Unwanted weight gain during the holidays? The following high-intensity total body core routine is the perfect way to shed extra pounds and get into peak condition for spring sports. These four fast-paced compound sets will boost your metabolism to get rid of fat and promote muscle growth. Plus, the moves are sports-functional, incorporating elements for enhancing your strength, endurance, balance and flexibility. Bonus: they can conveniently be performed in the gym or at home—ideal when school is closed and you can't get to the weight room.
This muscle-building exercise combination targets the biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, abdominals and lower, middle and upper back muscles. When performing at home, substitute a 20- or 30-pound medicine ball or a phone book for cable chops.
This exercise combo improves balance and muscular endurance while strengthening the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, biceps, triceps, lower, middle and upper back, and abdominal muscles. When performing at home, use heavy books (e.g., phone books) for Single-Leg Squats (hold book overhead while squatting) and Bent-Over Rows.
Inchworms are excellent for upper- and lower-body flexibility; Side lunges and Twists optimize core and leg strength; running in place aids endurance; and Prone and Side Planks are terrific core strengtheners, specifically for abdominal and lower back muscles.
This combo focuses on upper- and lower-body hypertrophy (Overhead Barbell Presses, Standing Cable Pull-Downs and Squats) and muscular endurance (Step-Ups). At home, instead of Barbell Presses, do elevated Push-Ups (placing your feet on a chair); instead of Cable Pull-Downs and Squats, do doorknob Pull-Ups (grip your hands around doorknobs with your feet placed between the doorjamb); and instead of Step-Ups, do Burpees. Push-Ups, Pull-Ups, Standing Cable Pull-Downs/Squats, Step-Ups and Burpees all engage core muscles as well as strengthening upper- and lower-body muscles.
