NEW MUSCULOSKELETAL MSK 'WATER WELLBEING' AQUA FITNESS / WATER BASED REHABILITATION PROGRAMME

 22/1/2020 - as I research this topic I will update this article.

GLEN TITHER  

website: www.gtpersonaltrainer.co.uk email: glen@gtpersonaltrainer.co.uk

MSK Water Wellbeing Programme

This MSK Water Wellbeing Programme is an 8-week, bi-weekly, physical activity rehabilitation programme, all delivered in the swimming pool; Consisting of one MSK Water Wellbeing multi-station circuit-based session per week, and one Walking-In-Water session per week.

The programme is aimed at improving its participants’ overall muscular strength & endurance, cardiovascular fitness, balance, core stability, range of motion etc, along with improving their confidence, mental health and independence.

It is not specifically aimed at one particular condition, illness, pain or injury (e.g. Phase IV Cardiac Rehab, Prehab4Cancer, ESCAPE Pain etc); but instead, due to the intended inclusive structure of the programme, is suitable for a wide majority of people/populations.

Clients can be referred onto the programme by their GP, or Physio; or ‘Referred On’ following a Specialist Wellbeing Instructor referral consultation. There is the option of ‘Self-Referral’ onto the programme, but the client would still need to have a consultation with one of the Specialist Wellbeing Team before participation on the programme.

Ideally you want each 8-week programme to be delivered several times throughout each year; working around your borough’s school holidays, to avoid any potential drop-offs due to childcare/child-minding issues.

As well as having gone through a referral consultation with a member of a Specialist Wellbeing Team, clients need to:

have an upper and/or lower body MSK condition;

have no limbs missing & have use in all limbs (the exercises are unilateral & bilateral, and therefore require the use/strength of both arms & both legs);

commit to participating in 2 physical activity sessions per week, for 8 consecutive weeks;

be confident in water (they don’t have to be able to swim because we will be using the shallow end and/or hydro pool);

be able to get themselves to and from the delivery venue(s) on both days;

Prior to their participation on the programme, each participant should sent out an MSK Questionnaire, to evaluate their overall condition, mobility, range of motion etc.

To measure the progression/improvements made by each client, as a result of their participation on the programme, this questionnaire must be completed again on completion of the programme.

These pre and post questionnaires will also serve as an evaluation, and measure of success, of the programme.

Week One

·          Staff introductions, and a brief chat - outlining the structure of the programme, the week-by-week progressions, the benefits of participating in the programme, the fitness test(s), the paperwork etc.

·          Reiterate to all participants that it is 2 days per week programme (Tuesdays & Thursdays); the Tuesday being the Walking-In-Water session & the Thursday being the MSK Water Wellbeing, multi-station circuit session. The days of your programme can be different, but there must be 1 or 2 days in between sessions.

·          Everyone to complete a PAR-Q/Screening form and Leisure Centre pay-as-you-go PAYG application form.

·          Everyone to hand in their completed pre-programme MSK Questionnaires. As mentioned above, this will be sent out to participants for completion prior to week one; however, a quick run-through of it will be done in Week One, just in case there are any questions which clients had difficulty completing.

·          All participants to change into their swimming attire and get in the pool.

·          Whilst the participants are getting changed, the Specialist Wellbeing Instructor will hand the leisure centre reception staff all the completed PAYG application forms; The participants will be given a PAYG leisure centre membership card; These cards must be ready to give to the participants at the end of week one.

·          Warm-Up, followed by the Water-Based Fitness Test (6 Minute Walk Test).

(different coloured cones can be placed every metre, on the poolside; everyone can be started at the same time; the total distance covered by each participant can be recorded).

Weeks Two - Seven

Tuesdays:            Walking-In-Water session (see Walking-In-Water structure below)

Thursdays:         MSK Water Wellbeing multi-station circuit session (see below)

MSK Water Wellbeing multi-station circuit session

Total session time (including warm-up & cool down components): 45 minutes

Duration: 8 weeks; working alongside the Walking In Water exercise session.

