Strength Training

The three keys to thriving in life and overall wellness is clean eating, supplementation,  and exercise. And there are multiple parts to exercise if you want to get the best results. Those include aerobic activity and strength training.

Strength Training

Strength training should be done 2-3 days/week.

It is important to focus on all muscles of the body — not just the upper body or just the lower body. I used to limit what I did on the upper body because I build muscle easy there and was afraid I would bulk up. But what I have learned is that when you work the total body, there is a natural proportion that occurs and you look and feel better and stronger. You want to work your upper body (biceps, triceps, chest, back, shoulders), lower body (quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes), and your core muscles (abdominals and lower back).

Here is a sample workout that you can do at home with some free weights and your own body weight. I recommend getting a couple different size weights (10lbs and 15lbs, etc.) and a weighted ball. Watch the video for instructions on how to do the exercises:

Be sure to get a good warm-up before you start lifting to get the blood going to your muscles and keep you from injury. I do three sets of each block of exercises with a 45-60 second rest between sets.

Block 1:

Man-Makers (two 5lb or 10lb weights): squat, jump back to plank, push-up, right arm pull-back, left arm pull-back, jump back to squat, stand up and push arms above head for overhead press. Do 10x.

Weighted bicep curl: 10-15reps.

Side-twist abdominal crunches: 20 crunches (10 per side)

Block 2:

Walking lunges with weights: 20 lunges (10 per side)

Single-leg deadlift: 10 on each leg

Isometric glute/hamstring hold: 15 per leg

Oblique twists with weight or weighted ball: 20 twists

Block 3:

Chest press: 15x

Lat pullover: 15x

Triceps crushers: 15x

Hollow hold: 50-100 seconds

 

Finish with some good stretching. Enjoy!