Results Conditioning » dumbbells

Fitness challenge #43: 20/12 Burpees

richb — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:52:03 +0000

The first challenge of 2012 is aptly named the 20/12 Burpee challenge. The 20/12 relates to the number of repetitions you perform, as you alternate between 20 and 12 reps and as for the Burpee in the title well that’s because you do 4 different variations of the beloved whole body exercise.

For this challenge you will be using a single dumbbell, for each of the resistance exercise try and pick a weight that allows you to complete the exercise with good technique whilst still challenging you. For this challenge I would normal do a couple of sets of each dumbbell exercise with my clients at the start using a slightly lighter weight to help learn correct technique and warm up the muscle groups that are about to be worked. The challenge is very taxing on the whole body especially the muscles of the legs, shoulders, chest and core.

Once the client is familiar with the technique and fully warmed up then the aim is simply complete the following 9 exercise circuit in your quickest time.

Circuit:

Single arm squat curl and press x20 per side

Basic Burpee x12

Lunge with reach x20 per side

Burpee to knee strike x12

Side lunge with overhead swing x20 per side

Burpee with Jump x12

Sprinter sit- up x20

Turkish get- up x12 per side

Burpee with press up and jump x20

Dumbbell circuit

richb — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:12:05 +0000

This whole body dumbbell circuit is great for improving muscular strength and endurance as well as burning plenty of calories. The workout is ideal for those wanting to train at home since you can do it with just a single pair of dumbbells and a bench or step box. Move between one exercise to the next with little rest and then once the whole circuit is complete then rest for 1-2 minutes. See if you can complete 3-4 full circuits.

Below are the exercises used within the circuit and a video showing a sample round.

Chest press x20

Bent over rows x20

Single arm snatch x10 per arm

Renegade rows x20

Jump lunge to press x10 per arm

Squat to rotation x12 per side

Burpee to press x10

Aims:

If you have only one pair of dumbbells available to you then increase the number of reps performed once an exercise becomes comfortable. If you have a selection of dumbbells then pick a weight that is challenging for each exercise.

Exercise of the week 07: Prone shoulder press

richb — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:32:29 +0000

This times exercise of the week will test your core stability as well as upper body strength. When it comes to working our core many people believe that basic crunches and sit ups will do the trick. These exercises are fine for hitting the muscles on top of the stomach (rectus abdominis) but how about the rest of the muscles that actually makes up our “core”. Muscles such as the internal and external oblique’s, glutes, hips as well as those of the lower back. Having a strong core is going to help you regardless what your goals are, whether that is to improve your strength, power, fitness etc. Just think of it like this, it does not matter how big a trees branches are if the trunk is weak then so is the whole tree.

To perform the prone shoulder press hold a dumbbell in one hand and get into a press up position with your hands placed shoulder width apart. Lift the dumbbell to your shoulder and press it out in front of you whilst maintaining a flat back and keeping your abdominals drawn in. As you press the weight out aim to keep your hips still and don’t let your body twist.

TIPS:

When starting out use a light dumbbell as you will find that pressing a weight out in front of you from this position is a lot tougher than performing a normal shoulder press.

By placing your feet wide will help you to maintain balance and posture. Once you get used to it then you can try it with a narrower stance.

Sample workout:

Here is a whole body workout that will help you to improve core strength and stability.

Single leg squats 3 sets 12

Prone dumbbell rows 3 sets 12 (Hold a pair of dumbbells and get into a press up position with your hands shoulder width apart. From here row the weight up into your body whilst maintaining a flat back).

Press up with feet on stability ball 3 sets 12

Prone shoulder press 3 sets of 10 reps per arm

Stability ball back extensions 3 sets 12

Front plank 3 sets of 60 seconds

Side plank 3 sets of 30 seconds per side.

Here is a shoulder workout that I recently did with one of my clients at the end of a legs and shoulder session. It mixes stability, strength and power exercise together. Perform the 3 exercises as a circuit with no rest with in between. At the end of the circuit rest for 1-2 minutes and then repeat x3.

Prone shoulder press x10 reps per arm

TRX front raise x10 reps

Barbell push press x10 reps

Exercise of the week 04: Jump lunge with press

richb — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:44:37 +0000

This times exercise of the week is an explosive jump lunge with press. This exercise is fantastic for improving speed and power as will as testing your core stability, balance and co-ordination as it works your upper and lower body together.

Below is a brief description of how to perform this exercise as well as a short video to demonstrate it in action and then finally a sample workout that incorporates the jump lunge press.

