December 24th Challenge

December 24th Challenge: One Arm Snatch - 12 reps per side, no rest right into Lateral Jumps (See December 20th Challenge) for 12 jumps each way - jump as high as you can!!, Right into Planks w/ Leg Lift - perform a plank on your elbows and keep the glutes tight as you slowly lift one leg, keeping it straight, don't bend at the knee, about 1 foot off the floor, hold for 2 to 3 sec, lower slowly then lift the other foot, hold for 2 to 3 sec and lower. this equals one rep. Do 20.

December 23rd Challenge

December 23rd Challenge: 80 push-ups and 80 v-ups! Easy

December 21st Challenge

December 21st Challenge: 2/3rds of the way there, don't fold now! Push-up Rows - get in a push-up position but holding/supporting your weight on two dumbells (10-25 lbs), directly under your shoulders. perform a regular push-up, then at the top of the push-up, balance and perform a row with one arm, pulling the dumbell up towards your side/waist. Lower the weight and go directly back into a push-up, then back into a row with the same arm. perform 10 reps on the one arm, then next time through the circuit, use the other arm for rows. After the first set of Push-up Rows, go into Standing Alternating Shoulder Press - standing, holding two dumbells of medium weight at each shoulder, palms/hands facing inwards towards your head, press one directly up overhead while simultaneously rotating palm/hand from the shoulder so that when arm is fully extended overhead, the palm/hand is facing forward, then lower back to the starting position, then do the other side. this equals one rep. Perform 10-12 reps, then move on to woodchoppers (see Dec 12th Challenge for woodchoppers description). 12 reps per side or 24 total. Do 4 circuits of the above three exercises.

December 20th Challenge

December 20th Challenge: Angled Lunges w/ Anterior Raise - standing, holding either two 5 to 8 lb dumbells or a 5 to 10lb medicine ball, Step with your right foot across your left side and not straight forward but at an angle, moving towards your left. As you step out, drop into a lunge, lowering the left knee towards the floor and simultaneously raising the arms straight forward to about eye level. Then push off the right foot and spring back up to the starting position, lowering the arms as you do. Then do the same lunge w/ anterior raise but this time lunge out with your left foot and towards the right side. Perform 10 reps towards each side. Then go right into 10-12 lateral jumps - place an object on the ground like a dumbell, medicine ball, small stool, ... Stand next to it so that it is just to the right side of your right foot. Squat down and jump forcefully and as high as possible laterally over the object landing in the squatted/loaded position on the right side of the object. Then forcefully jump as high as possible back over the object, landing in the starting position on the left side of it. Move right into a set of 15 per side bicycle crunches (see dec 13th challenge). 3 circuits of these three exercises.

December 19th Challenge

December 19th Challenge: Squat/Shoulder Press Combo (increase the weight you have been using for these and do 10 reps), move right into 15 reps of Bench Dips (if these are easy, put your feet up on a physioball or another bench. Remember, lower your butt slowly towards the floor and get a good range of motion before pushing back up), then go right into 20 supermans. 4 sets/circuits!

Dec 17th Challenge

Dec 17th Challenge: Jumping Lunges - stand in a split leg stance, left foot out front, right foot behind, nice and wide. Lunge downward, dropping the rear knee close to the floor, keeping the front lower leg vertical, and the torso straight, then explosively jump upwards as hard and high as you can and simultaneously switch leg positions so that you land with your right foot out front, and your left foot behind, land in the lower lunge position with your left knee close to the floor, then jump up again back to the first position. This equals 1 rep. perform 10 reps, then go to Plank Rows, 10 reps per arm (up the weight from previous times I've had you do this challenge), then go right into Double Crunches for 20 to 25 slow reps. perform 3 sets.

Dec 16th Challenge

Dec 16th Challenge: One Arm Snatch again for either 10 reps per side with a heavier dumbell or 15 reps w/ the same dumbell you used on the 1st and 9th. Right into Punching - holding lighter dumbells (4 to 12 lbs) in each hand, hands at your shoulders, elbows back, standing with knees slightly bent, throw out a quick left punch/jab and twist the waist into it, pull it back and quickly throw out a right punch/jab. left, right, left right for 1 minute quickly. Right into side planks - lie on your side, prop yourself up on one elbow, hips/legs off the floor and body aligned, hold for 30 to 45 seconds, flip over and do the other side. 3 circuits of these 3 exercises.