Total Body - Strength

Hello, everyone. I'm Maeve McCaffrey. We are going to do a total body strength workout in under 30 minutes today. We will be using a minivan and some moderate dumbbells, but use whatever you have. It'll be great. We're gonna start with our minivan And whenever we're using a minivan, I love these, just check and make sure that it's all healthy.

There's no tears in it. With it around our legs, which is where we're going our lower leg, it might snap and go flying. You're not gonna get hurt, but we're gonna use it in our hands so we wanna be a little bit more thoughtful of that so that we're not getting ourselves in the face with a torn minivan. Knees are gonna bend, hips are gonna go back, This is a little cheat sheet. Anytime you bend your knees, you gotta send your hips back a little bit, and then lift your chest up.

Setup is really important. So take your time here. Make sure you're in a good position. Keep your center strong. Try not to rock side to side.

You'll see in a second what I mean. Step out, push from the outer heel, bring the foot in, out in. We're gonna go side to side, go for three to four steps if you have the space, if you don't, 1 to 2 is for is fine and perfect. Keep your toes straight ahead I don't want you looking down at your feet the whole time. I do want you looking up, but check-in periodically so you're not doing one of these jobbies with your foot, like, kind of going out to the side, toes are straight ahead. The reason for this, keep rolling, is This is gonna get more of your glutes involved less of your quadriceps.

If we're using that open toe position, you're accessing more quadriceps. Up. And right now, we're focusing on getting these hips good and warmed up and good and strong. The higher the band, the easier it is, the lower the band, the harder it's gonna be. Let's go one more laugh since I was yapping. All really important things check-in, make sure this last one is strong. Perfection.

Take the band off. We'll put this off to the side. We are gonna use it quite a few more times, so keep it handy. Don't toss it. Don't toss it.

Okay. Complex exercise. I'll talk you through it. The easiest way for me to do these exercises is to actually say it to myself. So I have these little mantras when I'm doing things.

Tipping forward, hinging your hips back is flat. Keep pulling back against these weights. We're in a dead lift. We're gonna stay here. Row, release, pop the weights to the shoulders, sit into your squat, drive to the sky return home.

Dead lift row, pop and squat, press to the sky. Let's go. Dead lift rope, pull the elbows back, the shoulders, back, release pop and squat, press and reach. Tip over, pull, Rack the weights of the shoulders, drive to come up. Now keep going.

The more you use your legs and your hips, right here, the easier that shoulder press is gonna be. So I'm using a moderate weight that's appropriate for a row that might be challenging on a shoulder press, but with the addition of my legs to it, Totally doable. Tip over row. Pop and squat. Press the sky.

3 more, please. Tip over row. Pop and squat. Collect yourself. Drive up.

Let's go. Control, belly in, collect, press, one more best one yet. Tip over flat back in Rome, rack and press so well done. One weight down keep one nice firm grip. We're gonna hold it end to end.

We have a side blunt, so you're gonna step out The second your foot hits, hips, this hip is going to go back, little chop, up and around, halo to the other side, sit, chop, up and around halo. As you're here, maybe a little more energy with this chop, maybe a little more rotation and space on that halo. Chest stays tall the whole time. So even though we're sitting and going back, your chest stays tall. We're gonna do this circuit 2 times 3, 2 times through, 2 times 3, 2 times through, and then we have a second circuit. So we have 2 circuits today.

We'll do each one two times. So I'm telling you this so that you know you have the opportunity to get better at each exercise, tall, tall, tall, sit and chop one more each way. Beautiful. Well done. Place your weight back down.

Find your mini band. Hands this time. Set up here is key. Thumbs are up. So like this top hand's gonna come to opposite shoulder, so I'm going left hand to right shoulder.

Which is not a mirror. So whatever one you want to start with, watch this shoulder, pull it back, hug the elbow in. I make sound effects in my head. You get them sometimes. That's how it works.

Here it is. A wide enough stance that you feel stable and we're gonna move. Staggered or a split stance squat, AKA lunge, tricep extension, control it up. I'm gonna talk about the position of your torso here for a second. You can keep it totally upright where I am. If it feels better to you to tip forward a little bit, it's okay.

