Side-lying T-spine stretch: Start laying on your right side, crossing your left leg over the right and bending the upper leg to 90 degrees. Now extend both arms at your side straight away from your body. Looking back over your left shoulder and rotate your top arm towards your backside. Gently attempt to bring that arm to the floor, hold momentarily and return to the start position. Repeat on opposite side.
Ticeps dip: Sit on the ground with your feet flat on the floor, hands on the ground next to your glutes with fingertips facing toward your heels. Straighten your arms, keeping a little bend in your elbows to keep tension on your triceps and off your elbow joints. Slowly bend your elbows to lower your body toward the floor until your elbows are at about a 90-degree angle. Once you reach the bottom of the movement, press down into the floor to straighten your elbows, returning to start.
Isometric scapular retractions: Stand tall, relax your head and neck. Engage your core, squeeze your shoulders back, and avoid shrugging your shoulders. Return to start.
High plank with alternating knee drive: Start in a high plank with shoulders over wrists. Engaging the core, drive your right knee in toward your chest keeping the foot flexed. Hold for two seconds. Return to start. Repeat on opposite side; continue, alternating.
Elbow plank with scapular protraction: Start in a low plank. Keeping your core engaged, pinch your shoulder blades together. Return to start; repeat.
3. KETTLEBELL ARM WORKOUT
From: Prince Brathwaite, founder of Trooper Fitness
You need: One medium-weight kettlebell (14 KG is a good place to start)
Do: The three circuits in order, resting two minutes between each circuit.
Circuit One
Do a descending ladder: 5 reps of both movements, then 4 reps, then 3 reps, and so on.
The Moves
Clean: A clean is when someone brings a weight from a lower position to a higher position in one swift movement. For a traditional kettlebell clean, this is from the floor to a front-rack at chest height.
Strict overhead press: Start with kettlebell racked at shoulder height. Press kettlebell overhead, keeping knuckles pointed toward ceiling. Slowly return the bell back to start.
Circuit Two
Do 10 reps of each per side, 3 to 4 rounds without rest.
The Moves
Single-arm row: Stand with feet at hip-width distance holding a kettlebell with your right hand, palm facing in. Hinge forward at the hips until your chest is almost parallel to the ground. This is your starting position. Row the kettlebell up and toward the chest. Return to start.
Half-Turkish get-up: Lay on the floor with a kettlebell straight up over your chest and one leg raised, bent at the hip and at the knee. Keep your eyes on the bell throughout the entirety of this movement. Thrust your bent leg forward, raising your upper body off the floor and placing your non-kettlebell hand flat on the floor to the side. Lower back down the way you came up for one rep.
Circuit Three
Do 10 reps of each move, 3 to 4 rounds without rest.
The Moves
Close-grip push-up on kettlebell: Start in a high plank position with both hands framing an upright kettlebell. Lower down until your chest taps the handle, press back up to start for one rep.
Wide-grip push-up: Start in a high plank with your hands outside of your shoulders. Lower down into a push-up, press back up to start for one rep.
Upright row: Stand with your feet at hip-width distance with a kettlebell on the ground in front of you. Squat down to pick up the kettlebell by the handle with both hands, then leading with the elbows, raise the kettlebell straight up along your body until the hands are just under the chin. Lower with control for one rep.