1.       Chest Press (hands on pool wall)

(developing muscular strength & endurance in the chest, shoulders, triceps, forearms and core)

2.       Reverse Lunges (dumbbells or float(s) for buoyancy).

(legs, glutes, calves, core stability, balance)

3.       Dumbbell Lateral (External) / Medial (Internal) Rotations

(developing muscular strength and endurance in the shoulders, rotator cuff muscles and trapezius)

4.       Wall Chair (isometric/resting back against pool wall)

(leg and core strength)

5.       Dumbbell, or Float(s), Hip-Hinge with forward reach

(targeting the glutes, hamstrings, lower-back)

6.       Dumbbell Breast-Strokes & Pull-Aparts

(upper back, chest & shoulders strength & flexibility; shoulder & chest range-of-motion; core strength)

7.       Walks (forwards, backwards, sideways left, sideways right)

(developing balance; core strength & stability; cardiovascular fitness; all over leg strength & endurance)

8.       Dumbbell Scapations

(developing muscular strength & endurance in the shoulders, upper back and core)

9.       Squat & Calf Raise (dumbbells or float(s) for buoyancy)

(total legs strength)

10.   Dumbbell Torso Rotations & Side Bends

(core strength & stability)

Week Eight

·          Everyone to complete the post-programme questionnaire.

·          All participants to change into their swimming attire and get in the pool.

·          Warm-Up, followed by the Water-based Fitness Test (6 Minute Walk Test).

(same set-up and delivery as per Week One - different coloured cones can be placed every metre, on the poolside; everyone can be started at the same time; the total distance covered by each participant can be recorded).

Pool Set-Up

10 stations;

Laminated exercise cards for each station placed on the side of the pool;

The relevant dumbbells and floats placed near the exercise card;

LATERAL (EXTERNAL) & MEDIAL (INTERNAL) ROTATIONS		WALL CHAIR		HIP HINGE		BREAST-STROKES & PULL-APARTS		WALKING: FORWARDS, BACKWARDS, SIDEWAYS LEFT & SIDEWAYS RIGHT
REVERSE LUNGES
CHEST PRESS		TORSO ROTATIONS & SIDE BENDS		SQUAT WITH CALF RAISE		SCAPATIONS

WALKING IN WATER SESSION PLAN

(AS PART OF THE ABOVE MSK WATER WELLBEING PROGRAMME)

TOTAL SESSION TIME (INCLUDING WARM-UP & COOL DOWN COMPONENTS): 45 MINUTES DURATION: 8 WEEKS; WORKING ALONGSIDE THE MSK WATER WELLBEING MULTI-STATION CIRCUIT SESSIONS

WARM-UP (APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES)

•             MARCHING ON THE SPOT

•             MARCHING ON THE SPOT & ARM CIRCLES/BREAST-STROKES

•             MARCHING ON THE SPOT & SHOULDER ROLLS FORWARDS

•             MARCHING ON THE SPOT & SHOULDER ROLLS BACKWARDS

•             MARCHING ON THE SPOT (SLIGHTLY FASTER WITH SLIGHTLY HIGHER KNEES ARMS)

•             ALTERNATE TOE TAPS FORWARDS

•             ALTERNATE TOE TAPS FORWARDS & FRONT RAISES

•             ALTERNATE HEEL DIGS

•             ALTERNATE HEEL DIGS & UPRIGHT ROWS

•             ALTERNATE TOE TAPS BACKWARDS

•             ALTERNATE TOE TAPS BACKWARDS WITH CHEST PRESS

•             EXAGGERATED MARCHING ON THE SPOT (WIDE STANCE & WITH HIGH KNEES & HIGH ARMS)

•             SIDE BENDS (HANDS DOWN OUTSIDE OF THIGH)

•             ARMS AT CHEST HEIGHT, TORSO ROTATIONS

•             MARCHING ON THE SPOT

•             SQUAT WITH BREAST-STROKE

•             HAMSTRING CURLS

•             HAMSTRING CURLS WITH BICEP CURL

•             MARCHING ON THE SPOT

COOL-DOWN (APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES)

•             GENTLE MARCHING ON THE SPOT

•             BACK STRETCH

•             CHEST STRETCH

•             SHOULDER STRETCH

•             TRICEP STRETCH

•             CALF STRETCH

•             HAMSTRING STRETCH

•             THIGH STRETCH

SESSION EXERCISES

FOR UNILATERAL EXERCISES, PERFORM APPROXIMATELY 12 - 25 REPETITIONS PER LEG;

PERFORM BILATERAL/ON THE SPOT EXERCISES FOR 1 - 2 MINUTES;

FOR TRAVELLING EXERCISES, E.G. TRAVELLING SIDE JACKS, PERFORM FOR 1 - 2 MINUTES;

FOR WALKING COMPONENTS, PERFORM FOR 3 – 5 MINUTES;

RATHER THAN JUST HAVING PARTICIPANTS WALKING AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS IN THE WATER, AND DELIVERING THE SAME MONOTONOUS WALKING IN WATER SESSION EACH WEEK; THE BELOW EXERCISES ARE TO BE ADDED INTO THE SESSIONS AS THE 8 WEEKS PROGRESS; ADDING 3 OR 4 NEW EXERCISES TO THE SESSION EVERY 2 WEEKS, UNTIL THE PARTICIPANTS ARE PERFORMING ALL 14 EXERCISES FOR THE FINAL 2 WEEKS.

