring your right arm back to a tall plank and then your left arm.
• MOD: Perform this in a kneeling position or on an inclined surface. 

Move 2: Lateral Raise (0:30)

• Stand with your core engaged, chest up, shoulders rolled back, and dumbbells in hand.
• Hinge forward at the waist to be at 45 degrees and engage between your shoulders, so they’re not rounding forward, allowing your dumbbells to hang beneath your chest and keeping your gaze neutral.
• Lift both arms out to the side, maintaining a slight bend in the elbows and squeezing your shoulder blades together.

Move 3: Alternating Toe Touch (0:40)

• Lay flat on your back with your arms and legs extended, core engaged.
• Use your abs to sit up as you reach your right arm and left leg to meet each other in a V sit position.
• Slowly bring yourself back to a lying position and repeat with your left arm and right leg.
• MOD: Keep your knees bent.

CIRCUIT 3: 

Move 1: Press to Knee Drive (0:20)

• Begin standing, holding one weight with both hands at chest level with your arms bent.
• Keeping your rib cage down and core engaged, press the weight straight up overhead. 
• Slowly lower the weight back down and perform a knee drive on each side by bringing your right knee up and across your body as you bring your weight down and to the right while crunching your torso. 
• Return to standing and repeat with the left side. 

Move 2: Overhead Triceps Extension (0:30)

• Begin in a standing position, holding one weight overhead with both hands so your arms are straight overhead.
• Slowly lower the weight behind your head by bending your elbows, being careful not to flare your elbows out too much.
• Once your forearms move beyond parallel to the floor, bring the weight back up to the starting position. 
• Your upper arms should remain in place throughout the movement so that your elbows aren’t moving too far forward or backward. 

Move 3: Renegade Row (0:40)

• Begin in a tall plank position with your core engaged, back flat, and shoulders stacked over your hands holding weighted objects.
• Keeping your hips square to the ground and core engaged, perform a row with your right arm by pulling your elbow straight back along your body and squeezing the base of your shoulder blade. 
• Slowly return your right arm back to the ground and repeat with your left arm.
• Return to your tall plank and perform a push up by lowering yourself toward the mat while bending your elbows and keeping your body straight. Keep your gaze about 6 inches in front of you rather than looking up or down, to maintain a neutral spine. 
• Press your body back up to your tall plank and repeat that sequence for the allotted time.
• MOD: Do this move on an elevated surface by placing your hand on the edge of a couch or table, from a kneeling position, or remove the weights.

Burpee Finisher (0:45) 

• See above description