Results Conditioning » press ups

Whole body workouts #1 (WBW)

richb — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:05:37 +0000

Each week I will be posting a whole body workout (WBW) for you to try. Some will be short and sweet and can be done as part of your normal workout while others can be done as an alternative to your current training routine. Some of these WBW’s will be done as challengers while others will just be for fun (if that’s the right word)! Check out the first one below and give it a go.

Warm up:

Perform the below as a circuit with no rest in between each exercise. Rest at the end for 1-2 minutes and then repeat completing 3 full circuits.

Press ups x20

Dumbbell step ups x20

Bench hops x30 seconds

Dumbbell bent over rows x12

Alternating leg dumbbell lunges x20

Alternating leg squat thrusts x30 seconds

Dumbbell Russian twists x10 each side

Aims:

For each of the resistance exercises use a weight that will allow you to perform correct technique but will challenge you over the 3 circuits.

If you would like to see a WBW that uses specific equipment then please get in touch and we can post one up for you.

Fitness challenge #44: 25

richb — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:39:38 +0000

Here is a workout I put together today for a client who was short of time but wanted a challenging workout that hit everything. The entire session lasted for just over 30 minutes including warming up and cooling down. The aim of the workout was simple, complete as many sets of the following 9 exercise circuit as you can within a 25 minute time limit. Rest was taken as and when but the clock never stopped. Check out the circuit below.

Barbell bench press x10 reps

TRX rows x10

Powerbag clean and press x10

Powerbag walking lunges x2 lengths of the studio (approx 10 metres long)

Powerbag pushes x2 lengths of studio (Push the bag along the floor staying as low as you can and maintaining a flat back).

Medicine ball sprinter sit-ups x20

Close hand press ups x10

Resistance band bicep curls x10

Medicine ball Russian twists x10

Scoring:

Aim to keep working for the entire 25 minutes. If by the end you have completed 4 complete sets and are part way through the press ups of the 5^th set then your score would be 4.7.

Aims:

First target should be 4 full sets and then look at getting your score up to 5 sets or more.

Use weights that allow you to use a good technique but will challenge you.

4 Press up step complex

richb — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:24:39 +0000

Here is a press up complex set that I have been using with clients who want a different chest workout from the usual bench press routines. A complex set is when you use a number of exercises back to back non stop. For this you use 4 variations of the basic press up all based around a step box. Aim to complete 10 reps of the following 4 versions of press ups with only a short rest in between each one. At the end of the fourth exercise, rest for 1-2 minutes and then repeat.

For each of the following exercises use a very low step.

One hand on:

Place your left hand on the step and right hand on the floor in a press up position. Complete 10 reps and then repeat on the opposite side.

Walk over’s:

Start with both hands on the step, from here take one hand off and place it on the floor and perform a press up before pushing yourself back up and across the step and complete a press up on the other side.

Narrow press up:

Place both hands on the side of the step and perform a press up keeping your elbows in tight to the body.

Explosive press up:

Start with both hands either side of the step and perform a press up taking your chest all the way to the step. From here explode up and jump your hands onto the step before immediately jumping back off and straight back into the next press up.

If you want an even harder version then replace the step with a medicine ball.

So next time you want to train your chest why not dump the bench press and give this a try.

Body Rocka press ups

richb — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 21:38:16 +0000

One of the pieces of kit that is often used within the Results studio is the Body Rocka. This simple piece of kit is great for creating instability and makes traditional bodyweight exercises even more challenging. One of the exercises I use a lot is the good old press up and by using the Rocka this gives you a number of different variations. Below are 2 of the best along with a sample upper body workout.

Off centre press up 1 hand on Rocka

Elevated press up feet on Rocka

Upper body workout:

Warm up 5 minutes.

