Last week I took you through the most awesome warmup ever in the history of the universe.
And yes that is the most grammatically correct sentence I have ever typed with these sculpted fingers.
Just in case you missed it…..you can check it out HERE.
After being so epicly warmed up it only makes sense to go lift some weights or tackle a dragon.
Your choice really.
But weight lifting can be done in the air conditioning and shorts while most dragon fights occur in a considerably less comfortable environment while wearing heavy armor.
And even if you were going to go fighting dragons it would make sense to be strong first.
The swords on Game of Thrones look quite heavy.
So without further ado here is “Workout A” which will be good for 4 weeks.
NOTE: This is a great workout to get started with for most of the people most of the time. Depending upon injury history and goals (Dragon fighting vs. zombie fighting) you may need to modify a bit here and there.
**NOTE 2: When listed as “A1” and “A2” you will perform these exercises back to back. When done with all the sets you will move on to “B1” and “B2”. Perform all sets there and then “C1” and “C2” etc…
A1) Barbell Bridge
I love this exercise because most people we train suffer from “gluteal amnesia”.
No matter how hard they try they cannot engage their butt muscles.
If one ever wants to get into higher ROI weightlifting movements then engaging those bad boys is a must do.
Also, it is darn near impossible to mess up this move and hurt yourself.
So, again it is a very friendly exercise to teach the beginner while laying a solid foundation for more advanced exercises in the upcoming weeks.
Perform 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
For men I start with 12 reps and count down over the weeks adding weight, with my females I start with 8 reps and count up to 12 with the same weight over the weeks.
I’ll make a future post on why I change the rep and loading order for females versus males…
A2) DB Row with Chest Supported on Bench
A second exercise working the back side of the body.
Most of the muscles on the back side of our body are under-developed because we sit so much.
Any time you are sitting your butt and upper back are stretching……
If you do that too long you end up looking like this.
Beside looking unsightly our backside muscles are also super important when it comes to doing more advanced movements.
This particular exercise is also pretty hard to mess up which, once again being an advantage for teaching beginners.
2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
For my fellas, I start with 12 reps and countdown to 8 over the weeks going slightly heavier.
For my ladies, I start with 8 reps and count up to 12 over the weeks while using the same weight.
B1) Pushup Variations
Okay so we took care of those muscles you cant see but are so, so, important.
Now time to work on something a bit more glorious.
I love pushup variations because they are MUCH more shoulder friendly than dumbbell variations of similar pushing exercises.
The pushups allow your shoulder blades to actually “move” versus being “pinned” in place while you are performing them.
One of the quickest ways to have your body say “Oh no you don’t buddy boy” and kill your progress is with a cranky shoulder.
I mean they call it “weight lifters shoulder” for a reason!
Being more shoulder friendly is enough for me but pushups also require a lot of ab work and boy we can we all use a little extra of that.
2 birds with 1 stone if you will.
The variation you use will be dependent upon you starting fitness level.
Perform 2 to 3 sets of up to 12 reps.
If you can do more than 12 reps then go to a more challenging variation.
*NOTE: Please DON’T do knee pushups….. I’ll make a post about this in the future but until then just trust me on this one ;/)
B2) Reverse Lunge with Goblet Hold
Assuming you have good knees this one is great for working on balance and any left versus right leg issues you may have.
If your knees aren’t doing so well just message me and I can give you a ton of different options.
I prefer the goblet hold because it challenges the abs more than other variations.
Finally the reverse lunge versus the forward or walking lunge is WAY easier on your knees and good knees is good ;/)
Perform 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side.
For my fellas, I countdown from 12 to 8 over the weeks while increasing the weight.
For my ladies, I start with 8 reps and count up to 12 with the same weight over the weeks.
C1) Core Engaged Dead Bugs
Fantastic exercise for isolating the core muscles while also working on loosening up the ‘ol upper back.
In case you missed why this is important you can check out THIS post.
Perform 2 sets of 5 to 10 reps per leg.
C2) Side Plank Variations
Much like pushups there are tons of variation depending upon your beginning strength levels.
Perform 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 10 reps per side.
C3) YOUR CHOICE
For the 3rd exercise I always isolate something that my clients want extra attention with.
Whether that is abs, arms, calves, or butts we do more of that.
Heck if they just like feeling sweaty and tired after a workout then we insert battle ropes, pulling and pushing things, the bicycle.
Options are endless here.
If YOU have a specific thing that you would like to work on then just message me and I am more than happy to give you some options.
Well that is it for Workout A and you are now 1 step closer to battling dragons or simply looking good without sleeves.
Both are pretty Viking like choices ;/)
I’ll be back next week with Workout B.
Until then, what do you want to hear more about?
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