Sculpting your core, shoulders, chest, triceps, and glutes all in the same workout requires a ton of equipment, right? Wrong. All you need for this full-body sequence from trainer Paul Sklar, C.S.C.S is an exercise ball.
The circuit entails planting your palms on the unstable ball and moving through a series of pushups, knee-taps, and leg-raises. Complete five sets of the following sequence, resting one minute between rounds.
3 Rounds:
If you’ve ever tried holding a plank on an exercise ball, you know how hard your shoulders and core have to work to keep you stable. Adding in the leg movement makes them work even harder. Each time you lift a foot, engage your core to prevent your hips shifting from side-to-side.
For the pushups, focus on actively squeezing your chest to keep the ball stable. Pause for a moment, then keep press hard as you straighten out your arms to return to start.
Once you’ve mastered this sequence, Sklar has a harder, higher-skill variation you can try. For this, rather than completing the leg moves and then doing pushups, Sklar works the chest move into the entire workout.
Here’s what that looks like:
3 Rounds:
As you might imagine, your chest and triceps will tire out even more quickly this time around. But that’s no excuse for losing your stability. With every rep, work through this “squeeze” checklist: core, shoulders, glutes, shoulders, quads.
If at any point you lose tension throughout your body, take a break before continuing. Going slack won’t get you the strength gains you’re after.
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