I wanted yesterday’s workout to be relatively quick, but brutally hard. So, I put together a couple of plyometric exercises along with some ab moves and sprints. Plyometrics are generally used to increase speed, stamina, and strength in athletes. But hey, I was an athlete once!
I did my ab moves first. Exercising my abs is my least favorite thing to do. So, I find if I do them first, I complete them with good form and finish all the sets. There have been so many times when at the end of my workout, I still needed to do abs…so I do an exercise, then I’m tired, so I stop. For me, doing what you hate most at the beginning gets it out of the way and ensures you actually do them.
Abs:
- V-Ups-I did these off the end of a bench. I completed 3 sets of 15. These are funny because they actually make my hip flexors tired, not so much my abs. But either way, they are challenging. Here’s a video demonstration.
- Plank- Good ol’ plank. I did one minute sets 3 times. Again, these are great because you feel it not only in your abs but your back and shoulders. They’re just a solid, full body workout. Here’s a video showing proper technique.
- Side Plank with Shoulder Work- Finally, I did a side plank. Not just any side plank though….For example, if I was doing side plank on my right side…I was holding a 5lb. weight in my left hand which was resting on the side of my body. While holding the plank, I extended my left arm, keeping it straight and holding the weight, straight out in front of me, then bringing it back. That was 1 count. I did 3 sets of 15 with both my right and left arms. This is something you will really feel in your shoulders the next morning (I definitely do today!).
Next, I went on to do some plyometric exercises. I alternated between burpees with pushup, jumps on a bench, and wall balls.
- Burpees with pushup- I completed 3 sets of 15 overall. Here is a video example of burpees. I was not quite as flawless as this guy.
- Jumps on Bench- These are pretty self explanatory. The bench in the weight room was completely level and all I did was squat down to get momentum, and jump up on the bench with both feet. I tried to keep my jumping form strong….therefore the jumps were controlled so there was no falling or other injuries. I did 3 sets of 15.
- Wall Balls- I ripped these off from Crossfit. I used a ten pound medicine ball and did 3 sets of 15. Here’s a video demonstration from some Crossfit folks.
So, I did one set of the burpees, then moved on to one set of jumps and wall balls. I did one set of each then started the circuit again. After I was done, I did some running interval training.
I ran 1 minute at a 6.0 speed, then one minute at 8.0 alternating for 20 minutes. This becomes exhausting and definitely feels harder than your average 30 minute run.
Overall, this whole exercise probably took me an hour. I tried to complete all of it as fast as I could which adds to your cardio workout. I’m definitely feeling it today!
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