DAY 1: Full-body medicine ball workout

When choosing the weight of your medicine ball, pick one that’s heavy enough to slow your motion, but not so heavy that you lose control, accuracy or range of motion.

Goblet squats (3 to 4 sets of 10 to 20 reps)

  • Hold the ball to your chest with your arms squeezing the ball from both sides
  • Drive your feet into the ground and push your hips back while lowering your body down
  • Continue to move straight down to get a deep stretch while in the lowest position
  • Remember to keep your core braced and your chest up throughout the movement
  • Lastly, always remember to keep your knees out when squatting in this style


Lunges with a twist (2 to 3 reps of 8 to 12 reps)

  • Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart
  • Hold your medicine ball in front of your body with your elbows bent about 90 degrees
  • With your right foot, step forward into a basic lunge position
  • Once you are fully lunged forward, twist your upper body to the outside leg, keeping your core and glutes engaged
  • Once you are stable, turn your body back to the centre in one slow and controlled movement
  • Step the right foot back and return to your starting position for one rep
  • Repeat on the opposite side


V-ups (2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps)

  • Lie faceup with your medicine ball between your hands, arms extended behind your head
  • Raise your torso and your legs at the same time, while keeping your arms straight
  • Touch the medicine ball to your feet and hold for a second, before slowly lowering your legs and your arms to the starting position


Triceps push-ups (2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps)

  • Start in a standard push-up position with your medicine ball directly underneath your chest
  • Place your hands on the top of the medicine ball and slowly lower your body until your chest nearly touches the ball
  • Once you have lowered your body, pause for a brief second before pushing yourself back to the starting position
  • Remember to keep your head, neck and spine in alignment and brace yourself during the entire movement


Romanian deadlifts (3 sets of 8 to 10 reps)

  • Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, holding the medicine ball in front of your waist
  • Keeping your legs and back straight, begin to bend at the waist, sending your hips back and lowering the ball towards the ground while keeping your chest up (straight upper back)
  • Ideally, you want to lower your body far enough to have the medicine ball land somewhere between your shins and toes
  • Squeeze your glutes and contract your hips to help drive your body back into the starting position


Weighted supermans (3 sets of 8 to 12 reps)

  • Start by lying face down with your arms stretched out in front of you clutching a lightweight medicine ball
  • Slowly raise your arms and legs as high as possible
  • Hold the pose at your highest position for a few seconds before gently lowering your body back down onto the ground


DAY 2: Try BODYFLOW™ at your local GoodLife Fitness 


DAY 3: Full-body single-station workout

WARM-UP

Jumping jacks (30 seconds)

  • Start by standing upright with your legs together, arms at your sides
  • In one fluid movement, bend your knees slightly and jump your legs outward, about shoulder-width apart
  • As you jump, stretch your arms out and over your head
  • Jump your legs together and move your arms back down to your sides for one rep


Inchworm walkouts (1 minute)

  • Start by standing tall with your legs straight and your knees unbent
  • Slowly hinge at the hips towards the floor until your palms are flat on the ground
  • Without letting your hips sag, try to keep your legs straight as you walk your hands out to form a plank position
  • Pause briefly before walking your feet to your hands
  • Once your hands and feet are touching, start to walk your hands back out into the plank position


Squats (30 seconds)

  • Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider
  • Extend your hands straight out in front of your body
  • Look straight ahead and keep your chest open as you slowly bend your legs and lower yourself down as if you're sitting into an imaginary chair
  • As your upper body bends forward slightly, be sure to continue looking forward
  • Without letting your back round completely, allow your lower back to arch slightly as you lower yourself down until your thighs are parallel to the floor with your knees over your ankles
  • Press your weight back into your heels and squeeze your glutes as you bring yourself back to the starting position and repeat


WORKOUT
Perform each move for 45 seconds, then take a 15-second break before beginning the next exercise. Once you have completed all of the exercises, take a two-minute break. Repeat the circuit three times.

Blast-off push-ups

  • Start in a push-up position
  • In one fluid motion, bend your knees and raise your hips behind you, keeping your arms straight, back flat and knees raised off the floor
  • Push through your toes to move your body forward, bending your elbows to lower into a push-up
  • Reverse the movement and return to start the starting position for one rep


Squat thrusts

  • Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms by your sides as you lower yourself into a squat position
  • As you reach the bottom of your squat, place your hands on the floor, kick or step your legs back into a plank position
  • Jump or step your legs back into a squat position and raise yourself back up to the starting position for one rep


Pendulum lunges

  • Stand with your feet hip-width apart
  • Step your right foot into a front lunge, making sure that your right knee is over your ankle as you try to lower your back knee to the floor
  • Once your back knee dips as low as possible, drive through your front heel and propel your right foot back into a reverse lunge for one rep


Mountain climber twists

  • Start in a traditional plank with your shoulders over hands and your back and neck aligned and flat
  • Keep your core engaged as you twist to bring your right knee forward under your left elbow
  • Return to your basic plank and repeat on the opposite side for one rep


Plank up to frogger

  • Begin in a plank position and hold briefly before jumping your feet to the outside of your hands, and coming into a deep squat
  • Keeping your hands on the floor, jump back to plank
  • Repeat in quick succession


DAY 4: Try BODYCOMBAT™ at your local GoodLife Fitness


DAY 5: Complete the same full-body medicine ball workout you did on Day 1


To see the complete challenge, click HERE.