Exercise Program WARNING: DO NOT USE THIS OR ANY OTHER EXERCISE PROGRAM WITHOUT FIRST BEING CLEARED BY YOUR DOCTOR.

Exercise Program WARNING: DO NOT USE THIS OR ANY OTHER EXERCISE PROGRAM WITHOUT FIRST BEING CLEARED BY YOUR DOCTOR.

Things you MUST know before you begin Posture It is absolutely critical to maintain proper postural alignment throughout the exercises. To properly maintain all three natural curves of the spine cervical (neck), thoracic (upper back), and lumbar (lower back) contract the abdominal muscles and the upper and lower back muscles, keeping your shoulder blades positioned down and pulled in toward the spine, which will eliminate tension in the upper trapezius muscle in the neck. Intensity You will get more out of your workout if you focus more on the time the muscle is under tension (45-90 seconds) than the number of repetitions you are doing. In a set of repetitions, your final set of 20-30 reps should last 30 to 60 seconds. Important Note: Each exercise should be performed fast while maintaining form. In addition, make sure the last 10 seconds of each exercise are EXTREMELY difficult. They should be very hard to complete, whether you are working on the last 10 seconds or last 8 reps. Range More range of motion is not necessarily better. Use the pictures as a guide for your exercise technique to minimize chance of injury. Weights To attain optimal results, choose a weight that is challenging enough to enable you to reach muscle fatigue within the appropriate time frame without sacrificing form or postural alignment. Speed Keep your exercise speed under control. Do not accelerate, especially towards the end of a set when fatigue begins to set in (unless you are doing an explosive movement). Recovery Keep moving and minimize rest between sets. If you have to take a recovery break, keep it to no more than 40-90 seconds between sets. Advancing When you are ready to push yourself to a more advanced level, you can increase your intensity or the amount of weight you are working with, but only so far as you continue to maintain control and proper postural alignment.

Sets Perform each exercise within an Exercise Set (I-IV) all at once before moving on to the next set. This entire program of four exercise sets should last no more than 45 minutes. Ideally you should finish within 35 minutes. Frequency Exercise 4-6 days per week with this program. Fun Keep your exercise fun! There is no particular order to the Exercise Sets in the workout; begin on a different set each day if you want to shake things up a bit. Additional Exercise If you feel you need more exercise on a given day, wait until later in the day. Working out twice per day for 30 minutes versus all at once will increase fat loss significantly. Important Note: We do not recommend this same-day split routine training for beginners. If you are a beginner and would like to exercise between workouts, perform some light cardiovascular exercise, such as walking. This is a type of active recovery.

Exercise Set I Squat with Medicine Ball 20-30 Reps 8-16 Pound Ball Begin with feet placed slightly turned, hip width apart. Hold the medicine ball at your chest. Bend at the knee and the hip into a sitting position, with slightly more body weight distributed into the heels. Keep your hips slightly higher than your knees. Begin to straighten your arms while in the squatting position, reaching the ball out in front of your knees. Return to the upright position, bringing the medicine ball to your chest before extending it overhead. Bring the medicine ball back to your chest and repeat the exercise. Note: Throughout the exercise, do not allow your lower back to lose alignment or curve outward.

Standing Lat Extension with Squat Using Exertubes 2 Sets 20-30 Reps Tube resistance: Green (light) Red (medium) Blue (hard) Bend knees slightly, leaning forward at hips. Hold the handles of your Exertube, keeping your arms straight but not locked. Keeping your shoulder blades down, your chest up, and your elbows to the side of your body, bring your arms down to your sides, pulling the handles with your lat (back) muscles. As you allow your arms to return upwards, it is very important to be sure you keep your shoulders down away from your ears. Bend your knees into a squatting position, maintaining tension in the Exertube by keeping your arms just below shoulder level. As you return to your standing position, bring your arms back down to your sides and repeat the exercise. Note: When choosing a tube, select the resistance that allows you to maintain proper postural alignment and controlled technique while performing the exercise.

