3-Part Beginner Workout Series

Equipment Needed: Weighted objects (water bottles, gallon jugs, dumbbells)
Format: Perform each movement for the 10 repetitions and repeat for 3 rounds

Move 1: Incline Push Ups  

• Begin in a tall plank, with your hands on an elevated surface and stacked below your shoulders and your core engaged.
• Lower yourself toward the elevated surface by bending your elbows, keeping your shoulders away from your ears and your elbows shooting back behind you. Keep your gaze about 6 inches in front of you rather than looking up or down, to maintain a neutral spine.
• Keeping your core engaged and your shoulders away from your ears, powerfully press back up and away from the elevated surface to return to your starting position.
• Check out my Push-up Progression Tutorial for tips on perfecting form and building strength!

Move 2: Back Pull Row

• Begin standing with your weighted objects in hand.
• Hinge forward at the hips at a 45 angle with your core engaged, gaze neutral and weights in your hands, hanging beneath your chest, palms facing you.
• Roll your shoulder blades down and back so you’re not rounding forward and then pull the weights to your chest by pulling your elbows up and back and squeezing between your shoulder blades.
• Slowly lower the weights down again to the starting position and repeat.

Move 3: Alternating Lateral Raises

• Stand with your core engaged, chest up, shoulders rolled back and down, and weights in hand.
• Keeping your ribcage down and core engaged, lift one arm (or both arms at the same time) out to the side, maintaining a slight bend in the elbows and leading with your shoulders and elbows rather than your wrists. 
• Slowly bring the weights back down to your sides with control and repeat (or on the other side). 

Move 4: Biceps Curls  

• Holding your weighted objects with your palms facing you, pull your shoulder blades back and down with your core engaged. 
• Keeping the upper arms stationary, perform a bicep curl with both arms by curling the weight up to your shoulder while contracting your biceps (palms facing you). 
• Reverse the movement to return to your starting position and repeat.

Move 5: Seated Alternating Knee Extensions (20) 

• Begin seated on a chair, balancing on sit bones, hands behind you.
• With your chest up tall and your core engaged, extend your right leg, then bring it back in and extend left leg and bring it back in. Repeat 
• MOD: Keep your feet touching the floor to start, and as your core gets stronger you can try out hovering both feet as you extend and bring them back

Move 6: Row to Triceps Kickback

• Hinge forward at the waist to be at 45 degrees, core engaged, gaze neutral, chest up, shoulders rolled back and down, and weights in your hands, hanging beneath your chest.
• Pull the weights to your sides while keeping your elbows close to the body, and squeezing your back muscles like you’re pinching the base of your shoulder blades together. 
• Perform a row and then perform a tricep kickback by kicking your arms straight back and squeezing your tricep.  
• Slowly lower the weights down again to the starting position and repeat.

Equipment Needed: None (optional weighted objects)
Format: Perform each movement for the prescribed repetitions and repeat for 2-3 rounds 

Move 1: Lateral Leg Raises (15 each side) 

• Begin standing tall, holding onto the back of a chair with your core engaged.
• Brace yourself on the leg closest to the chair and laterally lift your leg to the side. (Be sure to keep your hips square and your core engaged rather than opening your hips)
• Perform all repetitions on one side and then switch legs. 

Move 2: Knee to Nose (10 each side) 

• Begin standing, holding onto the back of a chair, hinge at the hips slightly and engage your core. 
• Brace yourself on your right foot as you kick your left leg back toward the ceiling, initiating this movement through your glute. (Be sure to keep your hips square and your core engaged rather than opening your hips to kick your leg further back.) 
• Slowly bring your leg back down and as you come back to center, bend your leg and drive your knee in toward your chest and contract your abs and repeat from the leg lift.
• Perform all repetitions on one side and then switch sides.