How to do it:

Hold a single dumbbell in your right hand at shoulder height and stand with your feet together around hip width apart. Jump into the air and drive your right leg back bending both your knees to perform a lunge. As you do this press the weight above you to full extension so that you finish in a lunge position with the arm fully extended and dumbbell above your shoulder. Hold this position for a second maintaining a strong core to help keep your balance and your back straight and body upright. From here step your feet together and lower the dumbbell back down to your shoulder under control and repeat for desired reps before switching sides.

Sample workout:

This workout would be ideal for those wanting to improve not only their strength but also their explosive power. This could prove useful for those that compete in sports which requires bursts of explosive power performed over and over again (power endurance) as well as strength, sports such as boxing, MMA, rugby etc. The workout is done in superset fashion so that you perform a strength based exercise followed immediately by a power one. Between supersets rest for 1-2 minutes and then repeat for 3 sets.

Superset 1:

Barbell squats x6-8 reps

Explosive lunge with press x6 reps per arm

Superset 2:

Barbell bench press x6-8 reps

Clap press up x6 reps

Superset 3:

Pull ups x6-8 reps (If you can do more then add resistance)

Overhead medicine ball slams x20 seconds

Superset 4:

Barbell upright row x6-8 reps

Barbell push press x6-8 reps

Superset 5:

Front plank x30-60 seconds

Explosive get ups x6 reps

Powerbag routines

richb — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 19:34:26 +0000

This post looks at exercises and routines that can be done with 2 or more Powerbags. At the Results studio with have a range of bags from 7-5kg all the way up to 25kg. The Powerbags are fantastic for functional movements, core stability, strength and power training and aerobic fitness. The following routines use a mixture of large compound movements as well as plyometric type exercises. These routines can be used together for one all over session that can help with increasing strength, core stability, burning calories and working the heart and lungs.

4 Bag routine:

As the name suggests this routine uses 4 powerbags. I have been working with bags weighing 10, 15, 20 and 25kg but this can be changed depending on your own fitness levels. The routine mixes 4 strength exercises alongside lateral jumps that will help keep the heart rate elevated throughout. The 4 exercises I used are as follows.

10kg bag: Reverse lunge with upright row

15kg bag: Clean and press

20kg bag: Bent over rows

25kg bag: Deadlift

The aim of the session is that after completing 12 reps on each exercise you perform a set of lateral jumps over the bags. You jump down the line and then back before finishing at the bag your about to work with. Once you have completed all the exercises you can either take a rest or start again from the beginning. Depending on the session this routine has been repeated 1-3 times to form a single set. I would then perform 2-3 sets with either 1-2 minutes rest in between or use the time in between sets to work the abdominals or do some rounds on the focus pads, again depending on aims and goals, fitness levels etc.

2 bags:

This exercise uses 2 Powerbags although you could substitute the bags for step boxes. This one movement combines press ups with a dumbbell bicep curl and shoulder press along with a burpee. Start in a press up position with your hands on the dumbbells, from here place your hands on the bags and perform a press up. Walk your hands back onto the dumbbells and jump your legs in landing with your feet either side of the 2 bags. From here stand up and perform a curl to press before squatting down and placing the weights on the floor. Kick your legs back out and repeat from the beginning. Again I would perform 3 sets of 10-12 reps of this exercise.

3 bag drag:

For this routine I used bags weighted 15, 20 and 25kg. Ideally you need a space of around 8-10 metres. Start with all the bags lined up next to each other. From a press up position crawl backwards dragging the first bag with you. Once you reach the end of the room then bear crawl back to the next bag and start again. Once you have finished with all 3 bags then either take a 1 minute rest or spin around and drag the bags back to the start position. Again I would normally get clients to complete 2-3 sets of this drill.

Circuit Creator

richb — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:32:07 +0000

If like me you enjoy circuit training then you may find this post useful. I have taken 4 pieces of equipment that are most commonly found within gyms and health clubs and along with your bodyweight I have put together 6 exercises for each piece of kit. The idea is simple, pick one exercise from each section and do them for 40-60 seconds without any rest in between. Once you have completed 1 complete circuit then rest for 1-2 minutes and then go again either using the same 5 exercises or chose 5 more. Aim to complete 3-6 circuits before cooling down. If you haven’t got access to one of the pieces of equipment below then simply pick an extra exercise using kit you have got.

BARBELL:

Clean and press
Bent over rows
Push press
Deadlifts
Military press
Upright row

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Results workout #28: 4X5 Minute rounds

richb — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:54:51 +0000

Here is a workout I did with my Saturday morning circuit class last week. The circuit was split up into 4 rounds with each round being made up of 3 exercises. The am is simple, complete 10 reps of each exercise and perform as many sets within a 5 minute time limit. Below are the 4 rounds used within the circuit.

