Exercise Program

WARNING: DO NOT USE THIS OR ANY OTHER EXERCISE PROGRAM WITHOUT FIRST BEING

CLEARED BY YOUR DOCTOR.

Things you MUST know before you begin

Posture It is absolutely critical to maintain proper postural alignment throughout the exercises. To

properly maintain all three natural curves of the spine—cervical (neck), thoracic (upper back),

and lumbar (lower back)—contract the abdominal muscles and the upper and lower back

muscles, keeping your shoulder blades positioned down and pulled in toward the spine, which

will eliminate tension in the upper trapezius muscle in the neck.

Intensity You will get more out of your workout if you focus more on the time the muscle is under

tension (45-90 seconds) than the number of repetitions you are doing. In a set of repetitions,

your final set of 20-30 reps should last 30 to 60 seconds.

Important Note:

Each exercise should be performed fast while maintaining form. In addition, make sure the last

10 seconds of each exercise are EXTREMELY difficult. They should be very hard to complete,

whether you are working on the last 10 seconds or last 8 reps.

Range More range of motion is not necessarily better. Use the pictures as a guide for your exercise

technique to minimize chance of injury.

Weights To attain optimal results, choose a weight that is challenging enough to enable you to reach

muscle fatigue within the appropriate time frame without sacrificing form or postural

alignment.

Speed Keep your exercise speed under control. Do not accelerate, especially towards the end of a set

when fatigue begins to set in (unless you are doing an explosive movement).

Recovery Keep moving and minimize rest between sets. If you have to take a recovery break, keep it to

no more than 40-90 seconds between sets.

Advancing When you are ready to push yourself to a more advanced level, you can increase your

intensity or the amount of weight you are working with, but only so far as you continue to

maintain control and proper postural alignment.

Sets Perform each exercise within an Exercise Set (I-IV) all at once before moving on to the next

set. This entire program of four exercise sets should last no more than 45 minutes. Ideally you

should finish within 35 minutes.

Frequency Exercise 4-6 days per week with this program.

Fun Keep your exercise fun! There is no particular order to the Exercise Sets in the workout; begin

on a different set each day if you want to shake things up a bit.

Additional Exercise If you feel you need more exercise on a given day, wait until later in the day. Working out

twice per day for 30 minutes versus all at once will increase fat loss significantly.

Important Note:

We do not recommend this same-day split routine training for beginners. If you are a beginner

and would like to exercise between workouts, perform some light cardiovascular exercise, such

as walking. This is a type of active recovery.

Exercise Set I Squat with Medicine Ball

20-30 Reps

8-16 Pound Ball

Begin with feet placed slightly turned, hip width apart.

Hold the medicine ball at your chest.

Bend at the knee and the hip into a sitting position, with

slightly more body weight distributed into the heels.

Keep your hips slightly higher than your knees.

Begin to straighten your arms while in the squatting

position, reaching the ball out in front of your knees.

Return to the upright position, bringing the medicine ball

to your chest before extending it overhead.

Bring the medicine ball back to your chest and repeat the

exercise.

Note: Throughout the exercise, do not allow your lower

back to lose alignment or curve outward.

Standing Lat Extension with Squat Using Exertubes

2 Sets

20-30 Reps

Tube resistance:

Green (light)

Red (medium)

Blue (hard)

Bend knees slightly, leaning forward at hips.

Hold the handles of your Exertube, keeping your arms

straight but not locked.

Keeping your shoulder blades down, your chest up, and

your elbows to the side of your body, bring your arms

down to your sides, pulling the handles with your lat

(back) muscles.

As you allow your arms to return upwards, it is very

important to be sure you keep your shoulders down

away from your ears. Bend your knees into a squatting

position, maintaining tension in the Exertube by keeping

your arms just below shoulder level.

As you return to your standing position, bring your arms

back down to your sides and repeat the exercise.

Note: When choosing a tube, select the resistance that

allows you to maintain proper postural alignment and

controlled technique while performing the exercise.

Jump Squats

20-30 Seconds

For varying levels of intensity, choose a medicine ball of

suitable weight to perform exercise while maintaining

form.

Holding a medicine ball at chest level, bend at the knees and

lean forward from the hips, maintaining proper curvature of

the spine, in a squat stance.

Press the medicine ball overhead.