Move 3: Reverse Lunges (8 each side) 

• Begin standing with your core engaged and chest upright.
• Step your right foot back behind you and begin bending your back knee until it nearly touches the ground in a 90 degree angle.
• As you stand up, power through your front heel and bring your back foot to meet your front foot as you come to standing.
• Repeat with your left leg and alternate back and forth (ensure your knee is not shooting out over your toe and maintain an upright chest). 
• MOD: Hold on to a chair or wall to help stabilize.

Move 4: Calf Raise Series (10 each)

• Begin standing with feet hip distance apart.
• Lift up onto your toes and then slowly come back down (be sure you’re not rocking back and forth).
• Two other variations are toes pointed out and toes pointed in. You can use any variation you like, or do all 1 variation per set.
• Optional: Hold weighted objects in each hand.

Move 5: Squat to Chair (15) 

• Stand with your feet hip width distance apart and your core engaged.
• Keeping your chest up tall and weight back in your heels, squat down by shooting your hips back slightly. Ensure your knees aren’t buckling in and your chest is upright. 
• Drive through your heels and power through your posterior chain to return to standing.
• MOD: Sit down to an object (chair, ottoman, bench, etc) or hold onto a stable object in front of you for assistance.

Equipment Needed: None (optional weighted objects)
Format: Perform each movement for the prescribed repetitions and repeat for 2-3 rounds 

Move 1: Forward Lunges (8 each side) 

• Start with your feet hip-width distance apart and your core engaged.
• Take a big step forward with your right leg and begin bending your back knee until it nearly touches the ground in a 90 degree angle.
• Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the floor (ensure your knee is not shooting out over your toe and maintain an upright chest).
• As you stand up, push through your front heel to shift yourself backward and come back to standing.
• Repeat with left leg and alternate back and forth
• MOD: Hold the wall or a chair. 
• Optional: Progress to walking lunges.

Move 2: Incline Plank Hold (0:30 – 0:45) 

• Begin in a tall plank position with your hands on an elevated surface, shoulders stacked over your hands and your core engaged. (Progress over the weeks by using lower elevated surfaces. Take your time and first progress with time, then progress with height.)
• Imagine you’re pressing your body away from the ground and slightly pressing your lower back toward the ceiling. 
• Hold this position for the allotted time.
• MOD: Perform this move from your elbows and knees.

Move 3: Superwoman Lifts (10)

• Lie on your stomach with your arms and legs extended.
• Lift your legs and arms off the mat together, using your lower back muscles.
• Hold at the top briefly and then slowly lower yourself back down to the ground.
• MOD: Begin by isolating your upper body only, leaving your legs on the mat for stability. Perform several upper body isolated lifts. Then perform several lower body isolated lifts. Work on isolated upper and lower body lifts until you feel comfortable putting them together.

Move 4: Single Leg Stair Step Ups (10 each side)

• Begin standing beside or behind a step or box with your core engaged and your right foot on the step.
• Keeping your weight in your heel and your chest upright, drive through your right foot to stand fully on your right foot.
• With control and keeping  your weight in your right heel, slowly lower yourself back down
• Drive back up to standing and complete all reps on your right side before repeating on the left. 
• Optional: As you come to standing on the box, lift your free leg backward for a glute lift.

Move 5: Cactus Arms (5-8)

• Come down to your mat, back is flat to the ground pressing your low back into the floor, core engaged with your knees bent. (You can also do this up against a wall)
• Bring your arms to an upright 90 degree angle position, pressing your shoulders and elbows into the floor.
• Slide your arms as far upward as you can while maintaining wrist, elbow and shoulder contact with the ground.

Move 6: Elevated Bridge Lifts on the stairs (12) 

• Come down to your mat, back is flat to the ground pressing your low back into the floor, core engaged with your knees bent and heels on the step or elevated surface. 
• Drive through your heels to lift your hips up toward the ceiling, squeezing your glutes and keeping a tight core.
• Slowly lower your hips back down toward the floor with control and repeat.