Round 1: All you need for this round is a step box or bench.

Press ups

Bench hops (Place your hands on the step and jump your legs over. There and back counts as 1 rep)

Tricep dips off bench

Round 2: All you need for this round is a barbell.

Clean and press

Squat jumps

Shuttle run (For this I had participants complete one lap around the studio. A distance roughly of 15-20 metres)

Round 3: For this round I used a weight plate although you could also use a kettlebell instead.

Swings (Squat down and hold the plate between your knees. From here swing the weight up and over your head by extending your legs and hips)

Stand up kneel down (Hold the weight at chest height and place one knee on the floor followed by the other to form the kneeling position. From here reverse the process and stand back up)

Burpees

Round 4: For this round you need a single dumbbell.

Squat to press (Hold the dumbbell at shoulder height and squat down. As you stand up press the weight over your head. Complete 10 reps per arm)

Lunge with rotation (Hold the dumbbell in both hands at chest height. Perform a front lunge and as you do twist your torso towards the lead leg. Repeat on the opposite side)

Double leg squat thrusts

In between rounds participants were given 1 minute to rest. Before starting the next round we did 3 sets of abdominal work using a mixture of exercises such as reverse curls, v-sits, Russian twists etc.

Circuit challenge:

At the start of the circuit I set everyone the challenge of trying to complete a total of 20 sets over the 4 rounds. Once you can complete 20 sets or more then look at increasing the resistance on all weighted exercises

Results workout #25: P and N circuit

richb — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:49:39 +0000

Here is a workout that I designed for 2 of my clients Phil and Nick (hence the name of the session) to do while they are away on holiday. For this workout all you need are some dumbbells and a space of around 10-15 metres so it is ideal for outdoor use. The workout combines resistance exercises with shuttle runs to give you a circuit that will help to improve fitness, endurance and reduce body fat. The workout will have you doing descending reps on the resistance exercises while increasing the reps of the shuttle runs, this will really test your endurance as you will be having to run for longer with shorter breaks in between.

Warm up:

Start with 5 minutes of light cardio before starting the circuit.

Main workout:

For the main workout complete all the exercises back to back with little rest. At the end of the circuit, rest for a couple of minutes and then repeat. Aim to complete 3 circuits. The way the session works is that you will start with 12 reps on the resistance exercise followed immediately by 1 shuttle run (around 10-15 metres). After the shuttle run perform 10 reps of the resistance exercise followed by 3 shuttle runs and then finally 8 reps and 5 runs. Once this is done move on to the next resistance exercise and start again from 12 reps.

Example:

12 Press ups with 1 shuttle run

10 press ups with 3 shuttle runs

8 press ups with 5 shuttle runs

Circuit:

Squat to press (Hold a dumbbell at shoulder height. Perform a squat and as you stand up press it over your head. Complete the reps then change arms).

Press ups

Alternating front lunges

Dumbbell swings (Hold a weight in one hand. Bend your knees and swing the dumbbell through your legs. As you stand up swing the weight up to shoulder height. Complete the reps then change arms).

Plank with legs out and in (Start in a basic plank position with your feet together. Take your right leg out to the side and then do the same with your left. Bring the right leg back into the centre and then your left. This counts as 1 rep).

Dumbbell woodchops (Hold a weight in both hands and squat down. Start with the dumbbell by the side of your right knee. Rotate the weight across your body to shoulder height keeping your arms straight. Complete the reps and then repeat on the other side).

At the end of the last set of shuttle runs rest for 1-2 minutes and then repeat.

At the end of the workout spend 5 minutes cooling down and stretching.

Results workout #24: Dumbbell and punch bag

richb — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 13:46:33 +0000

Here is a circuit workout that works the whole body mixing resistance training with high intensity cardio. All you will need to do this are dumbbells and a punch bag. The workout will help to improve strength, fitness as well as burning body fat.

Warm up:

As always spend between 5-10 minutes warming the body up with some light cardio such as shadow boxing, skipping, cardio machines etc.

Circuit:

Complete 10 reps of the following exercises.

PRESS UP

PULL UP

1 ARM DUMBBELL SNATCH (10 PER ARM)

DUMBBELL SQUAT (Hold a dumbbell in both hands at chest height and perform a squat).

DUMBBELL FRONT LUNGE (Hold a dumbbell in both hands at chest height and perform 5 lunges per leg).