WEEKS 1 & 2 - EXERCISES 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 14

WEEKS 3 & 4 - EXERCISES 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 14

WEEKS 5 & 6, EXERCISES 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 14

WEEKS 7 & 8, EXERCISES 1 - 14

1.            SLOW WALKING; FORWARDS, BACKWARDS, SIDEWAYS LEFT, SIDEWAYS RIGHT

(‘MOON-WALKING’ EXAGGERATING RANGE OF MOTION WITH BOTH THE ARMS & LEGS)

2.            HIP FLEXION & EXTENSION

(SWINGING LEG FORWARDS & BACKWARDS; LEG CAN BE STRAIGHT OR BENT)

3.            HIP ABDUCTION & ADDUCTION

(SWINGING LEG SIDEWAYS LEFT & RIGHT; LEG CAN BE STRAIGHT OR BENT)

4.            OPEN-THE-GATE (STANDING SINGLE LEG HIP ROTATION, BACKWARDS)

(PERFORM FOR EITHER APPROX 12 PER LEG, OR ALTERNATING LEGS FOR APPROX 24 REPETITIONS)

5.            CLOSE-THE-GATE (STANDING SINGLE LEG HIP ROTATION, FORWARDS)

(PERFORM FOR EITHER APPROX 12 PER LEG, OR ALTERNATING LEGS FOR APPROX 24 REPETITIONS)

6.            FAST WALKING; FORWARDS, BACKWARDS, SIDEWAYS LEFT, SIDEWAYS RIGHT

                (DRIVING THE KNEES HIGH, USING THE ARMS; ENGAGING THE CORE THROUGHOUT)

7.            REVERSE LUNGE WITH BREAST-STROKE

(CAN BE PERFORMED TOGETHER AS A SINGLE EXERCISE, OR SEPERATELY)

8.            BALANCE REVERSE LUNGE

(STEP BACKWARDS, BEND FRONT LEG, & LOWER TORSO, BUT DON’T TOUCH THE FLOOR WITH BACK FOOT; PERFORM APPROX 12 REPS WITH LEFT LEG, THEN SWITCH TO THE RIGHT LEG)

9.            WALKING; 3 STEPS FORWARDS 3 STEPS BACKWARDS, ALL WITH HIGH KNEE DRIVE & ALTERNATE ARM SHOULDER PRESS

                (CAN BE PERFORMED TOGETHER AS A SINGLE EXERCISE, OR SEPERATELY)

10.          TRAVELLING SIDE JACKS; 2 LEFT, 2 RIGHT.

                (SIDE STEP WITH 2 ARM LATERAL RAISE; TRAVELLING FULL WIDTH/LENGTH OF POOL)

11.          HOLDING POOLSIDE, BODY AT 45 DEGREE ANGLE; FORWARD LUNGE WITH CALF STRETCH

(KEEPING REAR LEG STRAIGHT & HEEL TOUCHING POOL FLOOR; PERFORM APPROX 12 REPS WITH LEFT LEG, THEN SWITCH TO THE RIGHT LEG)

12.          HOLDING POOLSIDE, BODY AT 45 DEGREE ANGLE; BENT LEG HIP ABDUCTION/ADDUCTION; WITH HIP ROTATION.

(PERFORM APPROX 12 REPS WITH LEFT LEG, THEN SWITCH TO THE RIGHT LEG)

13.          HAMSTRING CURLS, PROGRESSING INTO BUTT KICKS

                (ALTERNATE LEGS, FOR APPROX 12 REPS PER LEG)

14.          NORMAL PACE WALKING; FORWARDS, BACKWARDS, SIDEWAYS LEFT, SIDEWAYS RIGHT

TEAM SPORT SPECIFIC WORKOUTS (SHUTTLE SUPERSETS) - by GLEN TITHER

TEAM SPORT SPECIFIC WORKOUTS

Email: glen@gtpersonaltrainer.co.uk

Website: www.gtpersonaltrainer.co.uk

 

SHUTTLE SUPERSETS

Supersets are pairs of exercises, performed one after the other with, very little or no rest in between.

