Here is part 1 of Jeffrey’s “lock down” workout, this is the paper explanation, we also have a video explanation & then the next stage will be a video of the actual exercises & how to do them correctly & most importantly safely.
Here is the video explanation to go with the following written explanation:
Stay safe & well lovely people!
Hello everyone, my name is Jeffrey and I’m one of the trainers at The Ultimate Retreat and I’m here today to explain a home workout that is suitable for all fitness levels & can be done both inside & outside…so if you are at home / in isolation this will keep you moving & keep your body healthy.
Why did I choose these specific exercises?
- They have to be safe
- No equipment is required
- They are suitable for any fitness level
- There is a low risk of injury
- You don’t need a lot of space
- They keep you moving
- They get results
This was not an easy task! So I started to think that the only way this is going to be possible is if everyone can tailor the exercises to their own fitness level…& so that is what I’m here to teach you today…
The workout will only have 6 basic exercises that all have easy and harder variations:
- Squat
- Plank
- Lunges
- Side plank
- Snow angels
- Push ups
I have listed all the exercises / variations from easy too harder down below.
Here is the show & tell video of all the exercises:
The schedule looks like this:
Exercise Tempo Reps Rest Sets
A1 Squats 4-1-1-0 8-10 10-30 sec 3-5
A2 Plank Hold 60-30 sec 10-30 sec 3-5
A3 Lunges Left 4-1-1-0 8-10 10-30 sec 3-5
A4 Lunges Right 4-1-1-0 8-10 10-30 sec 3-5
A5 Side plank Left side Hold 60-30 sec 10-30 sec 3-5
A6 Side plank Right side Hold 60-30 sec 10-30 sec 3-5
A7 Reverse snow angels 4-0-4-0 8-10 10-30 sec 3-5
A8 Push-up 4-1-1-0 8-10 1-3 min 3-5
( For a video explanation of the schedule click the link)
How to read the program?
(AMRAP = as many reps as possible)
First column exercise:
Tells you which exercise you need to do. A1 to A8 is the order of exercises. When you have completed exercise A1 you go to exercise A2 then keep going until you get to A8. & you will have finished your first set…. well done!
Second column tempo:
The tempo of the movement in seconds, the first number stands for the downward phase of the movement (eccentric phase), the second number is the time at the bottom (isometric hold), the third number upward phase (concentric phase), the fourth number is for the time at the top (isometric hold)
In short 4-1-1-0 means 4 seconds down, 1-second stay at the bottom, 1 second to go up, 0 seconds rest at the top position.
Third column reps:
Reps stand for repetitions. You see 8-10 this is your rep range. Your goal is to find an exercise variation that you can do for this amount of repetitions. If you can do more than 10 repetitions of an exercise, next time try doing a harder variation of the exercise. If you do less than 8 repetitions in your first set the exercise variation is too hard and you should change it to an easier variation. If it’s not your first set and you get below the rep range, do not add another set.
Fourth column rest:
The rest you have in between going from exercises A1 to A2 & so on. You can see 10-30 seconds you can choose how much time you need in between exercises. If you are not used to exercising you should keep the rest a bit longer or make it shorter to challenge yourself more. Add exercise A8 you can see 1 to 3 minutes that’s how long you can rest after all 8 exercises. Again start with a long rest then when you get better at the exercises you can make it shorter.
Fifth column sets:
Sets are the amount of time you do all the exercises in from A1 to A8. There are two ways to add a set:
- How do you feel, if you are exhausted don’t add a set!
- You have to look at the rep range you get in your A1 exercise so in this case, the squat falls out of the rep range, so if you don’t do less than 8 reps you keep adding sets. When you go to AMRAP if you are a bit more advanced you look for more than a 10% decline in reps.
How can you personalize this to your level of fitness?
The goal of this program is to get better every time you train. How can you do that? You have to push yourself! If you don’t push yourself your body has no reason to change.
What are we looking for when we do the exercises?
- ALWAYS quality over quantity! Make sure to never compromise your form to do more reps
- You have to put as much effort in as you can; you train as close as you can to being about to do a bad version of a repetition.
- Always move with as much range of motion as you can. If you get tired and you feel like you need to change the exercise or lose range of motion, stop the exercise and go to the next one.
Keeping track of your progress:
Tracking your progress is important! You need to write down your results, and then you know when you need to adjust your exercise to keep improving.
Here’s how you write it down:
A1 (variation) (tempo) (reps) (rest)
A2 (variation) (tempo) (reps) (rest)
For example:
A1 3 (Normal squats) 4-1-1-0 (tempo) 10-9-7 (reps) 30 seconds/3 minutes (rest)
A2 1 (Knees and hands) HOLD (tempo) 60-45-30 (reps) 30 seconds/3 minutes (rest)
This is what it should look like; everything is in the rep range. You see there are no sets written down because you can see this in the amount of time you see the reps written down in.
When do you need to change an exercise?
For example:
A1 3 (Normal squats) 15-10-7 10 seconds /2 minutes
A2 1 (Knees and hands) 90-60-45 10 seconds /2 minutes
You can see you went out of the rep range, next time try the exercise with a harder variation. If you are already at the hardest level you can make changes in the rest, sets, or tempo.
In this case the start of the next training session will look like this:
A1 4 (heels elevated squats) 10 seconds /2 minutes
A2 2 (Knees and elbows) 10 seconds /2 minutes
Start for beginners:
A beginner should start with the light variation, long rests in between exercises and sets, do 1 or 2 sets. When you have done it a few times, you will have the data written down & you will know what you need to change to get better every time you train! Remember we exercise to get better and build a relationship with our body! Listen to what it’s telling you, and you can tell it to change!
Changes to make as a beginner:
- If you are out of the rep range you should do the exercise with a harder variation
- You can shorten the rest in between the exercises
- You can shorten the rest after 1 set
- Add a set
Start for more advanced:
For the more advanced guys and gals if 10 reps is an easy number for you! You can change it:
- Change the exercise to a more difficult one
- Reduce resting time in between exercises and sets
- Change the tempo 4-1-1-0, becomes 4-1-X-0 this means your upwards phase (concentric phase) is going to be explosive.
- Change the rep ranges to AMRAP, this means as many receptions as possible!
- If you have weights or a weighted vest you can add them to make some exercises more challenging
- Add more sets if you don’t see more then a 10% drop in reps
How often should you be doing this workout?
If you are a beginner keep 1 rest day in between your workouts.
If you are more advanced you can workout every day, as each time you are better in your first sets of the first round than your last workout.
Here is a list of exercises with a few variations 1 is the easy one 5 the hard one:
Squat variations:
1 Wall sit
2 Partial squats
3 Normal squats
4 Heals elevated squat
5 Sissy squat
Plank variations:
1 Plank on knees and hands
2 Plank on knees and elbows
3 Plank on feet and hands
4 Plank on feet and elbows
5 Plank on feet and elbows and lift one leg from the floor
Lunge:
1 Short step lunge
2 Full lunge with a partial range of motion
3 Full lunge
4 Front leg elevated lunge
5 Rear leg elevated lunge
Side plank:
1 Side plank where you lean on an incline (table, chair)
2 Side plank on your hand and knee
3 Side plank on your elbow and knee
4 Side plank on your hand and foot
5 Side plank on your elbow and foot
Reverse snow angels:
1 Standing snow angels
2 Bent over snow angels
3 On the floor only arms to the side
4 On the floor only arms up over the head
5 Full reverse snow angels
Push up:
1 Feet on the floor hands on an incline (table, chair)
2 Knees and hands
3 Up on knees down on toes
4 Feet and hands
5 Feet on a bench or chair