I'd been a bit delinquent last week; between houseguests, swimming "lessons" for the pooper, and a long weekend in Edmonton, I only got to the gym twice last week, and I wasn't sure how this week would pan out.
So I skipped my upper/lower split, which seems to have been working nicely, and threw myself into a bootcamp-inspired total body blast, using plyometrics and stabilization drills to completely annihilate every muscle in my body. Actually, the main targets (I discovered the next day while trying to get out of bed) ended up being the medial glutes, quadriceps (teardrop, to be specific), mid-back and shoulders. All of this in 30 sweaty, heart-pumping minutes. Awesome.
Clean and press: With a moderately wide stance, I deadlifted a 30-lb (oooo) barbell from the ground up to my shoulders (the "clean" portion of this powerlifting move), then pressed it overhead, and lowered it all the way back to the floor 12 times. This uses all the major muscle groups in the legs and glutes, as well as low back, shoulders and triceps. I repeated this with the 40-lb barbell for 10 reps, and the 50-lb barbell for 8. Supersetted with...
Hanging knee raises: Simple movement to really focus on the lower abdominals, hanging from the chinup bar (since I'm still not quite ready to try chinups again...) - the knees pull up into the chest as you exhale and curl your hips up. 3 sets of 15.
BOSU agility work: Round side up, I started on the right side of the BOSU. I stepped up with my left foot, then my right, then stepped off the left side with my left foot. Up with my right, then left, and off the right side with my right foot, and it counts as one rep. Yay for plyometrics! It's an up-up-down 3-c0unt, and by keeping my legs bent and my centre of gravity low, I was able to get some good speed going, while burning my legs and lungs near to death. Nice. 3 sets of 15, supersetted with...
BOSU pushups: Flat side up, I placed my hands on the far edges of the BOSU. With the round side down, you have a very unstable surface, which is excellent for calling your stabilizers into action, making your chest, shoulders and triceps work even harder, and turns boring old pushups into a whole-body challenge. 3 sets of 15.
BOSU jump-in squats: More plyos! Round side up, I stood behind the BOSU, and jumped forward with both legs into a squat position so that my left foot landed on the BOSU, and my right was on the ground beside the BOSU. I quickly stepped back behind the BOSU, and jumped forward so that the right was on the BOSU and the left on the floor. Again, that was one rep. The round side gives an uneven surface to help challenge the stabilizers, strengthen the calf, foot, and ankle, and also allow a new range of motion for the squats. Excellent for legs, glutes, and cardio. 3 sets of 15, supersetted with...
BOSU bent-over dumbbell rows: Flat side up, I climbed up on the BOSU (very carefully), and hinged forward at the hips. Keeping my head lifted and my back slightly arched, I pulled two 20-lb dumbbells up to my waist, squeezing my shoulder blades together at the top. Strengthens the lats, spinal erectors, biceps, and gives the hamstrings an isometric workout, as well as making your whole body shake from trying to hold this position on a wobbly base. 3 sets of 12.
Raise-and-rotates: Holding two wee little 5-lb dumbbells, I started with a bent-arm lateral raise up to shoulder height. From there, I keep the elbows still, and rotate the weight up so that my upper arms are straight out from my body, and my forearms are bent 90 degrees, pressing straight to the ceiling, and the weights are by my ears. (Ok, this one needs a stick figure, but I don't have access to a scanner here...) This exercise is excellent for focusing on both the front and medial delts, as well as the rotator cuff. These are all tiny little muscles, and it doesn't take much to make them work.
There you go! A total body blast, quick and dirty. And boy, will you feel it the next day.