Shuttle supersets follow the same principle, but with a brief cardiovascular component in between the exercises.

Not only does this allow the participant to perform a greater amount of exercises in a shorter space of time, but also to develop their cardiovascular fitness in the form of short bursts of cardiovascular exercise in between the paired exercises (in this case 15 metre runs, but any other form of cardiovascular exercise will produce the same outcome).

Because of the development of muscular strength & endurance, cardiovascular fitness and mental toughness, these types of workout are excellent for a huge range of both team and individual sports. Just think of sports which require fitness in these areas - football / soccer, rugby (union & league), hockey, netball, tennis, lacrosse, american football, australian rules football etc they would also benefit participants in sports such as athletics and golf.

Firstly, mark 2 points, 15 metres apart.

Perform these exercises in pairs (supersets) – Perform the first exercise at the first marker, run the 15 metres as quick as possible to the second marker and immediately perform the other exercise in the pairing, run the 15 metres back to the first marker; this is 1 set.

Perform at least 3 supersets before moving on to the next pair of exercises.

Do not rest on completion of each set; rest only after you’ve completed all 3 sets of each superset, and keep the rest periods to no more than 30 seconds.

SHUTTLE SUPERSET ONE

1: Burpees x 8 ----------------------------------- run 15 metres ----------------------------- Overhead Reverse Lunges x 8 each leg

2: Press-Ups x10 -------------------------------- run 15 metres ---------------------------- -Squats x 12

3: Kettlebell Push Press x12 ------------------ run 15 metres ---------------------------- -Jump Lunges x 8 each leg

4: Press Up & Mountain Climber x 8 ------- run 15 metres ----------------------------- Squat Jumps x 12

5: Bear Crawls (bear crawl 15 metres from marker 1 to marker 2) ---------------- - Shuttle Runs 4 x 15 metres

6: Fartlek x 4 (walk, jog & sprint, using the markers as the change points).

Exercise	Performance Instructions
Burpees	·         In this version of the exercise, as well as performing a Burpee, you must also include a press-up. ·         Stand up straight, with your head up, shoulders back, chest out, feet together and arms hanging down by your sides. ·         Bending at the knees, drop low into a squat position and place your hands on the floor in front of you. ·         Next, keeping your feet together, kick both your legs backwards until you are in the standard press-up position. ·         Now, perform 1 standard press-up. ·         Once you have completed the press-up, immediately thrust your knees back up to your chest and return to a standing position. ·         Repeat, without rest, for the prescribed number of repetitions.
Overhead Reverse Lunges	·         Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. ·         Keep your back straight, head up and shoulders back. ·         For resistance you can chose a kettlebell, a pair of dumbbells or a weighted barbell. ·         Whatever form of resistance you chose, curl it up to chest height then straighten your arms until the weight is directly above your head with your arms locked straight. ·         Keep your arms in this position, and the weight overhead, throughout the exercise. ·         As with most alternate exercises it is entirely down to personal preference which leg you start the exercise with. As long as you alternate and perform the same number of repetitions for each leg it is fine. However, for this explanation I will be starting with the left. ·         Take a big step backwards with your left leg. When the toes of your left / back foot is planted your right thigh must be parallel to the floor but your knee must not be forward of your toes. Your left leg must also be bent at the knee with your knee stopping just short of touching the floor. ·         Contract your left thigh and push yourself back up to the start position and repeat with the right. ·         Performing the exercise with both legs equals 1 repetition.

