resources for teachers who move
All you need for today’s workout is a hill (or a field, parking lot, trail, etc.) and some medium weight dumbbells. I recommend between 8 and 15 pounds. Good luck!
Everything above in white is done up and down the hill (or across the gym, etc.). All the blue exercises use your dumbbells. Except the burpees. There is no need to ever do burpees with weight! 🙂 Do the whole set 2x through!
This week’s workout is a timed workout! I love timed workouts because you know exactly when it’s going to end, and you get out of it what you put in it. Each box below has four exercises in it. Do 12 repetitions of each exercise, then keep cycling through each of the 4 exercises as many times as you can in 8 minutes. Then, take a 2-minute break, and start over with the next box. The workout will take you 40 minutes (including your 2-minute breaks)!
First 8-minute Circuit:
12 Elevated Push-ups: This is a regular push-up, but with your feet off of the ground. Your feet could be on a bench top, stair, pressing against a wall, etc., just somewhere higher than your hands!
12 Cross Reach Crunches: Laying on your back, lift your legs off the ground so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor. Knees are bent 90 degrees. Reach your right arm forward to tap the outside of your left knee. Lower your shoulders back down. Repeat with your left arm reaching forward and across to tap the outside of your right knee.
12 Narrow Rows: Standing on your feet and hinging slightly forward from the hips, hold one weight in each hand with arms hanging down, hands near your knees. Draw the elbows straight back bringing the weights next to your waistline. Extend the arms back to starting position. Repeat 12 times.
12 Goblet Squats: Perform a squat while holding a weight in two hands in front of your chest, as if the weight was a goblet you were about to drink from (video here).
Second 8-minute Circuit:
I was asked for a legs day…so here you go! Do the whole set 2x through. It should take you roughly 45-55 minutes. Whenever you see the word “squats”, you can choose your own squat variation (listed in the right hand column). Enjoy!
Walking Lunges: With or without weight (held in your hands or a bar across your shoulders), step your right foot far forward into a lunge. Left knee should be close to touching the ground and right shin should be vertical (perpendicular to the ground). Repeat with the left foot (video here).
Spiderman Push-ups: Starting in high plank, or the top of a push-up, bend your arms to do a push-up. While your arms are bending, bring your right knee out to the side and close to your right elbow. Push your arms back straight and bring the foot back to starting position. Repeat on the left (video here).
Man Makers: Holding a dumbbell in each hand, do one push-up, then a renegade row with your right arm, then your left arm. Jump your feet in toward your hands and lift the dumbbells right above your shoulders. From that squat, straight the legs to standing and overhead press the weights above your head (video here).
Lawn Mowers: You can do these with a resistance band, kettle bell, or dumbbell. (video here)
Flutter Kicks: Laying on your back, lift the legs slightly off the floor (6-8 inches). Kick one leg and then the other, but keep the kicks very small. Legs stay off of the ground the whole time (video here).
Squat Variations:
Goblet Squats: Perform a squat while holding a weight in two hands in front of your chest, as if the weight was a goblet you were about to drink from (video here).
Front Loaded Squats: Perform a squat with a barbell held in front of your chest, in line with your collar bone.
Back Loaded Squats: Perform a squat with a barbell along the back of your shoulders.
Squat Jumps: Perform a squat, then when you straighten your legs, jump into the air. As you land, bend your knees fully into your squat (video here).
Over the Bench Squat: With right foot on a bench top and left foot on the floor, perform one squat. Then step or jump the left foot onto the bench and place your right foot on the floor. Do one squat. Switch sides every squat (video here).
Pistol Squats: Standing on your left leg and holding your right leg out in front of you, squat as far down as you can on your left leg, then stand back up, holding the right leg up the whole time. Do 10 repetitions on each side. This is a very difficult move! One of my favorite variations is to squat over a bench and let my bottom touch the bench at the bottom of my squat. That way I can squat lower than usual without falling down! (video here)
Squat with a High Pull:Holding your weight in front of you between two hands and allow your arms to hang. Perform one squat, then pull the weight up along your body to your chest. Lower and repeat (video here).
Have fun!
This week’s Workout of the Week is just plain fun! Not a lot of competition and no time limit. When you’re done, you’re done. All you have to do is spell your whole name (first middle last) and do the exercise associated with each letter! We’re shooting for 15-25 letters which should take you 30-45 minutes to complete. If you need to repeat your first name or take out your middle name to make it fit within those guidelines, do it! Grab the printable here.
A – Kettlebell Swings: You can use a heavier dumbbell for these if you don’t have a kettlebell. Just make sure you can hold the dumbbell with one hand on each end. Video here.
B – Mountain Climbers: Start in plank or push-up position. Bring right knee in towards the chest. Put the right foot back in plank position. Repeat with the left knee. Video here.
