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Lack of time is the number one reason people report for struggling with sticking to an exercise program. Add in COVID-19 safety protocols that require additional time and effort to enforce, business owners working harder than they ever have to survive, and virtual, online learning, and it’s not hard to understand that people are having an even harder time finding the time to fit in workouts. The problem though, is that during a global health crisis, the importance of our overall fitness is even more critical. We need our physical strength, mental health, stress relief and a strong immune system to help us get through this!

So in order to fit workouts in to your already busy life, you’re going to have to work smarter!

Full Body Exercises are the answer to this issue. Incorporating exercises that combine lower body, upper body, core conditioning and balance training all into one exercise accomplish three times as much training in the same amount of time. Training in an integrated way is effective, time efficient and functional.

Some examples of full body exercises would be to combine lunges with an overhead press or squats with rows. You could perfect bench step-ups with bicep curls, balance on one leg when performing any upper body movement or performing chest presses when positioned over a stability ball. When designing your workout program, analyze how you can take any exercise skill to the next level by combining two or three movements into one complex, compound movement. Not only will you be more efficient with your time but also you will be training your body in a way that mimics real-life movements.

Here’s My 3 Favorite Full Body Movements:

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Squat & Row

Position yourself in front of a pulley system (or with tubing wrapped around a pole) holding the handles and using an appropriate weight. Start by squatting down to a comfortable level. Then return to the starting position while you pull the arms into a Rowing movement. Complete 10-15 reps.

 

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Lunge & Bicep Curl

Holding hand-weights, stand with one leg in front of the other with your front knee positioned at 90 degrees and your knee over your foot. Slowly lower your back knee towards the ground keeping your body weight centered over your front hip and leg. As you slowly extend back up to the starting position, perform a bicep curl. Complete 10-15x each leg.

 

 

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Triple Threat

This movement is a Push-up, Row and Overhead Press. Start by holding weights in your hands. Drop down into a Push up Position and perform a push-up while holding the weights. While holding the plank position, now lift one arm and complete a single row while stabilizing. Do one each arm. Then walk or jump your legs back towards your hands. Stand tall and press the arms overhead.

 

 

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Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan

Note: As an avid Columbian reader, you can redeem a complimentary initial in person or virtual personal training appointment to help get you started. Email us for more details.

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We Are Open!

Northwest Personal Training is NOW OPEN! We are SO EXCITED to see you! For Private Training, you’ll have the option to continue doing virtual training, outdoor training or training at the studio. For Group Fitness classes, you will be able to continue doing virtual online classes (live or saved) and we are also going to host some outdoor programming.

We specific safety precautions that we have in place so please watch this video where I explain everything we are doing to keep you safe.

Here is a link to our Reopening Protocol in detail so you can review closely.

#NWPTSTRONG

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