It's okay. So I don't need it hung up on the position of your torso. Emphasis focus in this exercise on the movement of the arm, the movement of the legs, both knees are bending, you're dropping, you're rising up. Chest open. Last one. So good.

Switch the hands. Swit your legs, hand to your shoulder, check-in, open up the chest. This shoulder, as you fatigue, wants to do this, keep and you can kinda keep it keep a check here because your hand, if it's on your shoulder, you can feel when it starts to do that. So keep tabs on that, elbow in, drop. Beautiful. Equalenergy in your legs.

Yes, control this arm back up as much as the energy pushing it down. Really good. Check-in with that shoulder. Last 2. And last one.

Fantastic. Keep your band. Options back around your ankles like we started, or if you want it to be a little bit more challenging, so it's gonna be dependent on the band you have. You can put it on the top and bottom of your feet. Tows are still straight ahead.

Same thing we did. We're starting again knees, a little bent, chest tall, step out, and in. I didn't say this on the first set. Doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how big your step is.

If it's this big and it's controlled and you feel it, so be it. If it's this big and it's controlled and you feel it, wonderful. But be in control. And when you're not in control, sometimes it looks like this where you're really like struggling to get the foot out, you don't need to do that. Subtle nuanced movement. Check-in toes are straight ahead.

Really nice. Spine is tall. Hips are back. You can even make this a little deeper of a squad if you want. Really good.

If you didn't happen to have a minivan, you could still do this. Just imagine you're creating pressure out. And of course, if you're in a squat, you're gonna feel it. This is your last laugh. Take it home.

Toast straight ahead chest lifted hips back. Center strong. Breathe. Done. Fantastic. Oh, dumbbells. Dead lift, row, pop squat press.

Let's do it. Dead lift, row, pop it to the shoulder squat, press up. Yes. I like to think of this like superhero training right here. Bam, you're a superhero. Tip over.

Pull the chest open the elbows back, release, pop and squat, drive the feet to rise. Again, tip, pull, release, pop, press control back down. Yes. Tip and row. Pop and squat. Drive to press.

Bring it down. This is our 2nd set, as you know. This is your opportunity, our opportunity to refine to make it better, whether that means adding weight, lessening your weight, doing it with no weight. Repetition gives us the opportunity for mastery. So important.

Not just for our muscles, but for our brain one more time. Tip over row. Pop it to your shoulders and squat. Press and control down. Amazing.

Keep one weight. We've got a nice strong grip here. Side bunge chop come around. Side bunge chop come around. If I'm moving too fast for you, slow it down.

Yeah. So on this chop, there's some rotation. As much as your body feels good with, bring it around. So it's called the chalks. If you think about like chopping wood or chopping down a tree and you're coming in sideways, chop. So there's a tree on either side of me.

I just got it. Let's go hips back chest up. Yes. Place your foot. Sit back. We're coming up on our last round.

Let's go each time or each side one time. This is it. Fantastic. Place the way down. Mini band time.

Same setup. I'm gonna give you an option this time. You're gonna see me shaking. That's a good thing. So same setup, elbow in, hand to opposite shoulder.

If you want a little bit more work on this arm in a bicep isometric. You can take your hand just off your shoulder, and then this arm is gonna have to work. You can change your mind at any time. You can test it and see how it feels. Chest open, drop and press, rise up with control.

Notice where my hand is ending. It'll be a little dependent on the strength of your band, but if you can stop in that right angle, Oh, I put my hand back on my shoulder because it was hard. I didn't even know I had done it. Oh, you see the shakes coming in? Let's go drop both knees, bend, rise up.

Check-in on the shoulders. It collapsing forward as your elbow moving all over the place. Connect. You have 2 more. Last one. Well done, my friends.

Switch the hand. Switch the feet. Elbow in, option to take the hand off. You might even start here. And then take it off. It doesn't have to be far.