Bench press 3 sets 8-10 reps

Pull ups 3 sets 10-12 reps

Off centre press up on Body Rocka 10 reps per side x3 sets

Single arm Dumbbell row 3 sets 10 reps per arm

Barbell push press 3 sets 8-10 reps

Superset:

Barbell bicep curl

Close hand press up on Body Rocka 12 reps on both x3 sets

Bodyweight training

richb — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:48:28 +0000

Here is a bodyweight workout that I put together for one of my circuit class members who is going away on holiday and wanted something they could do without any equipment. The aim of the session is to complete all of the below exercises back to back without any rest. Spend 30 seconds of each of the exercises and at the end of the circuit rest for 1-2 minutes and then repeat completing 3 full circuits.

Abdominal crunch legs up

Bicycle oblique twists

Plank

Knee lifts from press up position: (Get into a full press up position and from here lift one knee up into your chest while keeping your back flat and abdominals tight. Lower the leg back down and repeat on opposite side).

Press up

Close hand press up

Alternating front lunge

Alternating side lunge

Alternating reverse lunge

Squat

Jump squats

Burpee

Alternating squat trusts

Tips:

Each circuit will take 6 and a half minutes to complete which means the entire workout can be completed in as little as 20 minutes.

Once the workout becomes comfy then look at building up to 45-60 seconds for each exercise.

Focus pad finishers

richb — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:12:58 +0000

One of the ways I give my clients a good cardio session is by working on the focus pads. Doing pad work not only gets the heart rate elevated, which will help burn away body fat and improve aerobic fitness, it can also help to improve speed, reflexes and hand eye co-ordination. Pad work is also a fantastic stress buster after a hard day at work and a great mental workout as you have to throw the right combinations on commend. When I do pad drills with clients I will use a system of numbers with each number relating to a set combination that the client has previously learnt, so for example if I call out number 2 then they will throw a jab, cross combo. With this I will sometimes mix in MMA (mixed martial arts) type moves and drills such as elbows, knees, kicks, sprawls and takedowns. Clients will normally work on the pads for 1-3 minute rounds depending on fitness levels with 1-2 minutes rest in between. Focus pad rounds will often be mixed in with other types of circuit training to offer a whole body workout that is varied and interesting as well as being effective. Below are 2 ways I sometimes finish off a focus pad session. Both of these drills are very taxing and are designed to push my clients to their limit, making sure that by the end of the session they have nothing left and can go home feeling like they have given their all!

Conditioning drill:

This first drill mixes 1 minute pad rounds with a 1 minute bodyweight conditioning round. You start off by performing a minute round on the pads, as soon as this is finished you go straight into the below conditioning round aiming to complete 10 reps of each of the exercises within the minute.

Squats (Keep your hands up by your chin in a boxing guard throughout the squats)

Press ups (Perform on your fists with your gloves on)

Crunch with reach (Legs in the air and hands above your head crunch up and reach for your feet)

Burpee

If the minute runs out before you have completed the 4 exercises then you just go straight into the next round of pad work without any rest. If you complete all 4 exercises within the minute then what ever time is left is used for rest (if you do complete all 40 reps within 1 minute chances are you will only get a few seconds to rest anyway!)

Keep repeating the 1 minute of pad work and 1 minute of conditioning for as many rounds as you wish. I would normally aim for 2-3 rounds of each.

Shuttle runs:

This time we are mixing a 1 minute pad round with shuttle runs up and down the studio which is approximately 10 metres long. Again start out with your minutes pad work and then complete 2 shuttle runs (up and down the room counts as 1 lap). You have again 1 minute to complete the shuttles in so the faster you run the more time you get to recover. Once the minute is up start the next pad round, after each pad round increase the shuttles by 2 laps but keep the time to complete them in to 1 minute. This means less and less recovery time as you progress through. The maximum I would work up to given the length of a lap is 10. This would mean 5 rounds on the pads. If the client fails to meet the target numbers of shuttle runs within the minute then stop the drill. Of course you can alter the length of the shuttle runs depending on what space is available.

