Hello Angels Working on Earth Family!
During the summer, I dedicated myself to becoming fit and dubbed it my “Hot Girl Summer.” I’d love to share my workout plan with you, which I’ve organized into distinct parts. The initial part focuses on stability and endurance training. This training addresses muscle imbalances, improves flexibility, stabilizes core muscles and peripheral joints, and prepares the body for training demands. Additionally, it aims to enhance overall cardiorespiratory conditioning. Stabilization endurance training addresses structural deficiencies and offers a way to alter body composition by reducing body fat through circuit-style exercises with short rest periods and high repetitions, which forces the body to recruit more muscles and potentially expend more calories.
Today, I will run through some stabilization endurance training. Key points are mobility and flexibility, core and joint stabilization, postural alignment and control, and muscular and aerobic endurance.
My goal at this level is to master fundamental movement patterns (i.e., Squatting, hip hinge, pulling, pushing, pressing, and multiplanar movement), progress exercises proprioceptively once established, and then increase complexity.
I hope your plan inspires you to create your unique fitness journey.
Let’s get started!
TIP: Warm Up & Cool Down
Never underestimate the power of warming up and cooling down! These essential steps not only get your body ready for a great workout but also help with recovery and boost the overall effectiveness of your exercise routine. When it’s time to cool down, spend 5 to 10 minutes focusing on cardiovascular exercises, self-myofascial techniques, and soothing static stretches. This is your chance to revitalize both your body and mind, so make the most of it!”
Self-Myofascial Release
I’ve been using a variety of flexibility techniques, like foam rolling and active stretching, to help improve my joint range of motion, reduce muscle soreness, and lower the risk of injury.
Static Stretches
After using self-myofascial techniques, the next step is to do one to three static stretches. It’s best to stretch the muscles you targeted during the self-myofascial techniques, as this helps the muscles relax and improves the range of motion. During static stretching, hold the stretched position for at least 30 seconds to get the best increase in range of motion. An example of a static stretch is the gastrocnemius stretch.
You must be mindful of the five kinetic chain checkpoints: head, shoulders, hips, knee, and toe. To do the gastrocnemius stretch, position your head by tucking in your chin and bringing your shoulders forward. Then, push forward onto the bench to stabilize your shoulders and engage your core by pulling in your belly button. Keep your back toes straight and ensure that they’re not rotated out, keeping your foot straight. From the starting position, contract the muscles in your right glute and quad. This will let you push your hips forward, thereby increasing dorsiflexion and making the stretch more effective. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds, then switch to the other leg.
Before doing self-myofascial techniques, think about any reasons not to. Conditions like pregnancy, diabetes, varicose veins, recent injury or surgery, and hypertension might need you to take measures or might make using the techniques a bad idea, depending on your medical status. To be safe, you need to ask a doctor.
Dynamic Stretching
You don’t have to do dynamic stretching, but it can be a good idea to add it to your workout. It helps make your joints more flexible and can give you more strength and power. If you do decide to do dynamic stretching, just pick 3 to 10 different stretches and do each one 10 to 15 times.
Activation
Let’s start with core and balance exercises. These exercises target specific core muscles like the rotatores, multifidus, transverse abdominis, and diaphragm. We’ll be doing push-ups, standing cable rows, single-leg dumbbell overhead presses, and single-leg squats. I’ll begin with push-ups and then progress to using a stability ball to add more challenge to the exercise. This progression will require additional activation from the nervous system and the stabilizing muscles of the shoulders and trunk to maintain proper posture during the exercise.
I will keep the volume and intensity of core exercises low since the goal is to activate the local core muscles before starting more intense exercises. Rome wasn’t built in a day! The goal is to choose between one and four core exercises, perform 12 to 20 repetitions, and do one to three sets. A low volume of core exercises helps activate the muscles and prepares the body for further work without causing excessive muscle fatigue or exhaustion. Core exercises that will assist with neuromuscular efficiency and intervertebral stability include marching, floor bridge, fire hydrant, ball bridge, farmers carry, floor prone cobra, ball cobra, plank, side plank, bird dog, Pallof press, and dead bugs.
Balance Training
When embarking on balance exercises, start with simple movements of the balance leg to improve joint stability. You can choose one to four balance exercises and do 12 to 20 repetitions (6 to 10 per leg) for one to three sets. These balance exercises include the tandem stance, single-leg balance, single-leg balance reach, single-leg hip internal, external rotation, single-leg lift and chop, single-leg arm and leg motion, single-leg windmill, and single-leg throw and catch, which can help you on the journey to improved balance and stability
Plyometric and SAQ Exercises
Embracing plyometric (reactive or jump training) and SAQ (speed, agility, and quickness) exercises in your workout routine can yield numerous benefits. These exercises can elevate your performance, enhance bone mineral density, fortify your soft tissues, and even rev up your metabolism for improved weight management. Furthermore, they can elevate your strength and power, giving you the edge you need to push your limits and achieve your fitness goals.
Plyometric exercises such as squat jump with stabilization, box jump-up with stabilization, box jump-down with stabilization, and multiplanar jump with stabilization are just a few exercises that can propel you toward your fitness aspirations.
Similarly, SAQ exercises like speed ladder drills, including one-ins, two-ins, side shuffle, in-in-out-out, zig-zag, and Ali shuffle, as well as cone drills such as the 5-10-5 drill, T-drill, box drill, modified box drill, and LEFT drill, can help you elevate your fitness journey to new heights.
Resistance Training
Resistance training has the power to benefit people of all ages and genders, helping them increase muscle strength and size, improve bone density, enhance cardiovascular health, elevate athletic performance, and aid in the recovery from musculoskeletal injuries. When combined with proper nutrition, it can even assist in increasing lean body mass and reducing body fat. By tailoring the exercises to individual ability levels, anyone can enhance their muscular endurance, posture, and joint stability. No matter the starting point, progress is achievable through practice and conditioning. This form of training offers a path for everyone to improve and strive for their personal best.
Favorite Exercises
Choose one or two exercises that you enjoy increasing exercise adherence and self-efficacy.
Cool Down
The cool-down should last between 5 and 10 minutes and include optional cardiorespiratory exercise, self-myofascial techniques, and static stretching. When using self-myofascial techniques, hold onto tender areas for at least 30 seconds to relax, followed by static stretching for the same muscles.
LOVE!