If you were a Hollywood celeb or star athlete,
you wouldn’t have to think about your workout. You could pay big money to hire
a world-class trainer to do that for you.
But if you’re like most of us, you are the
person in charge of your lifting plan – choosing your exercises, setting goals
for sets and reps, and figuring out how to cram it all into the limited free
time you have to hit the gym. So how do you design a workout that best meets
your needs?
Thankfully, it’s easier than you think. The
following series of simple moves will help you determine your strengths and
weaknesses. Once you know the areas where your body is powerful (and where it
needs work), you can choose exercises to help you reach your fitness goals.
It’s important to understand how well your body
performs the most basic of motions: bodyweight squats, pushups, overhead
reaches and lunges.
Self Assessments: Your Starting Point
Whether you’re a seasoned workout warrior or gym newbie, it’s important
to understand how well your body performs the most basic of motions: bodyweight
squats, pushups, overhead reaches and lunges.
These moves will tell you a lot about how stable and how mobile you are.
If you’re stable, you’re in control. If you’re mobile, you have the range of
motion to perform exercises with proper form. If you’re wobbly, shaky or just
can’t fathom how your hips could ever sink into a squat, you’ve just discovered
an area for improvement.
Assessment
1: Bodyweight Squat
The Test: Stand facing a wall with your legs a little more than
shoulder width apart. Descend into a squat. Keep your torso upright, with your
knees tracking over your toes. If you fall forward or your knees buckle inward,
you’ve got a problem. Either your ankles, hips or upper back don't have enough
flexibility to perform the squat, or your core doesn't have the strength to
remain upright.
The Fix: To address mobility issues in your lower body, you want to
open up your hips with exercises such as striders. You can also improve
flexibility in your upper back by performing thoracic extensions on a foam
roller. Lastly, you should do some planks to strengthen your core.
Striders: Start in a pushup position with your legs, glutes and upper
back tight. Lift your right leg and bring your right foot to the outside or
your right hand. Return to the starting position and repeat on the left side.
Keep your entire body in a straight line during the movement – don’t let your
hips drop. Perform up to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions for each leg.
Thoracic Extensions: Lie with a foam roller underneath your back
about halfway between your shoulders and hips. Your hips should touch the
ground. Tuck your chin but do not stretch your neck, and keep your hips pressed
against the ground as you extend over the foam roller as far as you can. Then
bring your chin back upward, as if you were doing crunches. Perform two sets of
eight to 12 extensions.
Plank: Start either
on your hands in a typical pushup position or on your forearms if you find the
pushup position too challenging. Tense all of the muscles in your body,
including your back, core, glutes and lower legs. Hold this position for one to
two minutes. Do up to four sets.
Assessment
2: Pushups
The Test:
Set up in the top of a pushup with your arms locked. Lower yourself with
control, tucking your elbows in toward your sides. Bend your elbows to 90
degrees, then reverse the movement and drive back upwards to the starting
position. Perform 10 repetitions, paying particular attention to the following:
Does your back remain straight? Were your shoulders wobbly? Did your elbows
flare outward? If so, your triceps are weak or you don’t have proper engagement
in your core and back to perform the exercise.
The fix:
If the problem was in your core, the fix is simple – add planks to your
workout. If the instability felt rooted in your shoulders, try face pulls,
which strengthen the shoulder retractors and external rotators. And if your
elbows flared outward, dumbbell military presses will help.
Face Pulls:
At a cable resistance machine, position a two-handled rope at the highest
setting. Grab each end of the rope with an overhand grip and take a step back
so that you feel tension on the rope. Your feet can be together or you can use
a split-leg stance. Keep your posture straight as you pull each end of the rope
in straight line toward your face. Use a lower weight for this exercise and
focus on form. Do up to three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.
Dumbbell Military Press:
Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, held at shoulder height. Engage your torso
so that your abs, lats and even legs are all supporting you as you push both
dumbbells upwards. Your arms should be fully extended at the top. Lower the
weights back to your shoulders and repeat. Perform up to four sets of six to12
reps.
Assessment
3: Overhead Reach
The Test:
Stand upright with your feet parallel and positioned about shoulder width
apart. Your hands should be at your sides with your palms facing inward. Engage
your core – don’t let your ribs flare out -- and lift your arms forward,
drawing a half-circle in front of you until your hands are over your head, your
arms are straight and your thumbs are pointing behind you. Keep your back
straight, and don’t let your lower back hyperextend. If you are unable to reach
fully overhead, it’s an indication of poor upper back mobility, a weak core and
even potential issues in your hips.
The Fix:
This assessment goes hand in hand with the squat assessment, and tells you a
lot about your shoulder mobility and posture overall. Many lifters have
internally rotated or slouched shoulder posture, which the overhead reach will
point out immediately. If your shoulder flexibility is less than you’d like,
address it with shoulder stretches on a squat rack. For mobility problems in
your back, try some foam roller work. Lastly, use squat-to-stands to fix any
issues in your hips.
Shoulder Stretches:
Find a squat rack or power cage, bend your arm 90 degrees at your elbow and
place your forearm against one of the racks. Turn your torso away from your
arm. Keep your trunk in a neutral position with your shoulders and hips
parallel as you turn. You should feel a stretch in the front of your shoulders
and across your chest. Repeat on the other side. Hold each stretch for 10 to 15
seconds. Do three to four sets.
Foam Roller:
Roll back and forth on the foam roller, working out any tightness in your
middle to upper back. Roll for 30 to 60 seconds, and do up to three sets. Then
turn to your side, keeping the foam roller perpendicular to your torso, and
roll out your triceps and lats. Move slowly and deliberately, taking deep
breaths whenever you feel discomfort. Repeat the routine on your other side.
Squat-to-Stands:
Grab the tops of your toes while trying to keep your back as straight as
possible. Squat down, driving your knees toward the outside of your arms.
Continue to hold on to the tops of your feet as you extend your hips back up.
When you feel tension in your hamstrings or glutes, lower yourself back down.
Repeat this pattern for up to two sets of eight to 12 repetitions.
Assessment
4: Lunges
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