Chest up. Both knees bend. Control in the moving arm. What I really love about these mini bands is when you're using it between your hands, The other arm has to work. Not the moving 1, the stabilizing 1.

Same thing on your lower body. When one leg is moving, the other leg is stabilizing. Come on, finish strong, chest up, shoulder back. One more for good luck. Yes! Keep your band.

We're gonna take it down to the floor, band on the top and bottom of your feet. Hands and knees. Alright, important stuff here. When you're on your hands and your knees, it's basically a plank. It's basically a plank.

It's a plank. Treat it as such. Push the hands down. Stabilize your center. If we don't stabilize before we move, the movement's gonna be compromised, so really strong here.

Stabilize his shoulders, push the floor away, gaze a little forward, Push one leg straight back, bring it in control, press back in with control. When your leg is moving, other parts of your body are stabilizing and working just as hard. Hip extension, bam, right there, But the rest of your body has to stabilize against that movement. Gaze a little forward. Find a little more extension through your chest.

Shoulder blades are spread on your back. Last two. Last one. Sorry. One more each side. Good.

My last rep wasn't great, so I had to do one more. Okay. Bring it around. Now, totally optional. Slide the band above your knees to your thighs. The band is here, not as a placeholder.

It's a tool. So you wanna make sure that you're feeling that you're pressing out. You're not letting the knees collapse in. You also need your dumbbells. I didn't set you up very well.

Bring those close. Okay. The good news is we are going to lie down. Bring the weights in close to you whether they're at your side, in at your chest, however you feel comfortable, come down, set up, yet again, is everything. We want to find a strong foundation from which we move.

So hands are up. Press your feet down, pull your heels a little toward your hips to rise up the hips. Keep the feet pressing firmly down. Glutes are engaged. We could just stay here, and this would be beautiful exercise, but we're gonna add some movement to it.

We're going to bend the elbows and lower the hips and press up. Ben the elbows. Lower your hips. Press up. You're pressing into your feet. You are pressing your hands toward the sky.

So I used to do this thing You always know there's something good coming when I say so first. I used to do this thing where I didn't hold the weights where I had this really light grip, and I was kinda balancing the weights there. 1, it's kinda dangerous because you're pressing the weights over your head or over your chest, really. But 2, we wanna send this grip strength info up the arm and into the brains that your brain knows I'm doing some work right now, and I better recruit some muscles, last one. Besides the fact, of how important grip strength is. Beautiful. Carefully place the weights down.

We're gonna take this band. Slide it back down to the top and the bottom of your feet. So anytime you're holding your weights, I want you holding them. Weights up, arms in parallel, legs in parallel. If you need to lose the band, go for it. If you can keep it wonderful, you have to press the feet out so that the band doesn't snap you together. So keep the feet a little bit apart Building on what we did standing, elbow, right, left leg extends, bend straighten up, bend your left elbow, press your right leg away, come back to the home position.

Opposite arm opposite leg. Hold your center strong. So when the limbs go long, There can be the tendency to arch your back. I don't need you to imprint your back down. I don't need you to be rigid in your center, I need you just to be connected.

Clean, elbow, bends, leg straightens by pushing into the band. An important piece here, the leg that's not moving, you're stabilizing there. Ben the elbow clean right angle, press the leg, home. Elbow bends, leg presses, home and reset. Let's do one more on each side.

You're amazing. You are amazing. Place the weights carefully down. You can take the band off or leave it on. I'm gonna leave it on.

It's gives me a little more awareness of what I'm doing in my lugs heels start digging down. Sit tall. Hi. Good to see you again. I was down on the floor. Here we are. Elbows come in, chest is open.

So we have an angle on the arms here, a little open. If you need to change that for any reason, like It's bothering your shoulder or something doesn't feel quite right. You do you, but be a doer. Biceps. Curl up, release down. This is perfect where we are.

With the band on, I have to work to keep my feet open and not collapsing in my knees. If you want, you can sit back a little bit and pick up those feet chests tall. If you really want, you can straighten those legs out. So it's not a full range because the floor is going to get in the way. Totally fine. I'm just kind of giving you another glimpse of all those leg positions. Oh, 2 more.

