Hello Wright Trainees,
I hope for those participating in Ski Fit are feeling stronger and ready for the upcoming season. With that being said, I’m sure some of you are looking for a more upper body intensive work out. That is exactly what this program involves. Don’t get me wrong you will still get the total body exercise but there is a bit more emphasis on the shoulders, triceps, biceps, and chest.
The warm up only requires a set of kettlebells. It focuses on the primary muscles being used through the workout while maintaining core stability. The 3rd world hip stretch is added at the end to help with some Olympics style Lifts later in the workout. It shouldn’t take longer than 10 min.
The first section of the workout focuses on upper body strength. A kneeling landmine is something that we don’t do commonly in the gym but it is a great shoulder exercise. The exercise is done kneeling at the sleeve of a barbell. I recommend using a mat to kneel on and to make sure that the bar is perpendicular to your body at all times. After finishing the repetition for each side you move to Tricep Kickbacks. The set position is similar to a kneeling dumbbell row. Use a bench to support your kneeling leg and arm while the opposite leg is plated on the floor while the arm is holding a dumbbell. When completing the exercise make sure that your elbow stays pinned to the ribs and that the shafts of your humerus is parallel to the floor. This puts the triceps in the greatest amount of mechanical advantage, thus the muscle will work more effectively when you extend your elbow through the exercise. These two exercises do not need a ton of weight to really work the muscles and the high repetition will tax the upper body fairly quick, so make sure to take advantage of the Oblique and Lat stretch between your rounds.
The next portion is a total body ass kicker. The combination of Curtis P and burpees makes a great combination of strength and power. However, when doing the Curtis P’s you don’t have to do the push press portion of the lift, you guys will have already worked your shoulders enough. The goal for the section is to find a weight that you can comfortably do from start to finish and to be able to complete all the repetitions before stretching. Make sure that when you lunge in the Curtis P’s that the forward leg has the knee driving over the toes and not to the inside. It is also key to have a strong stable core to keep your back safe from injury. Same thing applies to the burpees, keep the core engaged so that the hips don’t sag and the back stays flat.
Next is lower body/core strength portion. The sandbag lunges work as a slight unloading after the Curtis P’s. The sandbag will be on your back as you alternate the lunges. Again, the shaft angle of your shin should be perpendicular to the floor and your chest should be high. The lateral swings bring a rotational elements to the swings. This means that you will have to use your core to counter the rotation. Without the use of the core the momentum and rotation of the kettlebell can cause damage to your low back (if you have lower back injuries, I would substitute it with single arm swings). Lastly, are the bicycles. These are another great rotational core exercise. Keep your shoulders off the floor the entire time and rotate the truck through the full range of motion.
The last section is abdominal and oblique work. The movement patterns are similar for most of the core exercises. The George and Pike movements create a push/pull superset to really engage the entire abdominal region. The belly twisters put the nail in the coffin (too late for Halloween puns?) by working the obliques with a rotational element.
As always, try to incorporate a cool down to help the body recover. This can be a light jog or bike ride with some stretching.
Enjoy,
Coach Max
W/U
3 Rounds
5 ea x Offset KB Front
5 ea x Offset Push Up
5 ea x KB Walking Lunge (rack position)
3rd World
6 Rounds
6 ea x Kneeling Landmine Press
8 ea x Tricep Kickback
Oblique/Lat Stretch
6 Rounds
5 x Curtis P (no push press)
6 x Burpee
Up/Down Dog
6 Rounds
10 x SB Lunges
10 x Lateral Swings
20 x Bicycles
3 Rounds
20 x George
10 ea x Belly Twister
20 x Pikes
If you learn how to do tricep kickback you will have one very simple way to strengthen and tone your upper arms and keep them … Use Tricep Kickbacks in An Arm Workout.