Press-Ups	·         Begin in the basic press-up position: With arms straight, place both hands flat on the floor shoulder width apart; Place both feet and legs together; Straighten your body from your shoulders to your ankles and raise up to balance your body on your hands and toes. ·         To keep your torso stabilized you will need to contract your core muscles (abdominals, lower back, gluteals) as you perform this exercise. ·         Slowly, and in a controlled manner, bending only at the elbows, lower your torso and legs to the floor, stopping just short of touching your forehead on the floor. ·         Contracting the muscles in your chest, shoulders, arms and core slowly push yourself back up to the start position and repeat.
Squats	·         Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent; your toes don’t have to be pointing straight ahead, they can be pointing out slightly. ·         It is entirely up to you what you do with your hands/arms; you can place your hands on you’re his, or you can lower and raise your arms as you perform each squat. ·         In the start position, keep your head up, shoulders back and look straight ahead at something at eye height e.g. the top of a piece of equipment, a line on a poster or simply a mark on the wall if you’re inside; or the top of a tree in the distance, or a point on a house in the distance if you’re outside. This will ensure you keep your spine in the correct position as you lower and raise your torso. ·         Keeping your eyes on the mark ahead, slowly and in a controlled manner, bending at the hips, lower your torso towards the floor until your thighs are parallel to the floor or slightly lower. ·         As you squat, ensure your heels are firmly fixed on the floor. If your heels rise up off the floor as you squat down then raise your toes in your shoes, this results in only your foot and heels being the point of contact with the floor and you cannot raise up on your toes/your heels will not be able to raise off the floor. ·         From the low squat position, contract your leg muscles and slowly raise yourself up to the start position and repeat.
Kettlebell Push Press	·         This exercise is similar to the standard Standing Shoulder Press. However, the speed of the exercise, together with the inclusion of the legs and hips, makes it an explosive exercise and also makes it possible to use slightly more weight. ·         Hold a kettlebell close to your chest. ·         Hold the kettlebell by the ball component so that the handle is on the opposite side, pointing away from the chest; You can hold the handles but you must ensure that the handles are parallel to the floor and the bell is the same height as the handles, not hanging down or pointing upwards. ·         Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. ·         From the start position, bending at the knees, dip yourself down slightly before explosively straightening your legs and at the same time driving the kettlebell upwards overhead. ·         Retract the head backwards slightly as you explosively push the kettlebell upwards. ·         As the Push Press is an explosive exercise there is no need to hold the kettlebell overhead for any length of time. Instead, once you have completed the arm extension, drag the kettlebell back down to the start position on your upper chest and repeat.

Jump Lunges	·         This version of the lunge is a dynamic, powerful, very demanding version. ·         Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. ·         Keep your back straight, head up and shoulders back ·         As with most alternate exercises it is entirely down to personal preference which leg you start the exercise with. As long as you alternate and perform the same number of repetitions for each leg it is fine. However, for this explanation I will be starting with the left. ·         Take a big step forwards with your left leg. When your left / front foot is planted your left thigh must be parallel to the floor but your knee must not be forward of your toes. Your right leg must also be bent at the knee with your knee stopping just short of touching the floor. This is the start position. ·         Next, contracting your left thigh, you can use your arms for momentum also, explode upwards as high as possible. ·         Mid-air you must very quickly switch your leg position so that you land in a wide stance with your right foot as the front foot and your left foot the rear. ·         Immediately on landing perform another lunge, before exploding upwards again and switching leg positions again also. ·         Keep lunging, jumping, switching legs and lunging again until you have completed the prescribed number of repetitions.
Alternate Press Up & Mountain Climber	·         Position yourself on the floor in the standard press-up position. ·         Throughout the exercise, keep your upper body in this position by contracting all of your upper body muscles, including the core muscles of your obliques, lower back, abdominals and glutes. ·         Firstly, perform 1 standard press-up. ·         On returning to the top of the press-up, with arms straight, perform 1 alternate leg squat thrust per leg, as follows: ·         As with most alternate exercises it is entirely down to personal preference which side you start the exercise with. As long as you alternate and perform the same number of repetitions with each leg it is fine. However, for this explanation I will be starting with the left. ·         Start with your feet and knees together, now push hard with the toes of your left leg and using your left thigh and core muscles, bending only at the knee, thrust your left knee up towards your chest. ·         Your left foot should now be just underneath your hips. ·         From this crouched position thrust your left foot back to the start position, straightening your leg. ·         Repeat this with your right leg. ·         Once you have performed 1 press-up followed by 1 alternate leg squat thrust per leg, drop straight down into 1 press-up again and repeat until you have completed the prescribed number of repetitions.
Squat Jumps	·         As with the ‘Jump Lunges’ this version of the squat is a dynamic, powerful, very demanding version. ·         Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. ·         Keep your back straight, head up and shoulders back. ·         As with regular squats, to save injuring your back with excessive torso flexion, pick out a mark at eye height when you are stood upright. Keep your eyes on this mark as you lower down into the eccentric component of the squat. ·         From the upright position, contracting your thighs, glutes explode upwards as high as possible. You can use your arms for momentum also by swinging them from behind your torso to up high, in time with your explosive concentric phase of the jump. ·         Immediately on landing perform another squat, and try to squat low enough to touch the floor with your fingers or hands, before exploding upwards again. ·         Keep jump squatting until you have completed the prescribed number of repetitions.

