Monthly 10 Day Challenges

      In an attempt to encourage you to be more active on a daily basis, I've been putting together these short workouts that are simple yet challenging. The idea being that the more you move, the more you'll keep moving. I believe firmly in getting some kind of exercise in every day. Be it a full workout, a hike or walk, a jog or something like these body weight resistance Challenge sets.

      The rules are simple. Complete 3 exercises, 10 repetitions of each for 10 days in a row. If you miss a day, you must start over at Day 1. Each set can be completed as many times as you like and of course you are encouraged to continue beyond these 10 days with daily exercise.
Let's start the year off with a new set!


January 10 Day Challenge

Windmill Crunches--Lie on your back with your arms held over your head. Lift your legs and arms off the floor slightly, then lift your opposite toe and hand straight up touching in the middle. Alternate sides, both sides count as 1 rep.

Vertical Leaps--Squat low and touch both hands to the floor, jump straight up from there reaching your hands to the ceiling. Land soft right back into your deep squat. 

Spider Push ups--Start in a plank, draw one knee up toward your armpit as you perform a push up. Repeat with the other knee. 
Maintain an active and braced core for all these exercises.
Modify these however you feel you need to as long as you feel challenged and worked. You will improve as you practice.

February 10 Day Challenge

Plank Wall Walks--Start in a plank with your feet against a wall, then walk your feet up the wall backwards as far as you can manage. Then walk back down the wall to your start position. Maintain a braced core and strong shoulders the whole time and try to minimize side to side movement in your hips. Repeat this for 10 reps.

Single Leg Squats--Balance on one leg holding your opposite leg either behind you or in front. Sit back into a squat. Make sure to maintain your braced core and try not to drop your torso too far forward. Focus on your balance and control of your movements first, and depth of squat second. Do 10 reps on each side.


Pike Press--Start in a pike position with your heels raised and legs straight, fingertips facing inward and head down. Lower your forehead to the floor initiating the movement from your elbows. Make sure your shoulders and back are engaged the whole time. Complete 10 of these.

Have fun!



March 10 Day Challenge

Plie Squats with a Heel Lift--Stand with a wide stance and with your toes turned outward. Drop into a deep squat, while holding your squat, lift your heels up as far as you can. Then lower your heels and return to your start position. Perform 10 of these.

 Single Leg Donkey Kicks--Start in a pike position on one leg, holding the opposite leg up behind you with your heel toward the ceiling. Power off the floor from your single leg and hips while kicking your top leg forcefully toward the ceiling. Land as softly as you can. Repeat this 10 times, then switch sides and continue.

Rolling PushUps--Start lying face down on the floor with your arms extended over your head. Roll all the way over until you're face down again, then place your hands by your shoulders and press up into a plank. Try doing this all at the same time while maintaining a strong plank. Slowly lower yourself back to the floor and roll in the opposite direction. Complete 10 of these.








April 10 Day Challenge

Hollow Rocks--Start on your back with your arms extended overhead. Lift your legs, shoulders and head off the floor with a slightly curved back creating a 'boat' position with your body.
In this position, rock along your back using your abs to make the movement. If the movement is difficult, just hold the 'hollow' or 'boat' position for 20-30 seconds.
Keep your arms at ear level and try not to break at your hips.

Lateral Lunges--Perform 10 reps on each side.
Start with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width, with your toes facing forward.
Shift your weight to one side and drop into a squat keeping the opposite leg straight.
Return to your start position without rotating from your shoulders or hips.
Keep your toes, knees, hips, shoulders and head facing forward as you perform the reps.
You may alternate sides or stay on one side for all reps.
You may also step into your start position from a neutral standing start. Add weight to make the exercise more challenging.

Biceps Curls--Start standing in a ready position with your weights in hands, arms extended.
Flex your arm at the elbow until you've reached your end range of motion, then return to your fully extended position.
You can use a bar, dumbells, a resistant band, or any object with some weight to it for this exercise.
Maintain a neutral spine and try not to rock, jerk or elevate your shoulders through the movement.

May 10 Day Challenge

Exercise #1: Diamond Push Ups---10 reps
Place your hands in a diamond under your chest, lower your body to the floor, then push back to your start position.
This is an advanced push up position, so if you're still working on push ups, continue to do so using the hand position that you are most comfortable with. Progress to different hand positions when you are ready.

As always, maintain a strong core position throughout the motion of the push up.


