New Year’s Strength Resolution

Get a move on 2018 with this total-body circuit.

Want to start the year strong? Then make sure you’re doing more than simply load-bearing work. This workout includes weighted, plyometric and endurance-building movement for comprehensive strength—and a fast start on your 2018 goals. Grab your dumbbells and get going!

• Perform 12 to 15 repetitions of each movement.
• Complete one to three sets of the entire workout circuit.

WARM-UP

Straddle Side-Lunge Stretch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pnm86I9HhVE

• Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart.
• With your hands clasped in front of your chest and a tall spine, keep your left leg straight as you bend your right knee and sit into your right hip.
• Push through your right foot to return to center. Repeat on your left side.

Straddle Rotation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oqwYH7w0jg

• Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart.
• Extend your arms straight out to your sides with your palms at shoulder height.
• As you hinge forward, rotate your torso to touch the floor with your right hand and extend your left hand to the ceiling.
• Rotate to center as you return to standing, and repeat on your left side.

Wide-Standing Shoulder Stretch and Backbend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtcqvMZeIe8

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
• Rotate your shoulders back and down and clasp both hands behind your back. Lift and open your chest, locking your elbows to increase the stretch.
• Release your hands, relax and return to standing.

WORKOUT

Alternating Split-Lunge Jump

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2jBZuYqZO8

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Lower your body to a quarter-squat, spring up and land in a lunge with your right foot forward and your left leg behind you.
• Spring up and switch legs midair, landing in a lunge with your left foot forward and your right foot behind you.
• Continue, switching sides.
• Tip: Try to land lightly as you drop into the lunge.

Double Squat to Dumbbell Curl and Press

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0fedcXxksU

• Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand and your arms at your sides, feet hip-width or slightly farther apart.
• Lower your body into a squat, making sure your knees track over your toes. Keep your arms straight and slightly away from your sides.
• Squeeze your glutes and press your knees open to return to standing. Repeat the squat.
• At the top of your second squat, rotate your wrists so that your palms are facing up. Bend your elbows and flex your biceps to curl the dumbbells to shoulder height.
• Rotate your wrists so your palms face out, and press the dumbbells straight up. Bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells to shoulder height, rotate your wrists to face you and lower the dumbbells to your sides.
• Repeat the pattern of two squats, then a biceps curl and press, for the specified number of reps.

Line Jump Side to Side

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJRl09liVK4

• Stand tall with your knees and feet together.
• Bend your knees and spring to the right as if you’re jumping over an invisible line, landing as lightly as possible on the balls of your feet.
• Bend your knees and spring left. Continue leaping from side to side over the invisible line.
• Tip: Keep your knees and ankles close together.

Straight-Leg Deadlift to Double Lateral Raise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1V6g2rluhw

• Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides.
• Engage your core and anchor your shoulder blades down. With your legs straight and soft knees, hinge forward, pushing your hips toward the wall behind you as you let your arms hang down.
• Squeeze your glutes and push your hips forward to return to standing with your arms at your sides.
• Raise the dumbbells out to both sides, with your arms extended and soft elbows, to shoulder height. Repeat the lateral raise.
• Switch sides to complete a single-leg deadlift with your left leg behind you, followed by two lateral raises. Continue to alternate sides.

Tuck Jump

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1JKhUvbFXc

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Drop into a half-squat and explode off the ground, bringing your knees as close to your chest as possible. Swing your arms upward as you explode off the ground.
• Try to land softly on the balls of your feet with a bend in your knees, and then immediately explode back up.
• Repeat for the specified number of reps.

Balancing Dumbbell Row

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnizGMhzaQM

• Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides.
• Engage your core, and anchor your shoulder blades down. Hinge forward as you lift your right leg straight behind you and let your arms extend straight to the floor. Keep your leg straight and your neck neutral.
• Pull your shoulder blades together and your elbows back to “row” the dumbbells, and then release to let your arms extend to the floor. Repeat the row.
• Squeeze your left glute to return to standing, arms at your sides.
• Switch legs and repeat. Continue alternating sides.
• Tip: Bend your weight-bearing knee for increased stability.

Bridge With Dumbbell Triceps Extension

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLCes8SjiIo

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor, close to your hips, and a dumbbell in each hand.
• Press the dumbbells straight up to the ceiling, squeeze your glutes and lift your hips into a bridge.
• Keeping your upper arms perpendicular to the floor, bend your elbows to lower the dumbbells to either side of your head. Extend your triceps to straighten your arms, keeping your elbows and upper arms as still as possible. Repeat.
• Lower your hips to the floor. Repeat the sequence of the hip bridge with two triceps extensions for the specified number of reps.

Stiff-Leg Bicycle With Dumbbell Chest Press

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVHl4p5G1OY

• Grasping a dumbbell in each hand, lie on your back with your legs extended. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees to lift the dumbbells off the ground.
• Keeping your legs extended, engage your abs and simultaneously lift your left leg as you punch your right hand toward your left foot. Lower your torso and leg to the floor and repeat, punching your left hand to your right foot.
• With your legs extended, press the dumbbells straight up to the ceiling.
• Repeat the sequence of a bicycle crunch on each side and one dumbbell press for the specified number of reps.

Reverse Tabletop Lifts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4Fn8SGQ-zY

• Sit on the floor with your hands just behind your hips, palms flat on the ground and fingers pointed toward your feet, knees bent and feet on the floor about hip-width apart.
• Press your hands and feet down into the floor and lift your hips into a tabletop position, lifting as high as is comfortable. Keep your head and chin tucked back slightly to keep your head in line with your spine.
• Lower your hips and repeat.

Russian Twist With Dumbbell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzLUOwUP54c

• Sit with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Sit up tall as you pick up a dumbbell and hold one end in each hand at chest height.
• Engage your core and keep your spine straight as you lean back slightly. Rotate your torso to the right and tap the ground with the dumbbell. Rotate through center to your left and tap the dumbbell.
• Continue, alternating sides.

COOL-DOWN

Knee Pull Hold to Chest Stretch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkav7F7F34w

• Lie on your back. Draw your right knee to your chest, keeping your left leg extended on the floor.
• Place your hands at the top of your right shin and pull gently to bring your knee even closer to your chest.
• Hold for a count of 10 and repeat on your left side.

Reclining Straddle Rock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_G3go06u08

• Lie on your back and draw your knees toward your chest.
• Place your hands on the outside of each knee.
• Gently pull your right knee open to your right side. Pull your left knee open to your left side as you release the pull on your right.
• Continue gently pulling to either side.

Relaxation Pose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TFNd5c-2i0

• Recline from a seated position so that you are lying on your back with your arms at your sides, palms facing up, knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Lift and lower your hips slightly and then extend one leg at a time.
• Release any tension in your feet, legs, hips, spine, upper back, shoulders, arms, neck and head.
• Hold the position for several minutes, breathing evenly. To return to an upright position, roll gently to one side and push your hands into the floor to lift your torso and let your head follow.

Photo and videos: Mark Kuroda, kurodastudios.com
Hair and make-up: Katie Nash, katienashbeauty.com