It’s still frigidly cold in most of Canada but that doesn’t mean the sun won’t be melting away all that snow very shortly. What better way to be prepared for spring than to get in the gym and get healthy now. March and April are a great time to build a solid cardio conditioning base for an intense summer training regimen.
When looking holistically at the entire year it is important to change workout programs to match various goals for each season. For example, some people may want to prepare for the holiday season with lots of cardio in December. Others may want to get lean at the start of summer. With these points in mind, a holistic approach to designing a workout program can lead to better results during these intense periods of training. For those who intend on having intense intervals of 3-4 weeks of training it is important to have a program that creates the possibility to achieve the best gains.
Before an intense month of cardio, a training program that includes lots of yoga and resistance training can create a solid base that will enable improved results.
Here is a workout that can be done to supplement intense cardio training. The focus is to strengthen the core with maintaining strength in muscle groups that are often neglected:
Warm Up
Jump Rope (5 Minutes)
Shoulder Activation
Y,T,W,L on Stability Ball
Glute Activation
Glute/Hamstring Raises – Lay with back on the ground and knees bent with heels touching the fingertips. Slowly lift pelvis in the air and hold for 2 seconds. Repeat 10 times and do 3 sets.
Alternating Hamstring Walk – Start in the same position as the Glute/Hamstring Raise, then once the Pelvis is raised, keep it elevated while alternately raising one leg at a time. Focus on keeping the thighs parallel and the hips square to the ground.
Core: Stationary Plank Series
Complete 3 sets of each
Forearm Front Plank – 60 seconds
Side Plank – 30 seconds each side
Strength Circuit (3 or 4 Sets)
Try to complete every exercise in this circuit in a superset before taking a break and starting the next round.
10 Pushups with one hand on medicine ball (alternating sides with each pushup)
15 Squats with Stability Ball (Place stability ball with one side in the lower part of the back and the other against the wall, complete the squats to a 90 degree angle)
15 Wall Balls (holding a medicine ball, squat low and use momentum to propel the ball high up on the wall then as its descends, catch it and allow it to lead into the next squat)
1 minute of Mountain Climbers (in a plank position, quickly alternate legs simulating running by bringing knees to chest)
*If the squats are too easy, hold a medicine ball overhead while completing the exercises
Recovery
Do a stretching routine that focus on the hamstrings, Achilles, quads, and calves.