Exercise #2: Crab Torso Rotations--10 reps/side (20 total)

Start is a crab position: Feet under knees, knees bent to 90 degrees, hips all the way up and hands under shoulders. Make sure to keep your core engaged and keep your hips all the way up in your start position. 

From here, lift one arm at a time off the floor and reach up toward the ceiling while rotating your torso and hips. Alternate sides.



Exercise #3: Split Squat Jumps--10 reps/side (20 total)
Start in a neutral standing position, take a step back and bend both knees together into a split squat or lunge, from here power up from the hips and switch feet landing in your split squat on the other side. Repeat with out stopping through all reps.
Modify this exercise by taking out the jump
















June 10 Day Challenge

Exercise #1: Extended Plank
A variation on a standard plank. You will hold this plank for as long as you can.

All elements and positioning are the same as a standard plank, except for the position of your hands. Extend your arms over your head as far as you're comfortable with, from there press up into your plank and hold. Make sure your shoulders are set and core is braced and engaged.

Exercise #2: Static Bicycles

A variation on a bicycle crunch. Work one side at a time. Start with one leg bent and held up at a 90 degree angle with your foot flexed. Hold this position the whole time. The movement is a sit up and torso rotation, trying to touch your opposite elbow to the bent knee. The movement should be performed slowly and with control. Do not pull your knee toward your elbow on the movement. 

Make this more challenging by pressing your bent leg away from your body making the distance from your elbow and knee greater.

Exercise #3: Single Leg balanced Hinge 

Start balanced on one leg, with your knee soft, your shoulders should be set, chest up and core braced. Keep your opposite leg extended with a flexed foot. From here, hinge at the hips while allowing your opposite leg to extend behind you, and keep your hips aligned try not to rotate. Extending your arms in front with help with the balance. Hinge as far as you can while maintaining your strong back position. Do not let your back round on this exercise. 

July 10 Day Challenge

Exercise #1: Scapular Push Ups

Start in a strong plank position. The movement on this exercise is minimal. While maintaining your plank, slide your shoulder blades together, then press them apart. Your torso with move slightly up and down, but do not bend your elbows or allow your back to sag. This one can be tricky if you have limited shoulder mobility, but give it a try and as long as there is no pain, encourage your shoulder blades to glide gently over your rib cage. Perform 10 reps.

Exercise #2: Kneeling Bird/Dog with crunch

Start on your hands and knees with knees directly under hips and wrists directly under elbows and shoulders. Slowly extend the opposite arm and leg all the way and hold for a moment while you find your balance. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the entire exercise. The movement: pull your knee and elbow together to touch under your body then return to your extended position. Perform 10 reps on each side.

Exercise #3: Crossed Lunge

Start standing in a neutral and ready stance. Cross one leg behind your body and keep your back heel up. Make sure your front knee stays in line with your front foot. From here, perform a squat. Stay in your crossed stance for all reps or step in and out of it each time. Perform 10 reps on each side.

August 10 Day Challenge

Exercise #1:  Doorknob Squats.
 Start standing tall and active, hold onto an open door by the knobs (should be at belly button level). Feet are hip width apart with toes facing forward, sit back into your squat, maintain an upright torso, then pushing through hips (think hinging) return to your start position. Repeat for 10 reps.

 Exercise #2:  Forward and Reverse Lunge with Balance
Start standing tall, take a step forward and drop into a lunge, maintaining an upright posture.
Step out of the lunge and without putting your foot down, draw your knee up and balance for 2 seconds.

Then step back and into another lunge, and back to balancing before stepping forward again--the whole movement counts as 1 rep. Repeat for 10 reps on each side.

Exercise #3: Plank Row
Using a pair of dumbbells if you have them, if not that's OK you can perform the exercise with no additional weight. Start in a strong plank and without rotating through your hips or shoulders perform one row at a time. Alternate or stay on the same side for all 10 reps/side.








September 10 Day Challenge


Exercise #1: Plank with Shoulder Taps
Begin in a strong plank on your hands (this can be done from the elbows as well), place your feet wider for a more stable base of support or narrow for a less stable base of support.
One at a time, you will alternately touch your opposite shoulder with your fingers.
Your objective during this exercise is to minimize any rocking, lifting or sagging of your hips.
Complete 10 reps on each side (20 total).

Exercise #2: Ice Skaters
Begin standing in your ready position. Take a long step sideways (laterally), landing on one leg while the other leg swings behind your body to maintain balance. Use your back foot by placing it on the floor, or do not let it touch the floor and challenge your balance control. Once landed, reach across your body with the opposite hand toward the opposite foot while keeping your chest up, core braced and strong.
This movement can be done slow by stepping, or faster by bounding. But, balance and deceleration must always be achieved first before moving into the next repetition.
Complete 10 reps on each side (20 total).