V-UP

BICYCLE OBLIQUE TWISTS

At the end of the circuit complete a 3 minute round on a punch bag throwing a mixture of combinations. If you have not got use of a punch bag then try the alternative below.

Punch bag alternative:

Complete 30 seconds of the exercises below and complete this circuit twice for a total of 3 minutes.

BURPEE

SQUAT JUMP

ICE SKATERS

At the end of your 3 minute cardio round rest for 1-2 minutes and then repeat the circuit. Aim to complete 3 circuits before cooling down and stretching.

Results workout #21: Single dumbbell

richb — Wed, 26 May 2010 19:45:19 +0000

Here is a workout I did with 2 of my clients that involves using just a single dumbbell each. The session works the entire body and is great for muscular endurance, stamina and overall conditioning. The workout consists of 9 exercises with each one being done for 30 seconds. Aim to keep the rest between exercises to a minimum and try not to put the dumbbell down (unless your changing weight) until you reach the press ups.

Warm up:

The warm up also used a single dumbbell and involved exercises that would get all the major muscles working in different plans of motion. Use a light weight for the warm up and again spend 30 seconds on each exercise. For this session the guys used a 4kg dumbbell each.

Standing rotation: Hold the dumbbell with both hands in front of you at arm’s length. Rotate the weight from side to side by twisting the hips.

Wood chop: Squat down and hold the dumbbell by the side of your right knee. Stand up and twist the weight diagonally across your body by rotating your hips until the dumbbell is just above your left shoulder. Return the weight back down to the start position and repeat. 30 seconds per side.

Squat curl and press: Hold the dumbbell in your right hand and squat down keeping your arm straight. As you stand up curl the weight to your shoulder and then press it above your head. 30 seconds per side.

Rotational squat to press: Hold the weight in your right hand and squat down. As you do bring the weight across your body and reach towards your left foot. As you stand up curl the weight to your shoulder and press the weight up and slightly out away from your body. Return to the start position and repeat. 30 seconds per side.

Wide squat with chest press: Hold the dumbbell in both hands at chest height. Start with your feet together and then take a big step out to the side. Perform a squat from this wide stance and as you sit down press the weight out in front of you. Step your feet back together and repeat to the opposite side.

Lunge with front raise: Hold the dumbbell in your right hand in front of your thigh. Step forward with your left leg and perform a lunge. As you lower your hips raise the dumbbell up to shoulder height whilst keeping your arm straight. 30 seconds per side.

Side lunge with lateral raise: Hold the dumbbell in your right hand and step to your left. Perform a side lunge and as you do reach towards your left foot with the dumbbell. Stand back up and perform 1 lateral raise and repeat. 30 seconds per side.

Main workout:

Use a weight that is challenging for each exercise. You can either use the same weight throughout or change the weight as you go if you want more of a strength workout. I used dumbbells from 9-12.5kg with my 2 clients.

Squat with press: Hold the weight at shoulder height and perform a squat. As you stand up press the weight over your head. 30 seconds per side.

Concentration curls from squat position: Hold the dumbbell in your right hand and get into a squat position. Rest your right elbow onto your right knee and from here curl the weight up. 30 seconds per side.

Lunge with bicep curl: Hold the dumbbell in your right hand and step forward with your left leg and perform a lunge. As you lower your hips curl the weight up. Step back and repeat. 30 seconds per side.

Swings: With the weight in your right hand squat down and hold the dumbbell between your knees. Stand up and drive your hips forward and swing the weight up to shoulder height. Swing the weight back down through your legs and repeat. 30 seconds per side.

Snatch: Hold the weight in your right hand and squat down so the dumbbell is between your knees. Explosively stand up driving the dumbbell above your head so your arm is fully extended with the weight over your shoulder. Bring the weight down to your shoulder and then back down to the start position and repeat. 30 seconds per side.

Rows: Hold the weight in your right hand and step forward with your left foot. From this staggered stance tip forward from the hips so your chest is pointing towards the floor. Row the weight up into your body. 30 seconds per side.

High pull: Hold the weight in your right hand and squat down so the dumbbell is between your knees. Explosively stand up and pull the dumbbell up to chest height keeping the weight close to your body. Make sure to keep your elbow higher than the dumbbell throughout the movement. 30 seconds per side.

Press ups: Perform a basic press up.

Single arm floor chest press: Lie on your back with your legs in the air and knees bent. Holding the dumbbell in one hand so it is just outside of your chest, press the weight up until your arm is fully extended. Return the weight back down until your elbow almost touches the floor and repeat. 30 seconds per side.

At the end of the circuit, rest for 1-2 minutes and then repeat. Aim to complete 2-3 full circuits.