strength | Fueling Healthy Families

New Trends at the Old Gym – Landmine

December 2, 2019 No Comments

Next up in my series on new trends that you’ll find at your local gym is Landmine!

Landmine – What Is It?

The landmine is a piece of equipment that allows one end of a barbell to be affixed to the ground with full rotation of the other end. Just like a traditional barbell, the open end can be loaded with plates for added weight resistance.

How Do You Use?

Single-Leg Deadlift

Start with feet together, holding the head of the barbell in your right hand. Hinge forward at hips, lifting right foot off the floor and extending it behind you as barbell lowers toward the ground. Lower torso until parallel with the ground or until you feel a stretch in your left hamstring. Squeeze through glute to return to starting position for 1 rep. Repeat on the opposite side.

Half-Kneeling Shoulder Press

Kneel with right foot on the floor, knee bent at 90 degrees, holding the head of the barbell in your right hand with torso upright. Press barbell straight up. Hold for 2 seconds, return to starting position for 1 rep. Repeat on opposite side.

Chess Press

Lie on the ground with feet flat, head of the barbell in your right hand with elbow next to your ribcage. Press barbell upward above your head. Slowly lower back to starting position. Repeat on the opposite side.

Landmine Row

Start in a lunge position with back flat, holding the head of the barbell in your right hand. Row barbell up toward ribcage, keeping movement close to your body. Lower back to starting position for 1 rep. Repeat on the opposite side.

Get Your Own

To include your own landmine in your home gym, you’ll want to make sure you have a space large enough for the length of the barbell plus room to work.

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Grab my current workout utilizing the Battle Ropes!

Check out all the posts in the New Trends at the Old Gym Series!

Battle Ropes

TRX

Save For Later

Exercise

New Trends at the Old Gym – TRX

November 25, 2019 No Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, upon which I may earn a commission if you purchase anything.

Next up in my series on new trends that you’ll find at your local gym is TRX!

TRX – What Is It?

TRX is a suspension based training system. Using just your body weight and gravity, the TRX system can support up to 350 pounds and provide up to 900 pounds of resistance. The system is attached to a door or other fixed point. The further you lean forward or backward, the stronger the resistance to overcome. You can easily change your resistance by changing the angle of your body to the floor.

How Do You Use?

There are 100s of exercises you can complete on the TRX system, but they are all variants of Push, Pull, Plank, Hinge, Lunge, Squat and Rotate.

PUSH

Chest Press – Hold handles in front of you. Brace your core and lean your weight into the handles, making sure your hips, shoulders, knees, and ankles are aligned. Push back to start.

PULL

Row – Lean back holding handles. Brace your core forming a strong plank with your shoulders pulled down and back. Maintaining your plank, pull your chest up to your hands. Lower yourself down in one slow, controlled movement.

PLANK

Inserting your feet into the TRX straps, plank up into a pushup position keeping your hands directly under your shoulders. Brace your core and make sure your head, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles are aligned. Lower your knees to the ground.

HINGE

Extend arms, pressing down on handles, knees bent. Bend forward from the hips, maintain a lengthened spine, extend the knees. Press on handles, extend at hips to an upright position.

LUNGE

With one leg through both foot cradles on the TRX, ground yourself through your working leg. Push your hips down and back, and lunge down until your front knee is bent to 90 degrees. Keep your core braced and your chest up the entire time. Drive through your front foot using your glutes and hamstring to bring you back up.

SQUAT

Stack your elbows under shoulders, with feet hip-width apart. Lower hips down and back, weight in heels. Drive through heels, squeeze your glutes, and lift your chest.

ROTATE

Place arms in a “T”, body in a half-kneeling position. Maintain lengthened spine, shift hips forward, rotate torso away from your rear leg, side bend away. Shift hips back to return hip to neutral, arms down.

Get Your Own

TRX Suspension Trainers are available at the official TRX Training site. Prices range from $100 – $200 for at-home use versions.