Bear Crawls	·         Bear crawls are an excellent  ‘total body’ exercise. As the name suggests, this exercise requires the participant to crawl, on their hands and feet, across the floor like a bear (I think it looks more like Spiderman climbing up a wall myself). ·         Firstly, get down on the floor, resting on your hands and feet only, not your knees. Keep your bum down and your torso low, and parallel, to the floor. ·         From this start position, reach out in front of you with your left hand and place it on the floor; at the same time, twist your torso slightly to the left, raise your left foot off the floor, bend your left leg at the knee, and when your left hand is placed on the floor immediately bring the left knee towards the left elbow and place the left foot on the floor. ·         At this point your left arm will be far in front of you, the left leg will be bent at the knee, the left knee will be close to the left elbow, the left foot will be on the floor (toes only), the right arm will be bent with the right hand still on the floor but close to your chest, the right leg will be straightened. ·         From this position, perform the same movement with the right arm and leg and crawl across the floor alternating from left arm and leg to right arm and leg.
Shuttle Runs	·         Run, as fast as possible from marker one to marker two. ·         This equals one shuttle.
Fartlek	·         From marker one walk to marker two. ·         From marker two jog back to marker one. ·         From marker one sprint flat out to marker two. ·         This equals 1 set.

 

SHUTTLE SUPERSET TWO

1: Burpees x 8 ----------------------------------- run 15 metres ----------------------------- Body Plank ‘Jacks’ x 8

2: Jump Lunges x 8 each leg ----------------- run 15 metres ---------------------------- -Lying Hip Raises x 12

3: Kettlebell Push Press x12 ------------------ run 15 metres ---------------------------- -Crunches x 10

4: Prisoner Overhead Walking Lunges (from marker one to marker two) --------  Bellys & Backs x 5 each side

5: Bear Crawls (bear crawl 15 metres from marker 1 to marker 2) ---------------- - Shuttle Runs 4 x 15 metres

6: Fartlek x 4 (walk, jog & sprint, using the markers as the change of speed points).

Exercise	Performance Instructions
Burpees	·         In this version of the exercise, as well as performing a Burpee, you must also include a press-up. ·         Stand up straight, with your head up, shoulders back, chest out, feet together and arms hanging down by your sides. ·         Bending at the knees, drop low into a squat position and place your hands on the floor in front of you. ·         Next, keeping your feet together, kick both your legs backwards until you are in the standard press-up position. ·         Now, perform 1 standard press-up. ·         Once you have completed the press-up, immediately thrust your knees back up to your chest and return to a standing position. ·         Repeat, without rest, for the prescribed number of repetitions.
Body Plank ‘Jacks’	·         This exercise is simply the standard Body Plank but with an added ‘jumping jack’ movement with the legs to increase the difficulty. ·         Start off in the press up position, body and legs straight, resting your lower body on your toes. ·         Next, lower your upper body so that you are resting on your forearms. ·         Position your elbows directly underneath your shoulders, so not to fatigue your shoulder muscles. ·         Keeping your body straight from shoulders to heels, contract the core muscles of your lower back, abdominals and glutes. ·         From this position, keeping your torso parallel to the floor and your legs as straight as possible, using your abductor and adductor leg muscles, perform a ‘jack’ movement with your legs. ·         Thrust your legs out to the sides, approximately 4 feet apart, to form a triangle from hips to feet. ·         Next thrust your legs back together, to form the basic body plank position again. ·         These 2 movements, one outwards ‘jack’ and one bringing your feet back together, count as one repetition.
Jump Lunges	·         This version of the lunge is a dynamic, powerful, very demanding version. ·         Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. ·         Keep your back straight, head up and shoulders back ·         As with most alternate exercises it is entirely down to personal preference which leg you start the exercise with. As long as you alternate and perform the same number of repetitions for each leg it is fine. However, for this explanation I will be starting with the left. ·         Take a big step forwards with your left leg. When your left / front foot is planted your left thigh must be parallel to the floor but your knee must not be forward of your toes. Your right leg must also be bent at the knee with your knee stopping just short of touching the floor. This is the start position. ·         Next, contracting your left thigh, you can use your arms for momentum also, explode upwards as high as possible. ·         Mid-air you must very quickly switch your leg position so that you land in a wide stance with your right foot as the front foot and your left foot the rear. ·         Immediately on landing perform another lunge, before exploding upwards again and switching leg positions again also. Keep lunging, jumping, switching legs and lunging again until you have completed the prescribed number of repetitions.

