A Killer Full-Body Workout for the Gym Floor
Last Updated: Jul 14, 2015 | By
Griffin Nash/NashPictures.com
Overview
Contrary to popular
opinion, it doesn’t take a lot of equipment to get a killer workout. In
fact, all you need is the ground, a barbell, a pair of dumbbells and two
kettlebells! So next time all those machines at the gym are taken,
don’t sweat it, because you have a full-body strength-and-conditioning
workout right here that’ll build muscle and perfect movement patterns.
NOTE: Do each of these exercises as listed. The numbers and letters
indicate when things are performed alone or as a superset.
Griffin Nash/NashPictures.com
1. Kettlebell Squat Jumps
This exercise is a total-body exercise with a
primary focus on your lower body -- quads, hamstrings, glutes and
calves. By working for a shorter amount of time (six seconds, in this
case) with full recovery (54 seconds), you’re really hammering the
energy system that’s responsible for helping you be fast, powerful and
explosive. It’s important that you go all-out for those six seconds,
though. HOW TO DO IT: Hold a lighter kettlebell with both hands on the
handle with feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down and then repeatedly
jump as hard and fast as you can for six seconds. Once the six seconds
are done, rest for 54 seconds. Repeat for five total sets.
Griffin Nash/NashPictures.com
2. Barbell Deadlift
Arguably the king of all lifts, the deadlift
hammers just about every muscle in your body. In particular, you’re
focusing on your hamstrings and glutes as you lift the bar off the
ground with a rock-solid core. The deadlift is a great way to teach
someone how to generate hip extension with the right muscles (hamstrings
and glutes), but it’s also one of the best overall strength builders.
HOW TO DO IT: Set up with the bar hovering over the base of your toes.
Before grabbing the bar, take a big inhale, blow it all out by
contracting your abdominals, and then fill up with air again without
letting your ribs come up.
While maintaining that tension, bend over, pushing your hips back and
squatting down slightly. Grab the bar and use the weight to help pull
your hips down a little further and remove whatever slack is in the bar.
While keeping your core tight, lift the bar and press the floor away
through your heels until you’re standing up tall. Perform six sets of
three reps with one to two minutes of rest between sets.
Griffin Nash/NashPictures.com
3a. One-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press
In this exercise the ground gives great
proprioceptive feedback (sensory info about your body position and
movement) and helps you find your abs by flattening your back into the
ground. And by having weight on only one side, it provides a
anti-rotational stability challenge, thus targeting more of your abs. It
builds upper-body strength while teaching you how to properly reach
with a stable midline. HOW TO DO IT: Lie on your back with a dumbbell in
one hand in front of your body. Root your heels and use your abs to
flatten your lower back to the ground. Once your back is in place,
squeeze the dumbbell and pull it down toward the ground, keeping a
little space between your elbow and your side. Try to take three seconds
to lower the weight, and once you feel the back of your arm hit the
ground, punch toward the ceiling as hard as you can. Do three sets of 10
reps on each side and superset it with the two-kettlebell front-rack
reverse lunge.
Griffin Nash/NashPictures.com
3b. Two-Kettlebell Front-Rack Reverse Lunge
This is another total-body exercise that gets a
lot of abs, hamstrings, glutes, quads and even shoulders. By holding
the weight in the front-rack position, you force yourself to recruit
more of your abs to account for the load. Thus, this exercise is great
for teaching proper midline position and then helping you be stable and
strong on one leg. HOW TO DO IT: Clean both kettlebells up to the
front-rack position and interlock your fingers. Exhale to set your ribs
down and brace your core. Without losing those tight abs, step one foot
back and lower your back knee until it barely taps the ground. Focus on
keeping weight on your front heel and maintaining a vertical front shin.
Push through your front heel until you’re standing all the way up
again. Perform all the reps on one side, and then switch to the other.
You’ll do three sets of eight reps on each side -- and remember to
superset this exercise with the one-arm dumbbell floor press.
Griffin Nash/NashPictures.com
4a. Split-Stance One-Arm Kettlebell Row
This is a great exercise to build a strong
upper back while helping to generate some solid single-leg and core
stability. HOW TO DO IT: Assume a modified split-stance position with
your back leg straight and your front leg bent to 90 degrees. Have 70
percent of your weight on your front leg, and make sure you drop your
chest a little to load your front hip and maintain a flat back. Next,
place the kettlebell by the sole of your front foot so you can grab it
while maintaining a flat back. If you can’t, elevate it slightly on a
small box. Feeling your abs and the muscles around your lead hip brace
for the load, row the kettlebell up from the floor without letting the
weight rotate you. Lower it back down slowly for three seconds until it
finds the floor again. Repeat for a total of 10 reps per side for three
sets. You’ll be supersetting this exercise with the physioball hamstring
curl.
Griffin Nash/NashPictures.com
4b. Physioball Hamstring Curl
Having strong hamstrings and good muscle
control is essential for being a strong, powerful and healthy athlete.
This exercise teaches you to do just that without extending into your
lower back. HOW TO DO IT: Lie on your back and place your heels up on a
stability ball. Curl the ball in toward your butt using your hamstrings,
and then bridge up by pressing your hips toward the ceiling. Now, brace
your abs and slowly move your heels away from your butt using your
hamstrings. Take five seconds to straighten your legs without losing
your bridge or arching your back, and then curl back up and repeat for a
total of six reps and three sets. This exercise is supersetted with the
split-stance one-arm kettlebell row.
Griffin Nash/NashPictures.com
5. Supine Leg Lowering With Kettlebell
It’s not news that you need to have a strong
and stable core, and this is one of the best ways to make that happen.
By reaching with the kettlebell, you get your serratus anterior (upper
sides of the ribs) to kick in, which pulls your ribs back and allows you
to really target your abs while you raise and lower the opposite leg.
HOW TO DO IT: Lying on your back with legs straight and a kettlebell in
one hand, press the kettlebell to the ceiling and raise the opposite leg
in the air. Pin your lower back to the ground. While still reaching and
keeping your abs tight, lower the raised leg toward the floor as far as
you can without your lower back coming off the floor or your ribs
flaring out. Once you reach that position, raise the leg and repeat for a
total of eight reps per side for three sets.
Griffin Nash/NashPictures.com
6. Tempo Push-Ups
Aerobic capacity is incredibly important for
both performance and recovery. One great way to bolster that capacity is
to fatigue your slow-twitch muscle fibers by working at a slower tempo.
HOW TO DO IT: Elevate your hands on dumbbells and assume the standard
push-up position. Brace your abs and lower yourself for three seconds
and press yourself up for three seconds with no pausing or stopping for
45 seconds. Rest for 45 seconds and repeat for a total of five sets. For
this exercise to work properly, it’s crucial that you pay strict
attention to the tempo: three seconds down and three seconds up with
absolutely no pausing or stopping.
Griffin Nash/NashPictures.com
What Do YOU Think?
And that’s a wrap! What did you think of this
workout? Will you try it (or have you already)? What are some of your
favorite exercises to do when all the machines at the gym are taken? Do
you have any go-to body-weight exercises you can do even without a gym?
Let us know in the comments section below!
0 comments:
Post a Comment