Core-blimey guv’ner, now that’s a workout!
The following routine is a functional workout I have put together to improve fitness and strengthen the core. I used this to help train my young rugby team during lockdown; although I wanted to include it here as I believe it is great workout in its own right. It requires only a ball (football, rugby, basketball) and your body-weight. Each exercise can be performed in a 5×5 grid (making useful for socially-distanced training).
The aim is to follow each exercise for 1 minute in a rotation back-to-back with minimal rest between (< 1/2 minute). Followed by a rest period of 2 minutes before the next rotation.
Let me know how you get on. Enjoy!
Rotation 1: Upper Body
| Name | Start Position | Exercise | Advanced Variations |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-arm Balance Press | Hands and knees. Put one hand on a ball, the other on the floor. | Press up, 4 reps, then . switch ball to other hand. | Off-knees |
| Tricep Press | Hands and knees with thumbs and forefingers forming a triangle. | Press-up, making sure elbows are close the body. | Off knees, hands on ball |
| Bear Crawl | Hands and feet. | Move up and down grid on hands and feet only. | |
| Tricep Plank | Hands and feet, Drop so forearms are on the floor. | Raise body by pushing with one hand, then raise other to hand so in press-up position. Drop to one arm, then other. Repeat. | Keep torso parallel to floor. |
Rotation 2: Core
| Name | Start Position | Exercise | Advanced Variation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sit-ups | Lying on back with shoulders touching the floor. Hold ball so that it touches the floor behind your head. | Move hands toward your feet and transfer the ball to feet. Lie back, shoulder touching and repeat by transferring ball to hands again. | Raise shoulders off the ground for body to form V-shape when transferring the ball. |
| Bridge | Place ball under the lower back. With shoulders on the ground and feet on the floor, form a bridge over the ball. | Raise and lower the back slowly onto ball and raise again. | Raise alternate legs outstretched and hold for 10 secs. |
| Side Twist | Raise shoulders and feet 6 inches from floor to form a V-shape (bent legged). | Place ball either side onto floor, making sure legs remain 6 inches from the floor. | Straighten legs. |
| Superman Plank | Start on hands and knees. | Raise one arm outstretched and raise the opposite knee. Switch. | Off-knees. |
Rotation 3: Cardio
| Name | Start Position | Exercise | Advanced Variation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick feet press | Standing position. | Quick running on the spot (raise feet only a few inches). Every 5 secs, place chest on the floor. Press-up to feet and repeat. | |
| Side-step Try | Standing position holding ball. | Side step across grid, touch the ball on the line, then repeat opposite direction. | Place all in hand, touching the line with the opposite hand (across the body) |
| Star Jumps | Standing position | Jump then land with arms wide and legs wide to form an X-Shape. | |
| High Knees | Standing position, holding ball at arms length. | Run across grid, so that knees touch the ball. Turn around and repeat. |
Rotation 4: Lower Body
| Name | Start Position | Exercise | Advanced Variation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squats | Standing position holding the ball with outstretched arms. | Squat down and placing ball on floor between the legs. Stand up. | Touch ball on each foot before standing up. |
| Lunges with a twist | Standing position holding ball at arms length. | Step forward with one foot, so that thigh is parallel to the floor. Twist hips one-way then other with exagerated movement - keeping hips facing forward. | |
| Frog Jumps | Standing position holding ball at arms length. | Squat then jump forward and repeat across the grid, turning where necessary. | |
| Burpees | Standing position holding ball at arms length. | Squat down placing ball on the floor. With hands on the ball, jump back with both feet to a press-up position. Jump both feet forward toward ball. Stand up. Repeat | Jump instead of standing at end of motion. |
Helpful Tips:
- Warm up (obviously). Personally I always warm up with some low intensity stretches.
