Put Your Dumbbells To Use With This 10-Minute Full Body (Low Impact) Strength Workout

The team at fitness app, Sweat, have been busy. Not only did they just recently launch a new low-impact program, but they have been serving up a bunch of new content as part of it. And now, as if that wasn’t enough, they’ve announced a new beginner workout offering, collaborating with three new trainers, to encourage more women to get back into exercise to regain their self confidence and prioritise their health.

“Our mission at Sweat is to listen to the needs of women and make fitness as accessible as possible. We quickly realised that we needed to create a new collection of beginner fitness programs to meet women where they are today and support them to return to fitness on their own terms,” explains Sweat co-founder (and our current cover woman!), Kayla Itsines. “Sweat’s new ‘Move Again’ programs feature four, easy-to-follow, beginner-level fitness programs to empower more women to get back into exercise, regain their self-confidence and prioritise their health.”

The new Move Again programs are led by popular Sweat trainer, Kelsey Wells, alongside three new world-class trainers (Anissia Hughes, Samantha Oritz-Young and Marilyn Rodriguez), and are designed to build long-term fitness habits, each of the new 4-week programs feature two 20-minute resistance workouts per week to provide women with an achievable exercise program to get them moving again and feeling good.

Suitable for the home environment, women can work out at a time that best suits them with just a set of dumbbells (optional) and the space of a yoga mat required to get started. 

“We are so excited to be welcoming three new incredible trainers, Anissia, Samantha and Marilyn, to Sweat. Each trainer brings their own unique style of training and passion for fitness with a strong desire to help motivate and encourage women to move again,” adds Kayla. Alongside Kelsey Wells’ new Low Impact program, Samantha, Anissia and Marilyn’s new workout programs will enable women to exercise at a pace that feels comfortable and achievable for them, while also helping them to build sustainable fitness habits.

To celebrate the occasion, Kesley has provided us with a preview of the program that you can try right now: a 10-minute Full Body Dumbbell Workout.

The workout requires access to a pair of dumbbells and includes an activation and a circuit that will target your legs, upper body and core to help build strength and stamina. Within the activation, you will perform two exercises for the designated number of reps back to back for three laps.

Within the circuit, you will perform each exercise for 40 seconds followed by 20 seconds rest before moving onto the next exercise. Aim to complete four laps of the circuit to hit your workout goal for the day.

“My goal when designing my new Low Impact Strength program was to make strength training accessible to everyone, and especially for those who have never implemented regular exercise into their lives or are coming back to movement after some time,” explains Kelsey. “To help women get started with strength training, my new program will help women build confidence using weights by teaching them the foundational and basic movement patterns of lifting exercises with dumbbells.”

Give it a go below:

10-minute Full Body Dumbbell Workout

Warm Up:

Sweat and Kelsey recommend taking a few minutes to warm-up prior to working out. 3-5 minutes of cardio, such as jogging in place or skipping, will help increase your heart rate and help warm up your muscles for your session. When possible, Sweat and Kelsey recommend following your cardio with dynamic stretches — such as leg swings and torso twists.

This can help to increase your range of motion as well as help to reduce the risk of injury.

Walking Lunge: 24 reps (12 per side)

Step 1: With your hands on your hips, plant both feet on the floor slightly further than shoulder width apart. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. Take a big step forward with your left foot. As you plant your foot on the floor, bend both knees at approximately 90-degrees. This is called a lunge position. If done correctly, your front knee should be aligned with your ankle and your back knee should be hovering just off the floor.

Step 3: Exhale. Push through the heel of your left foot and toe of your right foot to extend both legs.

Step 4: Inhale. Transfer your weight onto your left foot and take a large step forward with your right foot. As you plant your right foot, bend both knees at approximately 90-degrees into lunge position.

Step 5: Exhale. Push through the heel of your right foot and toe of your left foot to extend both legs.

Step 6: Inhale. Transfer your weight onto your right foot. Continue alternating between left and right for the specified number of repetitions.

Inchworm: 10 reps

Step 1: Kelsey Wells x Women’s Health Australia Plant both feet on the floor shoulder-width apart. Bend at the hips and while keeping your legs as straight as possible, place your hands on the floor directly in front of your feet. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. Without moving your feet, walk your hands forward until your body is in one straight line from your head to your heels, resting on the balls of your feet, ensuring that your legs remain as straight as possible.

Step 3: Exhale. Without moving your feet, walk your hands backwards to return to the starting position, once again, ensuring that your legs remain as straight as possible. Repeat for the specified number of repetitions. 

Double-Pulse Goblet Squat: 40 seconds

Step 1: Begin standing holding a dumbbell with both hands directly in front of your chest, and plant both feet on the floor shoulder-width apart. Gently draw your pubic bone to your belly button (engage pelvic floor). This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale and bend at both the hips and knees until your upper legs are parallel with the floor. Ensure you keep a proud chest and that your knees remain in line with your toes (don’t allow your knees to fall in).

Exhale and push through your heels to extend your legs slightly. Bend your knees again to return to the full squat position. You should feel tension in your glutes and quads throughout the movement.

Continue this pulse action for the specified number of repetitions or time, ensure to continue breathing throughout.

Side to Front Raise: 40 seconds

Step 1: Holding a dumbbell in each hand in a neutral grip (palms facing inwards), plant both feet on the mat hip-width apart. This is your starting position.

Step 2: Inhale. Exhale. While maintaining a slight bend in your elbows, raise the dumbbells outwards and upwards to shoulder height, as they reach shoulder-height move them forwards to bring them directly in front of your chest, ensuring that you draw your shoulder blades down and back.

Once the dumbbells come together in front of your chest, draw the dumbbells backwards until they are in line with your shoulders, once again, ensuring that you draw your shoulder blades down and back.

Step 3: Inhale. Slowly lower the dumbbells down to your sides to return to the starting position. Repeat for the specified number of repetitions.

Bicycle Legs: 40 seconds

Step 1: Start by lying flat on your back on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and position your feet firmly on the mat, ensuring that they are hip-width apart and your spine is in a neutral position. Imprint your spine into the mat and bring your legs into tabletop position, ensuring that your knees are stacked over your hips, your toes are pointed, and your shins are parallel to (in line with) the floor. Place your hands behind your head and interlace your fingers, ensuring that you relax your head into your hands and you draw your shoulder blades down and back.

Step 2: Inhale. Exhale. Straighten your right knee to extend your leg, ensuring that your toes remain pointed and that you continue to draw your ribs towards your hips.

Step 3: Inhale. Bend your right knee to draw your leg inwards.

Step 4: Exhale. Straighten your left knee to extend your leg, ensuring that your toes remain pointed and that you continue to draw your ribs towards your hips.

Step 5: Inhale. Bend your left knee to draw your leg inwards. Continue alternating between right and left for the specified number of repetitions.

Cool Down:

Sweat and Kelsey recommend completing a cool down session after your workout. 3-5 minutes of walking will help to slowly lower your heart rate to normal levels and help your body to cool down after a workout. You might also like to complete some static stretching as part of your cool down, where you hold a single position for twenty seconds or longer. Static stretching works to lengthen your muscles with the aim of increasing your flexibility and range of motion. It can also help provide relief from any potential cramping and can help reduce soreness and risk of injury.

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