Woohooo two posts this week! Amazing 😉 Ok seriously though I am getting back on track!!! I’ve had a niggling shoulder and ankle injury but things seem to be getting better with those too. I know my body and it’s responding well to the cross training I’ve been doing with adding in more yoga and swimming which is GREAT! Last week I managed to do twisting half moon pose and this week I did crow and held it for about 5 seconds, no falling on my face. Loving yoga right now. I also did wheel for the first time in years, and some shoulder stands. It’s important with exercise to listen to your body daily, because what happens today may not be happening tomorrow!
In the workout video I did 4 exercises, and naturally the split squat was repeated on both sides. Each exercise is done for 45 seconds with 10 seconds of rest. In the workout I used a jump rope and medicine ball. My jump rope is from Golds Gym and my medicine ball is the 14lb ball from Rep Fitness. Total of a little over 5 minutes. Remember if you want to get the videos straight away subscribe to my youtube channel! The full video is below:
Workout Breakdown:
We start out with JUMP ROPE! I’m really loving jump rope lately. Great cardio, quick and easy and so many options. I talked above about listening to your body and this was a bad jump rope day for me. I just couldn’t get into a flow with it. Every day is different with our bodies.
After the jump rope it’s time for the medicine ball with a SQUAT & SHOULDER DROP. I had no idea what to call this really. Squat to pick the ball up, lift the medicine ball up to your shoulder then drop it behind you. Turn around and repeat but drop it over the other shoulder. This is a really functional movement and I loved using the 14lb ball for this exercise. If you don’t have a medicine ball you could use a sandbag or for a bodyweight version just squat.
From functional to the floor with a PLANK with KNEES IN. This can be done in a TRX, using Val Slides or Stability ball but the medicine ball really adds a challenge! Place the lower shin on the ball and then bring both knees in towards the chest. Make sure hands are under the shoulders with elbows soft. Look down at the floor to avoid straining the neck. Bodyweight version: Mountain climbers, alternating knees into the chest, or the cheap val slides – paper plates on carpet floor 😉
Back to the legs with a SPLIT SQUAT with the back foot on top of the medicine ball. I’ve done these on a bosu and they are challenging but this is a great exercise to really hit the glutes and thighs. I really like the added challenge of balancing plus the increased resistance in the working front leg. These are really going to help me build my leg strength at home 🙂 I’m thinking of pairing these in a future workout with jump squats! Ouch! Already feeling that burn! Place the top of the foot on the ball and then bend both knees to 90°. These are sometimes called lunges, but really they are a split squat. I also love these in the TRX! Bodyweight: just place the back foot on the floor.
Finally we have a PLANK with TOE TAP. This is challenging just the plank with the toes on the ball. Holding the plank tap alternating toes down beside the ball. Aim for the ball to move as little as possible to focus on the abs, with little to no movement in the hips. Keep the hips at shoulder height. Bodyweight: Toes on the floor and tap out to the sides.
And that is this weeks workout. This week is a full body workout with some cardio. It’s a little over 5 minutes, but you can choose to do more reps, longer intervals or for more cardio add jump rope in between every medicine ball exercise. These workouts are suggestions, remember to make the workout your own, it’s not set in stone!