Rippel Effect Fitness Outside The Box Training

There has been SO much going on in my life! GREAT stuff! I have been working my butt off, as usual. I am focused on my own training for triathlons, and have finished an Olympic distance tri and two sprint tris since September 1, 2009.  I think back to the days where I would sit down and blog on an almost-daily basis, and wonder just how I got it done. I know, I know…we are ALL busy, so that’s no excuse! I guess I just got out of the habit!

Anyhow, let’s move on to the topic at hand – another great Rippel Effect workout!

Below is the workout I designed for one of my one-on-one training clients this morning. In typical Rippel Effect fashion, it’s a well-rounded routine that addresses flexibility, mobility, balance, functional strength, power, and total body integration. I have never been one to allow too much “rest” time in my clients’ workouts, so it’s a great example of a “non-traditional cardio” heart-pumper! I incorporate active stretches at the proper times to allow for “rest”. In a nutshell, this workout does everything! Oh yeah, it was also pretty fun, too!

1. Treadmill “Fun”: roughly five minutes of lateral and backwards walking. I had never tried this with this particular client, and I wanted to capitalize on the fact that she has a treadmill and enjoys using it! Goal was to get her heart rate and core temperature up while having fun with something new!
2. Dynamic Flexibility: emphasis on hip/groin. Alternated between two movements for 30 seconds each, and performed three rounds. The exercises were the Lateral Squat and Spiderman Stretch, and each rep was held for a count of 2-5.
3. Kettlebell Kombo: six minutes of continuous movement! I had her perform roughly 30 seconds each of 1-Arm Swings and Figure 8 to a Hold. This was done as a “flow” so that she did swings with the left for 30 sec, moved immediately into Fig 8, then to swings with the right, and back to the Fig 8, etc. About halfway through this sequence was when things started to become “fun” (in other words, the huffin’ and puffin’ started happenin’)!
4. Wide Foot Yoga Stretch: my “spin” on yoga poses doesn’t always produce the most interesting exercise names, but you can probably get the point! Feet are roughly three feet apart with toes straight ahead. Hinge over from the waist and place hands on the ground, then shift over to the right, bending the right knee. Place left hand on right foot and raise right hand to the ceiling. Stay focused on right hand and hold stretch for 20 seconds before shifting to the left and continuing on other side.
5. Tri-Set 1: Diagonal Lo to Hi (with JC Travel Band), Inverted Row using the USA suspension system (from BodyweightCulture.com; rigged to my client’s “Iron Gym” doorway pullup contraption), and Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squat. We used a pink JC Travel Band for the Diagonal Lo to Hi, and I anchored the band in one of my client’s sets of French doors at knee level. I set up the movement by having my client face the band’s anchor point, holding the handle with her right palm up and left hand over it. My client performed the movement by lowering her center of gravity just a bit (and thereby “loading” her hips/glutes), then powerfully extending upward as she rotated to the left, bringing the band up and across with arms straight. It is important to exhale and pivot the right foot when doing this! I had her perform 30 seconds of continuous work before switching to the opposite side. The second exercise in this tri-set was an Inverted Row (which this particular client hates, lol). I had her supinate her wrists as she pulled upwards, and she maintained a tight, straight body position throughout the movement. The third exercise was a Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squat with Medicine Ball Front Hold. How do you set this exercise up in a client’s house without gym benches and such? Easy – you use the coffee table! Two rounds of this tri-set, and it was time to move on!
6. Kneeling 1-Arm Windshield Wiper Stretch: this is a great stretch for the lats and the back in general! With the ball at arm’s length in front of her (a bigger ball makes it easier to get a better stretch), my client kneeled and sat on her feet, then placed her right hand on top of the ball. I cued her to reach forward and get her ear next to her elbow as she imagined sinking her chest towards the floor. Reps were performed for a count of two, and the movement involved rolling the ball from side to side so that the stretch occurred as her right thumb went towards the ground. She performed eight reps and then switched to the left side.
7. Tri-Set 2: the first exercise was a Plank to Side Plank Combo with Feet on a BOSU. Elevating the feet can really amp-up a boring ol’ side plank, and the unstable surface of the dome made things interesting! Each position was held for 30 seconds. My client started in a regular prone plank hold, then rotated to one side and held a side plank, went back to the prone plank, then performed the side plank on the opposite side. This was a 2-minute exercise, and I feel it was a good challenge for my rockstar client! The second exercise was a 1-Arm/1-Leg Row using a kettlebell and the coffee table. My client stood on her left leg, holding the weight in her left hand, and hinged forward from the waist so that her right leg was in-line with her torso. The third exercise in this tri-set was a 1-Leg Deadlift with Medicine Ball Push-Out. My client started each rep with the “free” leg flexed at the hip/knee/ankle and holding a medicine ball at her chest. As she hinged over, she pushed the medicine ball out and simultaneously extended her leg. It is important to note that exhaling on the return to starting position really made a difference for my client on this exercise.

So…there ya have it! That’s pretty much it, minus a little stretching that wrapped things up! Another great workout in the books and a job well done by an amazing client!