Jump Squats 20-30 Seconds For varying levels of intensity, choose a medicine ball of suitable weight to perform exercise while maintaining form. Holding a medicine ball at chest level, bend at the knees and lean forward from the hips, maintaining proper curvature of the spine, in a squat stance. Press the medicine ball overhead. Explode out of your squat position, jumping into the air and landing back in your squat position. Immediately repeat the move, jumping back up and squatting down for 20-30 seconds.

Plank with Elbows Stationary on a Fit Ball 15-20 Reps For greater intensity, roll the ball out and back in repeatedly during the exercise. Place your elbows on top of the ball, extending and planting your feet for balance and keeping your body aligned in the plank position. Keep your core engaged, not allowing your abdomen to sink toward the floor or your back to arch. For a more advanced move, roll the ball out slightly then back again, allowing your elbows to return below the chest.

Exercise Set II Reverse Lunge with Knee Lift and One-Arm Dumbbell Press 15-20 Reps/Leg Dumbbell: 3-12 lbs. For greater intensity, choose a heavier weight or perform the exercise on an elevated platform. Begin the exercise standing on one foot with the opposite leg bent at the knee and raised. Hold a dumbbell at your shoulder in the hand on the same side as the raised knee. Then, as if doing a one-legged squat, extend the lifted leg behind you, placing only the ball of the foot on the floor and using the front leg as the working leg. Recover to the start position by bringing the extended leg back up to the bent-knee position and pressing the dumbbell up, keeping your arm in front of your body and your elbow pointed forward without locking it. Repeat the lunge move by bringing the dumbbell down in front of your shoulder. Repeat this lunge move for 15-20 reps on one side before alternating to the other side.

Squat/Bent-Over Rows with Exertube 20-30 Reps Tube resistance: Green (light) Red (medium) Blue (hard) Holding the handles of your Exertube, lower yourself into a squat position, bending forward at the hip while keeping your spine in correct postural alignment. Begin your rowing motions with arms extended in your squat position. As you rise to a standing position, keeping your legs slightly bent and maintaining a slight forward bend at the hip, bend your elbows and pull your arms toward your body in a rowing motion, keeping your shoulder blades pulled down and back towards your spine. (Your elbows should stop directly below your shoulder joint, with a bend of no more than 90 degrees. You should feel tension in your lats (back) not your arms, neck, or shoulders.) Straighten your arms as you return to your squat position and repeat the exercise.

Side to Side Jump Over Rope 20-30 Seconds For more intensity, jump over a taller object. Lay a rope or Exertube across the floor in a straight line. Standing to one side of the rope, begin jumping from side to side over it, maintaining your posture and keeping your abdominal muscles contracted. \ Move your arms in tight circles, as you would while jumping rope, and try to bring your knees up as high as you can with each jump.

Kneeling Trunk Rotations with Medicine Ball 30 Seconds/Side 8-14 Pound Medicine Ball Modification: use a lightweight Fitball for beginner levels. Kneel on one knee with the opposite leg in front and planted slightly to side of your body. Hold your exercise ball on the side you are kneeling on with the respective hand on top of the ball (if your weight is on your right knee, your right hand will rest on top of the ball). From this start position, quickly move the ball at an angle up and over the opposite shoulder, rotating through your torso before returning it to the start position. Repeat this motion quickly, maintaining constant tension in your trunk muscles (abdominals and obliques) for thirty seconds before repeating on the opposite side.

Exercise Set III Explosive Dumbbell Thruster Squats 20 Reps For greater intensity, use heavier resistance. Begin exercise by standing with elbows bent, holding dumbbells slightly out in front of your shoulders and parallel with each other. Lower into your squat position, keeping the dumbbells near your shoulders. From your squat immediately explode upwards, pressing dumbbells overhead using the power from your lower body to help raise them. Be sure as you jump that you keep your elbows and the dumbbells in front of your body, not out to the side. Return back down to your squat position, bringing the dumbbells back down to your shoulders. Immediately repeat this explosive motion without stopping or pausing Note: Remember, although this is a quick burst movement, it is still important to try to maintain a sense of control with your arms and the dumbbells. Also, be sure you do not lock your knees or elbows at the top of movement.