C – Jump ropes: Jump rope 75 times. Or, just little jumps side to side if you don’t have a jump rope.
D – Gate Swings: As my brother put it, “These are like jumping jacks with no arms. Except, when you jump out, you squat.” Starting with your feet together, jump out to a squat (in 2nd position for you ballerinas :), then jump back to feet together.
E – Pushups: Knees or toes. Arms wide or narrow. Pick your poison. 😉 Here’s a video if you need some extra inspiration!
F – Pull ups: Hanging from a bar, pull yourself up until your chin is level with the bar, then lower back down. You can modify by jumping to give yourself a headstart. Or, using a bench or an exercise band for leverage. OR, if you don’t have a bar, do a narrow, triceps push-up by putting your hands directly under your shoulders and keeping your elbows next to you waistline as you push-up.
G – Renegade Rows: Starting in push-up position with a dumbbell for each hand, hold one dumbbell in your right hand and pull the weight up to your shoulder, shooting your elbow straight up toward the ceiling. Put the weight down and repeat with your left hand (video here).
H – Pistol Squats: Standing on your left leg and holding your right leg out in front of you, squat as far down as you can on your left leg, then stand back up, holding the right leg up the whole time. Do 10 repetitions on each side. This is a very difficult move! One of my favorite variations is to squat over a bench and let my bottom touch the bench at the bottom of my squat. That way I can squat lower than usual without falling down! (video here)
I – Triceps Dips: Place your hands on a stair or bench and feet on the floor. Bending the elbows to the back, dip your hips down and up, keeping your feet far out in front of you (video here).
J – Pushups: (See letter E)
K – Tuck jumps: Standing with feet right under your hips, jump up bringing the knees up close to your belly button. (video here).
L – Hammer Curls: These are bicep curls with palms facing in toward the body at the lowest point. The end of the weight should tap the shoulder at the top (video here).
M – Burpees: Back to middle school gym class we go! Start standing. Squat down to touch the floor with your hands. Jump your feet out to high plank (push-up position). Do one push-up. Bring the feet back to a squat right next to your hands. Jump straight up lifting the arms above your head. Repeat 12 times! To make it easier, you can take out either the push-up, the jump, or both. You can also step out to plank from the squat instead of jump (video here).
N – Lunge Walks: With or without weight (held in your hands or a bar across your shoulders), step your right foot far forward into a lunge. Left knee should be close to touching the ground and right shin should be vertical (perpendicular to the ground). Repeat with the left foot (video here).
O – Plyo Lunges: Stand in a lunge with one foot front and other foot behind. Jump up and switch legs in the air to land in a lunge with the opposite foot front (video here).
P – Pistol Squats: (See letter H)
Q – Glute Bridge: Lay on your back and put your feet up on a stair, bench, couch, etc. Press your hips up high, then lay them back down. You can add a weight (held on your lower abdomen) to make it harder. Increase intensity by holding one leg up in the air while performing the exercise. Here’s a video!
R – Goblet Squats: Perform a squat while holding a weight in two hands in front of your chest, as if the weight was a goblet you were about to drink from (video here).
S – Russian Twists: Sitting on the floor, lift your legs off of the floor. Leave the knees bent about 90 degrees. Lean back slightly and twist the torso from side to side. Hold a weight, medicine ball, frozen ham, etc. to increase intensity (video here).
T – Renegade Rows: (See letter G)
U – 1 minute Wall Sit: Leaning against a solid wall, bend the knees so that your upper leg is parallel to the floor. Hold this position for 1-minute.
V – 2 minute Plank: Hold plank position (hands under your shoulders, feet less than 12 inches apart, spine straight) for 2 minutes.
W – Mountain Climbers: (See letter B)
X – Squat jumps: Standing on both feet, squat, then jump straight up. Repeat (video here).
Y – Plank jacks: Hold high plank (or push-up position) and jump your feet out into a wide straddle, then back close together.
Z – Burpees: (See letter Z)
This workout is a different format than most of my workouts, but I really enjoyed it! It definitely pushes you a little harder than usual because you are pressed for time, yet have a certain number of repetitions to achieve. Plus the faster you go, the more rest time you get! (Or the more time to run and stir the pot on the stove, fix a broken toy, and thaw meat for dinner in between sets :). Printable is here!
This workout is an “Every Minute On the Minute” format, or EMOM for short. There are five sets of exercises. Set a timer for four minutes and complete each set four times in a row, once per minute. For example, if I was doing the first set (8 curtsy lunges and 8 forward lunges with a biceps curl), I would set my timer for four minutes and immediately do 8 curtsy lunges and 8 forward lunges with a biceps curl. Then I would rest until my timer said three minutes left. Then I would do 8 curtsy lunges and 8 forward lunges with a biceps curl. Then I would rest until my timer said two minutes left. Repeat the set at the two minutes left mark and the one minute left mark. [Read more…]