BeWOW: The Olympic-Inspired Workout You Need to Try
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If you’ve always wondered what it’s like to be an Olympic althete, you’ll love this week’s BeWOW workout: These seven sports-inspired exercises will give you a little taste of what it’s like to be a true Olympian.
Here’s how it’ll work: For the qualifying round, if you will, you’ll do each exercise for one minute. But don’t wear yourself out: You’re going to need your energy later on. For the next round (We’ll call this the semi-finals) you’ll do each exercise for 45 seconds, pushing yourself a little bit harder this time. Then comes the final round: Now’s the time to give it your all. Do each exercise for 30 seconds, pushing yourself as hard as you can. In other words, go for the gold!
Here are this week’s exercises, Be Wellers:
BeWOW: Winter Olympics Workout
1st set: One minute, 2nd set: 45 seconds, 3rd set: 30 seconds
Speed skaters (Sport: Speed Skating)
Squat jumps (Sport: Ski Jumping)
Plank (Sport: Luge)
Side to side squat jumps (Sport: Moguls)
Band pull downs (Sport: Cross Country Skiing)
Mountain climbers (Sport: Bobsled)
Rear-lunge with knee drive on left side (Sport: Figure Skating)
Rear-lunge with knee drive on right side (Sport: Figure Skating)
Explanation of exercises
*Click the links below for visual explanations.
Speed skaters: Stand tall with your feet together. Take a wide stance, jumping your left foot to the side while bending your right knee, and reaching your right hand to touch your left foot. Come back to standing position and repeat on the other side.
Squat jumps: Stand with feet hip-width apart and perform a squat, dropping your rear until your knees are just behind your toes and your hamstrings are parallel to the floor. As you stand, propel yourself upwards and jump. Return to standing and squat again.
Plank: Get in push-up position, resting on your elbows; keep back, hips, and legs in a straight line. Hold.
Side to side squat jumps: Stand with feet hip-width apart and perform a squat, dropping your rear until your knees are just behind your toes and your hamstrings are parallel to the floor. As you stand, step your right foot towards your left. Once your feet are together, quickly step your left foot to the side, returning to a squat position. Repeat on the other side.
Band pull downs: Using an anchored band, face the band and hold one handle in each hand. Drive your arms behind you and bend at to the waist, sticking your butt back and keeping your chest high, like your skiing.
Mountain climbers: Get in plank position. Alternating legs, bring your knee into the chest, keeping your upper body strong. Extend leg and switch.
Rear-lunge with knee drive: Standing with feet hip-width apart, do a rear lunge, stepping backward with one leg and bending the other to 90 degrees. As you come back to a standing position, drive the back leg forward and raise it to your chest in one smooth motion, using your arms for momentum. Return to standing and repeat
>> Did you complete this week’s BeWOW? Tell us how you did in the comments! Or, feel free to tweet at us about it using the hashtag #BeWOW. Check out all the BeWOW workouts here.
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Audrey McKenna Hasse is the owner of A.M.Fit, a personal training and healthy consultation business on the Main Line. You’ll find her workouts every week right here on Be Well Philly.
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