Exercise #3: Full Extension Squats
Begin standing in your ready position. Drop into a squat, as you return to your start position, extend your arms straight over your head and push up, into a calf raise, onto your toes. Maintain your balance and center of gravity over your feet as you perform the extension. Return to your start position and repeat for 10 reps.







October 10 Day Challenge

Exercise #1: Rotating Plank
Begin in a strong plank on your hands or your elbows. Make sure your core is strong and braced through the movement with your body aligned. Ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles should stay in line, as you rotate to each side this remains the same.


Keeping your hips in line, rotate into a side plank then back to your front plank. Repeat on the other side. Both sides count as one rep. Complete 10 reps.


Exercise #2: Marching Bridge

Begin on your back with your feet flat and knees bent. This exercise can also be done with your feet flexed. Push your hips up into a bridge, maintain a neutral spine and braced core. Hold the bridge position while you lift one leg (knee to chest) at a time. Keep your knee bent as you march.

Alternate legs and both count as one rep. Complete 10 reps.



Exercise #3: Bear Crawling
Start on your hands and knees with elbows and wrists set directly under shoulders and knees bent to 90 degrees directly under hips. Elevate your knees off the floor about 2 inches. Keep your back flat and hips low as you crawl forward for 10 steps and backward for 10 steps. Choose a space of at least 20 feet to move across. Repeat as many times as you can.







November 10 Day Challenge

Exercise #1: Side Plank with Fly
Start in a Side Plank (modify as you need to in order to hold the position for the time it takes to do the movement for 10 reps). Use any weight available, or none at all. Your top arm will remain straight the whole time. Hold your arm in front of your body with your fist in line with your chest, then raise your arm up and lower it back to your start position with control. You'll complete reps of this arm raise or fly movement on each side.


 Exercise #2: Sprinter Stance Squats

 Start in your normal squat ready position.
From here slide one foot back only until your back toes are in line with your front heel. The positioning is important because you do not want to turn this into a lunge. Your feet will be off set by only a few inches.
Lift your back heel off the floor, and it will remain lifted for the entire movement.
Once your feet are set, sit your hips back into a squat. Your back leg will of course bend more. Keep your attention on your front leg, keeping your knee tracking over your ankle.

The last part of this squat variation are your hips.
Make sure that your hips remain level. In other words, try not to let your rear foot, leg/hip, drop down towards the floor. Also, try to resist any rotation in your hips and shoulders.
Add weight to this squat if you'd like.
Complete 10 reps on each side.

 Exercise #3: Triceps Dips
Start sitting on the floor with your knees bent and heels pulled toward your hips. Place your hands with fingers pointing toward your heels, next to or just behind your hips. You'll need to find a position that works best for you.
From there, push your hips off the floor until your arms are fully extended with shoulders down and chest up.
Slowly, bend only your elbows and lower your hips down to the floor and slightly towards your heels, then press up and return to your start position.
Try this holding one leg straight up with heel pressing towards the ceiling for an additional challenge.
Complete 10 reps.

Happy November, Athletes! Have fun, and let me now if you have any questions or if you need anything at all!










December 10 Day Challenge

Exercise #1: Plank Walk Outs
Start standing. Keep your knees straight for as long as you can as you bend forward and place your hands flat on the floor. Slowly walk your hands away from your feet until you're in a full plank position. Hold here for a moment, then walk your hands back and return to standing.
Maintain a strong, braced core the whole time.
Complete 10 reps.

Exercise #2: 4 Way Jump Squats
Mark out, or imagine standing over a square on the floor. Perform one Jump Squat, but jump in the square pattern. To one side, backward, to the other side, and forwards. Landing in your squat, maintain control before jumping again. This time, you will repeat for 12 reps, completing the square 3 times through.

Exercise #3: Military Overhead Press
Use any kind of weight that is available to you. The only difference between this a standard Overhead press is the body position. Stand with your feet together, core braced and joints stacked. Start with the weight in a neutral grip at your chest and press the weight over your head. Your hand will be directly over the crown of your head in the end position. Return to your starting position and repeat for 10 reps.

    Alright Athletes! Enjoy. Keep up with these sets as you like. You are well equipped now with a year's worth of various body weight (and a few added weight) exercises. Utilize these, practice, add new ones, make it your own. Keep moving, and stay strong!                                                                        
                                                                              Movement. Mindset. Mastery