Explode out of your squat position, jumping into the air and

landing back in your squat position.

Immediately repeat the move, jumping back up and squatting

down for 20-30 seconds.

Perform as many jump squats as you can in this time period.

Plank with Elbows Stationary on a Fit Ball

15-20 Reps

For greater intensity, roll the ball out and back in

repeatedly during the exercise.

Place your elbows on top of the ball, extending and

planting your feet for balance and keeping your body

aligned in the plank position.

Keep your core engaged, not allowing your abdomen to

sink toward the floor or your back to arch.

For a more advanced move, roll the ball out slightly then

back again, allowing your elbows to return below the

chest.

Exercise Set II

Reverse Lunge with Knee Lift and One-Arm Dumbbell Press

15-20 Reps/Leg

Dumbbell: 3-12 lbs.

For greater intensity, choose a heavier weight or perform

the exercise on an elevated platform.

Begin the exercise standing on one foot with the opposite

leg bent at the knee and raised. Hold a dumbbell at your

shoulder in the hand on the same side as the raised knee.

Then, as if doing a one-legged squat, extend the lifted leg

behind you, placing only the ball of the foot on the floor

and using the front leg as the working leg.

Recover to the start position by bringing the extended leg

back up to the bent-knee position and pressing the

dumbbell up, keeping your arm in front of your body and

your elbow pointed forward without locking it.

Repeat the lunge move by bringing the dumbbell down in

front of your shoulder.

Repeat this lunge move for 15-20 reps on one side before

alternating to the other side.

Squat/Bent-Over Rows with Exertube

20-30 Reps

Tube resistance:

Green (light)

Red (medium)

Blue (hard)

Holding the handles of your Exertube, lower yourself into

a squat position, bending forward at the hip while keeping

your spine in correct postural alignment.

Begin your rowing motions with arms extended in your

squat position.

As you rise to a standing position, keeping your legs

slightly bent and maintaining a slight forward bend at the

hip, bend your elbows and pull your arms toward your

body in a rowing motion, keeping your shoulder blades

pulled down and back towards your spine. (Your elbows

should stop directly below your shoulder joint, with a bend

of no more than 90 degrees. You should feel tension in

your lats (back) not your arms, neck, or shoulders.)

Straighten your arms as you return to your squat position

and repeat the exercise.

Side to Side Jump Over Rope

20-30 Seconds

For more intensity, jump over a taller object.

Lay a rope or Exertube across the floor in a straight line.

Standing to one side of the rope, begin jumping from side to side

over it, maintaining your posture and keeping your abdominal

muscles contracted.

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Move your arms in tight circles, as you would while jumping rope,

and try to bring your knees up as high as you can with each jump.

Kneeling Trunk Rotations with Medicine Ball

30 Seconds/Side

8-14 Pound

Medicine Ball

Modification: use a lightweight Fitball for beginner levels.

Kneel on one knee with the opposite leg in front and

planted slightly to side of your body.

Hold your exercise ball on the side you are kneeling on

with the respective hand on top of the ball (if your weight

is on your right knee, your right hand will rest on top of

the ball).

From this start position, quickly move the ball at an angle

up and over the opposite shoulder, rotating through your

torso before returning it to the start position.

Repeat this motion quickly, maintaining constant tension

in your trunk muscles (abdominals and obliques) for thirty

seconds before repeating on the opposite side.

Exercise Set III

Explosive Dumbbell “Thruster” Squats

20 Reps

For greater intensity, use heavier resistance.

Begin exercise by standing with elbows bent, holding

dumbbells slightly out in front of your shoulders and

parallel with each other.

Lower into your squat position, keeping the dumbbells near

your shoulders.

From your squat immediately explode upwards, pressing

dumbbells overhead using the power from your lower body

to help raise them. Be sure as you jump that you keep your

elbows and the dumbbells in front of your body, not out to

the side.

Return back down to your squat position, bringing the

dumbbells back down to your shoulders.

Immediately repeat this explosive motion without stopping

or pausing

Note: Remember, although this is a quick burst movement, it

is still important to try to maintain a sense of control with

your arms and the dumbbells. Also, be sure you do not lock

your knees or elbows at the top of movement.

Modified Pull-ups

10-20 Reps

For the Modified Pull-up exercise, you will need to hold onto

a bar that is high enough for your back to be off the floor

with your legs extended straight out in front of you.