Lying Hip/Glute Raises	·         Position yourself on your back on the floor, knees bent, feet and head flat on the floor with your arms out to the sides on the floor for stability. ·         Slowly and in a controlled manner raise your hips upwards, straightening your body from shoulders to knees. ·         Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings tightly. ·         Hold this position for 2 seconds then slowly return to the start position and repeat.
Kettlebell Push Press	·         This exercise is similar to the standard Standing Shoulder Press. However, the speed of the exercise, together with the inclusion of the legs and hips, makes it an explosive exercise and also makes it possible to use slightly more weight. ·         Hold a kettlebell close to your chest. ·         Hold the kettlebell by the ball component so that the handle is on the opposite side, pointing away from the chest; You can hold the handles but you must ensure that the handles are parallel to the floor and the bell is the same height as the handles, not hanging down or pointing upwards. ·         Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. ·         From the start position, bending at the knees, dip yourself down slightly before explosively straightening your legs and at the same time driving the kettlebell upwards overhead. ·         Retract the head backwards slightly as you explosively push the kettlebell upwards. ·         As the Push Press is an explosive exercise there is no need to hold the kettlebell overhead for any length of time. Instead, once you have completed the arm extension, drag the kettlebell back down to the start position on your upper chest and repeat.
Crunches	·         Position yourself on the floor, knees bent, feet and head flat on the floor. ·         Cross your arms and place them on your chest. ·         Slowly and in a controlled manner contract the muscles in your abdominals and curl your upper body towards your thighs. ·         Do not raise your entire torso off the floor from the hips. ·         Ensure you perform a curling motion; firstly roll your head forwards bringing your chin towards your chest, next roll your shoulders forwards towards your thighs. ·         At the highest point only your shoulder blades should be off the floor. ·         Contract your abdominals tightly at the top of the motion. ·         Slowly return to the start position & repeat.
Kettlebell Overhead Walking Lunges	·         Hold a kettlebell, or 2 dumbbells of equal weight, tightly in each hand with thumbs wrapped around the handle. ·         Next, bending at the elbows, curl the kettlebell/dumbbells up towards your shoulders; then perform a shoulder press straightening your arms upwards until the kettlebell/dumbbells are directly overhead. ·         Lock your arms and keep the kettlebell/dumbbells in this overhead position throughout the exercise. ·         Stand up straight, with your head up, shoulders back, chest out, feet shoulder width apart. ·         Keep your torso upright throughout this exercise. ·         As with most alternate exercises it is entirely down to personal preference which leg you lead/start the exercise with. As long as you alternate and perform the same number of repetitions for each leg it is fine. However, for this explanation I will be leading / starting with the left. ·         Take a big step forwards with your left leg and bend both legs, lowering your torso downwards towards the floor. ·         When your front foot is planted your thigh must be parallel to the floor but your knee must not be forward of your toes. Your right leg must also be bent at the knee with your knee stopping just short of touching the floor. ·         Your legs should now be in the following positions: ·         Left leg - thigh parallel to the floor calf 90 degrees to the floor. ·         Right leg - thigh 90 degrees to the floor and calf parallel to the floor. ·         Contract your left thigh and push yourself forwards with your right foot, until you are back up to a standing position. Now repeat this with the right leg, moving forwards with each lunge. ·         Complete however many repatitions it takes to get from the 1st to the 2nd marker.

Bellys & Backs	·         Stand up straight with your head up, chest out and shoulders back, in front of your exercise mat. ·         Next, simply lower yourself forwards onto the mat until you are in a flat lying position, face down. ·         Now push on your hands and legs and push yourself up off the mat into a full standing position. ·         Turn yourself around so that you are stood with your back to the exercise mat. ·         Now lower yourself backwards onto the exercise mat until you are in a flat lying position, face up. ·         This counts as 1 repetition. ·         Repeat this lying face down, getting up, lying face up, getting back up until you have completed all the prescribed repetitions.
Bear Crawls	·         Bear crawls are an excellent  ‘total body’ exercise. As the name suggests, this exercise requires the participant to crawl, on their hands and feet, across the floor like a bear (I think it looks more like Spiderman climbing up a wall myself). ·         Firstly, get down on the floor, resting on your hands and feet only, not your knees. Keep your bum down and your torso low, and parallel, to the floor. ·         From this start position, reach out in front of you with your left hand and place it on the floor; at the same time, twist your torso slightly to the left, raise your left foot off the floor, bend your left leg at the knee, and when your left hand is placed on the floor immediately bring the left knee towards the left elbow and place the left foot on the floor. ·         At this point your left arm will be far in front of you, the left leg will be bent at the knee, the left knee will be close to the left elbow, the left foot will be on the floor (toes only), the right arm will be bent with the right hand still on the floor but close to your chest, the right leg will be straightened. ·         From this position, perform the same movement with the right arm and leg and crawl across the floor alternating from left arm and leg to right arm and leg.
Shuttle Runs	·         Run, as fast as possible from marker one to marker two. ·         This equals one shuttle.
Fartlek	·         From marker one walk to marker two. ·         From marker two jog back to marker one. ·         From marker one sprint flat out to marker two. ·         This equals 1 set.