And fantastic. Waits come down. I'm a big fan of doing different things, doing things in a different way every time I see it, not losing the foundation of how good foundational movements are, but testing your boundaries, testing your limits, seeing if there's ways you can do it differently on any given day. Banned is going to be back on the feet if you took it off. Hands and knees second round. What are we doing on the second round?

We are refining, we are making this better suited for us today. That doesn't always mean harder, smarter, strong foundation, Hands press down, set it up, spread your shoulder blades, gaze a little forward. Extend the leg back. Control it back in. Push away, control it back in. If I don't keep my center strong, specifically my abdominals in this case, my back is gonna arch, and I'm gonna collapse.

Do your best to draw up. Think of this as, like, almost like there's a sling under your belly holding you up. That sling is your abdominal cavity. So you're doing the work. Push the floor away with your hands commit to the knee that's down.

There's an end range when the leg is fully extended enjoy a little kind of moment there in the full extension. You're amazing. I'm about to lose my band. And we have one more on each side. Sometimes it slips around a little bit. And fantastic.

Alright. Come back down and move your band. Above your knees on your thighs. I hope you're feeling how this band just gives us a little extra something something on really classical exercises. Come on down.

Waits are up. So when our hands are up, our shoulders are in pro traction. This is a really important position to be strong and press your feet down, lift your hips up. Our hips are an extension. You don't have to remember these things. You just have to know what's happening.

Bend the elbows, lower the hips when the elbows come down, the shoulder blades retract, and then press away. So on the second set, catching some smaller, more subtle details, like the protraction and retraction of the shoulder blades, And if you're on the floor like me, which I don't know how else you'd be doing this unless you're on a bench, you can still feel it on a bench. The service that you're against gives you feedback. So when I'm coming down here, I feel my shoulder blades move toward each other and my spine, and then I press up and they move away from my spine and wide on my back. This is a very important movement pattern in our shoulder girdle. Feel it, breathe into it, Don't forget about your legs.

Don't forget about those strong hips. One more here. Fantastic. Hips come down, elbows come down, place your weights down, move your band, To your feet top and bottom. So this is almost the exact opposite of when we were on hands and knees and we were doing hip extension.

We flipped our platform, we're on our back. We're still extending the leg, But we're facing up. Leg, kind of get your brain around it before you move, bend the right elbow, stretch the left foot away, bring it back to center. Stretch, bend, back to center. Something that happens sometimes when you're here is the knees start to sneak in toward the chest like this?

Totally fine. If it feels good on your body, that's gonna give you more hip flexor I kinda like keeping my knee pretty much above my hip. It's giving me a little bit more abdominal work, So as I was mentioning, just play with these things, play with the little details, own it in this moment, but be aware of what you're doing. Conscious movement, elbow bends, leg straightens, return home. The arm that's up is not resting. It's holding the arm straight.

So there's work in that. That is the extension. So it's a bit of an isometric. We are going to do one more on each side with perfect execution, elbow bends, leg stretches, back in, leg stretches, elbow bends, and back in. Really nice. Elbows come down, place your weights down, and then rise up.

Hey, we're on our last exercise. Let's do this. Okay. Nothing like ending on a hard one. Am I right or is it just me?

Turn your hands open, elbows hugging. This is an important piece because it's not just about your biceps. That's how it relates into your shoulder. So for shoulders. Chest open.

In order to lift the legs up, you've got to tip back a little bit. You're fine there. Maybe separate the feet a little bit curl release. Keep your chest tall as I mentioned in the first set. It's not a full range of motion.

The floor is going to be in the way. It's okay. Nice and strong up, pause, lift little pause. So with this limited range of motion, your biceps get no rest, lift your chest, maybe lift the legs, press out into the band, Let's go for 3. I was gonna say 2, but I decided I'm 3.

Last one. Yes. Carefully unravel your body. Take that band off. Feel your heart beat, hopefully you have a little sweat going, hopefully you feel incredibly strong right now, I'm so happy to have done this workout with you.

Thank you. Thank you for being here.