(Modification: bending your knees and placing your feet flat

on the floor will decrease the degree of difficulty for the

exercise.)

Your hands should be wider than shoulder width to allow

you to create a 90 degree bend in your elbows when you lift

yourself.

As you lift yourself toward the bar, focus on contracting the

muscles in your back (lats) as you pull upwards.

When your elbows reach a 90 degree angle, lower yourself

back to your starting position and repeat the exercise.

Note: Throughout the exercise, keep your chest up and your

shoulder blades pulled toward your spine. Keep your

shoulders down away from your ears at all times.

Gliding Mountain Climbers

20-30 Seconds

2 Gliding Discs

Optional Raised Surface

Begin in a pushup position with your hands on the floor or a

slightly elevated surface like a step bench or a Bosu Balance

Board. Each foot should be on its own gliding disc before

you begin.

With your arms straight but not locked at the elbows, move

your feet, pumping your legs quickly, as though you are

climbing or running.

Throughout the exercise, keep your abs tight and avoid

dropping your hips toward the floor; keep them just slightly

lower than shoulder level. Also be sure your chest remains

directly above your arms; do not allow your arms to move

out in front of your body.

“Burpees”

10-15 Reps

Begin exercise by standing with feet hip width apart.

In the first position of the move, drop your hands to the floor,

with your body in a squat position.

In the second position of the move, you will jump backward,

allowing your feet to land in the start of a pushup, or plank,

position. Your arms should be straight, but not locked at the

elbow.

In the third position, you will perform one pushup, dropping

to your knees if you need to modify the move.

In the final position, you will return quickly to the first

position before exploding out of the squat and jumping into

the air. To modify this move, simply stand up.

Immediately return to the first position to continue your

repetitions without pausing.

Exercise Set IV

Dumbbell “Hang Cleans”

20-25 Reps

8-20 Pounds

Begin by standing with dumbbells at your sides.

Perform a jump squat.

As you are jumping up, bend your elbows to curl the

dumbbells up in front of you.

Landing back down in a full squat position, finish the

dumbbell curl by bringing them all the way up near your

shoulders.

Stand back up, lowering the dumbbells back to your sides.

Repeat the jump squat along with the arm motion.

Pushups

20-30 Reps

To modify this exercise and make it easier, perform with hands

placed on an elevated surface.

Begin the exercise by placing your hands on the floor or an

elevated surface, such as a workout bench. Your hands should

be wider than shoulder width, and your arms should be under

your chest, not out in front of you.

As you lower down into a pushup, be sure to keep your

shoulder blades pulled back and down toward your spine,

your shoulders away from your ears, and your chest broad,

not caving in on itself.

Avoid allowing your elbows to go higher than level with your

back and shoulders. You don’t want to touch your chest all the

way to the floor or elevated surface.

There should be about a 90 degree angle bend at the elbows.

As you return to your start position, focus on using the chest

muscles to pull your upper arms in toward the chest and

midline of your body.

If you feel all the exertion in your arms and shoulders, your

arms are too far out in front of you.

Gliding Side Lunge with “Running Man” Arms

20 Reps/Leg

3-10 Pound

Dumbbells

Begin by standing with only one foot on a gliding disc, holding

a dumbbell in each hand.

Perform a side lunge, gliding the foot on the disc out at a slight

diagonal.

In this move, the front leg is the working leg, so focus on

engaging the hip, gluts and hamstrings of the front leg.

In the lunge, do not allow your butt to drop lower than knee

level.

Pumps your arms as if you are running during this exercise.

Use your front leg to pull yourself back up into beginning

position and repeat twenty times before switching legs.

Medicine Ball “Throw-down”

10-20 Reps

10-25 Pound

Medicine Ball

Stand holding the medicine ball overhead (keep it slightly

forward, not directly over the top of your head).

Using as much force as possible through your arms and

abdominals, throw the ball down to the floor.

As you do this, squat down to pick up ball after it hits the floor,

keeping your hips and butt down and your chest up (avoid

rounding your back).

Use your legs and gluts, keeping your weight in your heels, not

your toes, as you stand back up, raising the ball overhead again.

Repeat the motion, throwing the ball down and squatting to pick

it up again until you have completed your reps.