Are you suffering from a case of Olympics withdrawal? Don’t do anything rash like download Cool Runnings or Blades of Glory. Instead – try one of these workouts to channel your inner Olympian! Over the last couple of weeks we held “Bombshell Olympics” at my bootcamp and we did various workouts inspired by some of the top athletes in the winter games. Two of my favorites are Figure Skating (their grace, balance and explosive movements) and Skelton (their speed, core strength and power). After some research I discovered that each sport requires a different set of skills (duh!) but they also have a lot in common. Below are two sample workouts that are similar to the actual workouts that the athletes in each sport would do.
Figure Skating Workout
Workout Focus:Â twisting/turning (for all those triple axels), balance, core, leg endurance (for lots of jumps). Do each of the following for 1 minute and then quickly move to the next with no rest. Repeat entire circuit 2-3 times.
- Crossover Lunges: These are like curtsy lunges but you do a forward lunge instead of reverse and take the front leg across at an angle.
- 1–Leg 90 degree Squat Jump L: Do a single-leg squat on the left side (right leg bent like in the pic below) and jump up and twist to the left landing at 90 degrees (not shown in pic). Jump back to center landing on left leg again. If your balance is bad, you can touch your right toes to the ground to help but 90% of weight should be on your left leg.
- 1-Leg 90 degree Squat Jump R: Same as above but turn to the right with the right leg.
- Front Lunge with a Core Twist (alternate R & L): Do alternating front lunges and whatever leg is out in front – do a core twist to that side. Lift one dumbbell (or medicine ball as in pic) up at shoulder height and do a twist to work obliques.Â
- Clean and Press R: With a weight in your right hand, squad down and lower weight towards the ground. In one fast movement, stand up, press the weight up to your chest as you straighten legs, then press weight above overhead.
- Clean and Press L: Same as above but place weight in left hand.
- 90 degree Crunch: Perform regular crunches with your legs in the air and bent at 90 degrees (be sure to hold abs tight!).
- “Thread the Needle” Plank: Start in a forearm plank and lift your left arm up in the air (side plank). Then thread your arm (aka “the needle” under your torso towards your right armpit. Release your arm and return to side plank and then repeat. Do 1 minute on the right and 1 min on the left.Â
Skeleton Workout
Workout Focus:Â Explosive power (aka sprinting to get the sled moving), core strength (to stabilize), upper body strength (to hold on to the sled). Do each of the following for 1 minute and then quickly move to the next with no rest. Repeat entire circuit 2-3 times.
- High Knees
- Pushup to Plank Twist: Perform a pushup, then release your right hand and come up to a side plank on the left. Do another pushup and then do a side plank on the other side. Repeat pushup, plank, pushup, plank, etc.
- High Knees
- Plank Tuck Jumps: Start in a high plank (arms straight) and jump your feet over towards your right hand, back to center then over to the left hand. Keep repeating right, center, left, center, etc.
- High Knees
- 2 V-up’s alternating with 2 Supermen: Complete 2 V-ups, then flip over onto your stomach and perform2 supermen (pictured below).