If you haven’t got a willing partner to hold the pads then why not try the above drills but use a punch bag instead or if this is not available you could even do 1 minute rounds of shadow boxing. With shadow boxing focus on speed, technique and footwork and since you don’t need any equipment there is no excuses for not trying it!

5 minute finisher

richb — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:47:20 +0000

Here is a little finisher I have been using with clients at the end of their sessions. It is short and simple and as the name suggests should only take 5 minutes or less to complete. To perform it you only need a medicine ball and a space of approximately 10 metres long. To do the challenge you start at one end of the room and complete 2 reps of the following 3 exercises.

Body weight squat

Press up

Medicine ball crunch (Place your legs in the air and crunch up bringing the ball over your head and towards your feet)

Once you have completed 2 reps of each then run down to the end of the room and touch a cone which you have positioned there and run back (this counts as 1 lap). After this you will then increase the 3 exercises by 2 reps each time and the shuttle run by 1 lap until you reach 10 reps of the squats, press up and crunch and 5 shuttle runs.

Tips:

Make sure you bend down and touch the cone or the floor, if you have not got a cone to hand, on each shuttle run.

With my clients I have been using a 3kg medicine ball.

Whole body circuit

richb — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:42:01 +0000

Here is a circuit workout I did today with one of my clients that works the entire body. The circuit is done over 4 rounds with each round being made up of 5 exercises. You perform each exercise for 30 seconds with a 10 second rest in between and complete the circuit twice through so that you are working for 5 minutes in total. In between rounds, rest for 1 minute before starting the next one. At the end of the 3rd round we did one final round which followed the same principle and used 5 of the exercises already done. Below are the 4 rounds that my client did.

ROUND 1: Chest and abdominals

Dumbbell floor press

Plank

Stability ball dumbbell flyes

Stability ball crunch

Press ups

ROUND 2: Back and shoulders

Kettlebell swings

Dumbbell renegade rows

Weight plate pullovers

Weight plate around the head rotation

Dumbbell shoulder press

ROUND 3: Legs and arms

TRX squat with bicep curl

VIPR lunge with tricep extension

VIPR side lunge with bicep curl

Narrow grip dumbbell chest press

Tricep dips

Round 4: Whole body

Kettlebell swings

Renegade rows

Plank

VIPR lunge with tricep extension

Press ups

Fitness challenge #39: Snakes and ladders

richb — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:14:49 +0000

The snakes and ladders challenge uses 2 bodyweight exercises, the press up and burpee. You begin the challenge with 1 burpee and 10 press ups and then each time you increase the burpees by one rep (this being the snake because you are moving up) and decrease the press ups by 1 rep (the ladder exercise as you are moving down). So for example 1 burpee and 10 press ups followed by 2 burpees and 9 press ups and so on until you finish with 10 burpees and 1 single press up. The aim is to complete this as quickly as you can.

Tips:

Perform the burpee by dropping your hands to the floor and kicking your legs out before standing up.

Women get the option of performing the press up on their knees.

Perform this short challenge at the end of your session.

Aims:

First target should be to complete this as close to 5 minutes or under as possible.

Changing exercises:

This challenge can work well with a number of exercises. I would suggest picking compound movements that target multiple muscles in one go to go the most from it. Below are some exercises you could try.

Kettlebell swings

Barbell squats

Clean and press

Pull ups

Barbell push press

Famous 5 finisher

richb — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 20:42:22 +0000

This short and simple finisher is perfect for doing at the end of a workout as it will only take a couple of minutes to complete. The aim is simple; you perform 5 bodyweight exercises with each one increasing by 5 reps. Start with 5 burpees and finish with 25 jacks with press ups, crunches and squats in between.

FAMOUS 5 FINISHER:

Burpees x5

Press ups x10

Crunches x15

Squats x20

Jumping jacks x25

Aims:

: First target should be to get all 5 done in less than 2 minutes.

: If you want a harder challenge then once you have completed the jacks rest for 30 seconds and then repeat the circuit in reverse order starting with 25 jacks and finishing with 5 burpees.