Modified Pull-ups 10-20 Reps For the Modified Pull-up exercise, you will need to hold onto a bar that is high enough for your back to be off the floor with your legs extended straight out in front of you. (Modification: bending your knees and placing your feet flat on the floor will decrease the degree of difficulty for the exercise.) Your hands should be wider than shoulder width to allow you to create a 90 degree bend in your elbows when you lift yourself. As you lift yourself toward the bar, focus on contracting the muscles in your back (lats) as you pull upwards. When your elbows reach a 90 degree angle, lower yourself back to your starting position and repeat the exercise. Note: Throughout the exercise, keep your chest up and your shoulder blades pulled toward your spine. Keep your shoulders down away from your ears at all times.

Gliding Mountain Climbers 20-30 Seconds 2 Gliding Discs Optional Raised Surface Begin in a pushup position with your hands on the floor or a slightly elevated surface like a step bench or a Bosu Balance Board. Each foot should be on its own gliding disc before you begin. With your arms straight but not locked at the elbows, move your feet, pumping your legs quickly, as though you are climbing or running. Throughout the exercise, keep your abs tight and avoid dropping your hips toward the floor; keep them just slightly lower than shoulder level. Also be sure your chest remains directly above your arms; do not allow your arms to move out in front of your body.

Burpees 10-15 Reps Begin exercise by standing with feet hip width apart. In the first position of the move, drop your hands to the floor, with your body in a squat position. In the second position of the move, you will jump backward, allowing your feet to land in the start of a pushup, or plank, position. Your arms should be straight, but not locked at the elbow. In the third position, you will perform one pushup, dropping to your knees if you need to modify the move. In the final position, you will return quickly to the first position before exploding out of the squat and jumping into the air. To modify this move, simply stand up. Immediately return to the first position to continue your repetitions without pausing.

Exercise Set IV Dumbbell Hang Cleans 20-25 Reps 8-20 Pounds Begin by standing with dumbbells at your sides. Perform a jump squat. As you are jumping up, bend your elbows to curl the dumbbells up in front of you. Landing back down in a full squat position, finish the dumbbell curl by bringing them all the way up near your shoulders. Stand back up, lowering the dumbbells back to your sides. Repeat the jump squat along with the arm motion.

Pushups 20-30 Reps To modify this exercise and make it easier, perform with hands placed on an elevated surface. Begin the exercise by placing your hands on the floor or an elevated surface, such as a workout bench. Your hands should be wider than shoulder width, and your arms should be under your chest, not out in front of you. As you lower down into a pushup, be sure to keep your shoulder blades pulled back and down toward your spine, your shoulders away from your ears, and your chest broad, not caving in on itself. Avoid allowing your elbows to go higher than level with your back and shoulders. You don t want to touch your chest all the way to the floor or elevated surface. There should be about a 90 degree angle bend at the elbows. As you return to your start position, focus on using the chest muscles to pull your upper arms in toward the chest and midline of your body. If you feel all the exertion in your arms and shoulders, your arms are too far out in front of you.

Gliding Side Lunge with Running Man Arms 20 Reps/Leg 3-10 Pound Dumbbells Begin by standing with only one foot on a gliding disc, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Perform a side lunge, gliding the foot on the disc out at a slight diagonal. In this move, the front leg is the working leg, so focus on engaging the hip, gluts and hamstrings of the front leg. In the lunge, do not allow your butt to drop lower than knee level. Pumps your arms as if you are running during this exercise. Use your front leg to pull yourself back up into beginning position and repeat twenty times before switching legs.

Medicine Ball Throw-down 10-20 Reps 10-25 Pound Medicine Ball Stand holding the medicine ball overhead (keep it slightly forward, not directly over the top of your head). Using as much force as possible through your arms and abdominals, throw the ball down to the floor. As you do this, squat down to pick up ball after it hits the floor, keeping your hips and butt down and your chest up (avoid rounding your back). Use your legs and gluts, keeping your weight in your heels, not your toes, as you stand back up, raising the ball overhead again. Repeat the motion, throwing the ball down and squatting to pick it up again until you have completed your reps.