Exercise

New Trends at the Old Gym – Battle Ropes

November 17, 2019 No Comments

In this series, I’ll be featuring some of the new trends that you’ll find at your local gym (or even for use at home). First up, Battle Ropes!

What Are Battle Ropes?

A battle rope is a long thick rope anchored in the middle with two ends for you to work with. Battle ropes vary in length from 30 – 50 feet, with 1.5 – 2 inch diameters. They are great for working the hands, arms, shoulders, back, abs, core, and legs.

How Do You Use?

While any continuous movement of the ropes will work your arms and core (to stabilize your body), these 3 exercises are a great start.

Waves

Grab each rope with a hand. Alternate going up and down with your left and right hands, creating waves with the rope. Waves are an effective workout as the work each arm independently and keep your muscles under tension for extended periods. Start with 30 second reps, building up to several minutes at a time.

Stagecoach

Holding both ropes together with both hands, move up and down together like you’re driving an old-fashioned stagecoach.

Overhead Slams

Hold each rope in a hand. Pull them up over your head, then slam them to the ground as hard as you can. Wait for the ripple to reach the anchor point, then repeat.

Get Your Own

Battle Ropes are available at mass online retailers like Amazon.com and Walmart.com, as well as specialized fitness stores. Prices range from $35 – $200.

Grab my current workout utilizing the Battle Ropes!

Check out all the posts in the New Trends at the Old Gym Series!

TRX

Landmine

Exercise, Juice Plus+, Nutrition

Shred10 Day #2

June 6, 2017 1 Comment

Thanks for following along with me to Day #2 of the 10 day Shred10. Let’s review the guidelines I’m following.

Breakfast

I finished off the Mango-chia overnight oatmeal that I had started on Day #1. Still delicious on Day #2. I’ll be trying out different variations of this recipe including strawberries and whatever fruit I can find fresh.

I also took my Juice Plus+ trio capsules, Juice Plus+ omega, and Doterra probiotic and TriEase.

Exercise

I made it to the gym today! My first time in weeks. I attended a 30 minute Strength class at my office gym. It included 3 groups of 4 exercises that we completed twice for 45 seconds per exercise. Having not been to class in awhile, I chose a lighter weight (8 pounds). The exercises ranged from bicep curls with an overhead press and tricep dip to various ab work like planks. Definitely a great work out!

Lunch

My weakness at work is when the Lulu Dim Sum truck comes to campus. I love their General Tso Chicken! I splurged, after just working out, and ordered the General Tso, but with green beans instead of rice. Even though I’m not perfect with the Shred10, I love how it makes me aware of my food choices. I chose a vegetable instead of a starch. I then spent my lunch hour googling the ingredients in General Tso, what is gluten free, and what is considered processed food. The traditional General Tso sauce recipe includes sugar and soy sauce (which may or may not be gluten free). But I did learn that the chicken is battered in cornstarch, which is gluten free.

Snack/Dinner

I had several meetings this afternoon, leaving me to start my double shake at 4pm. I took a break when I got home from work and didn’t finish it off until 9pm. So, I missed that 6pm cutoff, but just didn’t feel hungry. Again, I had made my shake in the morning with just Dutch Chocolate Juice Plus+ Complete, unsweetened almond milk, and chia seeds. I throw everything in my shaker bottle, shake, and refrigerate until I’m ready to drink.

Sleep/Movement

I met the 7 hours of sleep goal, and fell a little short of my step goal, but I did get in that exercise as mentioned earlier.

Water

Fell much shorter on my water goal today. I do pretty well at work, but seem to stop drinking water when I get home. I have the same water bottle at work and home, so need to work on keeping it within arms reach, especially as I’m sitting at the computer working on my blog and social media posts.

Conclusion

Today was much tougher than Day #1. Having the accountability of this blog did make me choose a healthier option at lunch than I would have otherwise, but nearly every aspect will use some special attention tomorrow, especially as I am working from home and won’t get the movement around the office.

Missed Day #1? Catch it here.