Music track: Good Days by Aylex
For several years now, I’ve been fielding requests for my workouts. And while it seems easy enough to turn the camear on myself + film whatever movements I’m doing to share with the world, sharing exercises that can be impactful, and beneficial to the world (and have a less likely chance of being taken out of context) is actually a little tricky. But at long last, and for you my dear Back to Forward community, I’ve finally got a workout I’m proud and excited to show you…one of many to come.
As an all around athlete who loves to swim, run, hike, ski, practice yoga and ride all the bikes, I’m a person who values flexibility and a general ability to move and move well over specificity. This is to say that I’m very rarely creating or executing strength workouts that are designed to emphasize my performance in any given sport, and are rather meant to balance my body across the spectrum of the way I’m moving. For example, in the months that I ride a great deal, I’m focusing on doing bilateral movements, upper body movements and stabilizing movements that will keep all of the muscle groups I’m NOT using on the bike strong and supported. In the winter months, when I’m focusing on skiing and running more, I’m thinking about core, mobility exercises and general strength so that I can be more efficient in the cold and avoid injury.
There’s another nuance that I apply to my strength workouts as an Ayurvedic practitioner; I change my exercises based on the season. In the spring, I’m doing more explosive movements with shorter intervals to balance the kapha energy of the season. In the summer, I’m focused on grounding exercises and mobility. And in the winter and fall, I’m focused on a more holistic strength routine that combines mobility, strength and core to balance against the forces of vata that swirl through the colder months.
The exercises shared in this workout are movements that I LOVE and that can often be found in my workouts, no matter the season. Many of them are compound exercises, meaning they work more than one muscle group at a time, and many of them contain a component of mobility.
All 12 of these movements comprise my current transitional weight routine, as we shift out of summer and into fall. I welcome you to complete this workout as a series, or to pick and choose the exercises that speak to you!
For this workout, I recommend having:
These are the pieces of equipment I use to execute this workout. If you’re new to strength training, you can start with body weight and a single lightweight set of barbells and kettlebells. You might find that you only need the lighter or heavier weights here. Start with what makes sense to you and work from there.
Some general guidelines for success + a great sweat:
I can’t wait to hear what you think of this workout, how you use it, which exercises you love + what other movements you’re eager to practice together. Drop a line with your feedback to [email protected]!