Halloween Workout: Hard workout with Great Benefits
“We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones”
This year’s Halloween workout consisted of exercises contributed by several ACE Certified Professionals. Exercise is challenging, fun, and provides important benefits like burning calories and improving strength. Plus, these exercises are perfectly safe as long as you take the time to learn and practice the movements before doing too many reps or gaining weight. As you learn these movements, focus on controlling the range of motion. When you are ready to increase the intensity, either use more weight, do more reps, or move at a faster pace resistance.
To make this or any exercise more metabolically challenging, follow the AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) format. Your goal is to do the number of iterations of each circuit exercise and see how many times you can complete the circuit in 12 minutes. Note that metabolism just means that the focus of the exercise is on producing energy rather than building strength training or increasing muscle strength production.
How to do Halloween exercise
- Forward lunge with reach to the foot
Keeping the back leg straight during this exercise flexes the spine to complete the movement, but keeping the heel on the floor while moving off the hip helps protect the spine and applies tensile force to the hamstrings and adductors. Lengthening of the elastic fascia and connective tissue is an effective way to strengthen them against potential stress injuries.
Stand with both feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Step forward with the right leg; Keep the left heel on the floor and a hips joint to reach the right foot with dumbbells. To return to standing, push the right foot on the floor while the spine straightens and returns to a long position. Switch the legs for a total of eight reps on each side.
From Monster to kick (contributed by Monica Amman, ACE Group Certified Fitness Trainer, and Carlsbad, CA)
In mythology, the beast can be a terrifying beast bent on destruction. When it comes to exercise, the word “beast” simply means being in a quadruple position with hands and feet flat on the ground.
To perform this movement, start with the hands directly under the shoulders and the knees below the hips so they are resting on the toes and the knees off the ground. Keep the spine long and straight while pushing his hands down to the floor to vibrate again at the hips.
Then, move forward and raise your left hand while kicking the right leg across the body so that it is resting on your right hand and left foot with the hips raised off the ground. Pull the right leg back, place the left hand on the ground, lift the right hand and kick the left leg across the body. After kicking each leg across the body, rest on your hands and feet, and move back to your hips to start the next workout. Do eight repetitions on each side of the body. Note: this exercise may be very intense for anyone with previous shoulder injuries, mobility problems, or pain.
A backlash to Roman single-leg deadlift (Contributed by Abbey Abel, ACE Group Certified Fitness Coach and Personal Trainer, Boca Raton, Florida.)
This exercise is excellent for improving strength and mobility one leg at a time while using hamstrings, connectors, gluteal compound and deep cardio stabilizers.
Balance on the left foot while holding a dumbbell in the right hand. Step back with your right foot and lean forward slightly as you lower yourself down. At the bottom of the movement (don’t really let the right knee hit the ground), press the left foot on the floor to pull yourself back as you swing the right leg forward.
When you return to the standing position, keep your left knee slightly bent as you stop forward while keeping your spine long. Lower yourself to a comfortable point (keep the spine straight to focus movement on the hip muscles; if your spine begins to bend, you have gone too far). Pull his right leg down to return to standing to complete the movement. TIP: While doing the hinge forward over the left hip, keep the spine straight to control movement. Complete six to eight repetitions on the left leg, then switch legs.
References:
Ayuda, T. L. B. D. B. (2017, October 24). Get Scary-Strong With This Halloween Workout. Health.Com. https://www.health.com/fitness/halloween-workout-routine