SHUTTLE SUPERSET THREE

1: Burpees x 10 ---------------------------------------------- run 15 metres ----------------------------- Fartlek x 2

2: Ketlebell Squats x 12 ------------------------------------ run 15 metres ---------------------------- -Bellys & Backs x 6 each side

3: Kettlebell Offset Reverse Lunges x 8 each leg -----run 15 metres ---------------------------- -Fartlek x 2

4: Squat Jumps x 12 -----------------------------------------run 15 metres ----------------------------- Shuttle Runs x 4

5: Squat hold x 20 seconds ----------------------------------- run 15 metres -------------------------- Jumping Jacks x 20

6: Bear Crawls (bear crawl 15 metres from marker 1 to marker 2) ---------------------------- - Shuttle Runs 4 x 15 metres

Exercise	Performance Instructions
Burpees	·         In this version of the exercise, as well as performing a Burpee, you must also include a press-up. ·         Stand up straight, with your head up, shoulders back, chest out, feet together and arms hanging down by your sides. ·         Bending at the knees, drop low into a squat position and place your hands on the floor in front of you. ·         Next, keeping your feet together, kick both your legs backwards until you are in the standard press-up position. ·         Now, perform 1 standard press-up. ·         Once you have completed the press-up, immediately thrust your knees back up to your chest and return to a standing position. ·         Repeat, without rest, for the prescribed number of repetitions.
Fartlek	·         From marker one walk to marker two. ·         From marker two jog back to marker one. ·         From marker one sprint flat out to marker two. ·         This equals 1 set.
Kettlebell Squats	·         Hold a kettlebell, or 2 dumbbells of equal weight, tightly in each hand with thumbs wrapped around the handle. ·         Next, bending at the elbows, curl the kettlebell/dumbbells up towards your chest. Keep the kettlebell in this position throughout the exercise. ·         Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent; your toes don’t have to be pointing straight ahead, they can be pointing out slightly. ·         In the start position, keep your head up, shoulders back and look straight ahead at something at eye height e.g. the top of a piece of equipment, a line on a poster or simply a mark on the wall if you’re inside; or the top of a tree in the distance, or a point on a house in the distance if you’re outside. This will ensure you keep your spine in the correct position as you lower and raise your torso. ·         Keeping your eyes on the mark ahead, slowly and in a controlled manner, bending at the hips, lower your torso towards the floor until your thighs are parallel to the floor or slightly lower. ·         As you squat, ensure your heels are firmly fixed on the floor. If your heels rise up off the floor as you squat down then raise your toes in your shoes, this results in only your foot and heels being the point of contact with the floor and you cannot raise up on your toes/your heels will not be able to raise off the floor. ·         From the low squat position, contract your leg muscles and slowly raise yourself up to the start position and repeat.
Bellys & Backs	·         Stand up straight with your head up, chest out and shoulders back, in front of your exercise mat. ·         Next, simply lower yourself forwards onto the mat until you are in a flat lying position, face down. ·         Now push on your hands and legs and push yourself up off the mat into a full standing position. ·         Turn yourself around so that you are stood with your back to the exercise mat. ·         Now lower yourself backwards onto the exercise mat until you are in a flat lying position, face up. ·         This counts as 1 repetition. ·         Repeat this lying face down, getting up, lying face up, getting back up until you have completed all the prescribed repetitions.

Kettlebell Offset Reverse Lunges	·         This version of this exercise is very similar to the standard reverse lunges. The main different being that you will be holding a kettlebell on just one shoulder. This creates an imbalance and makes your core muscles work that much harder to stop from leaning towards the side which you are holding the weight. ·         Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. ·         Keep your back straight, head up and shoulders back. ·         For resistance you can chose a kettlebell  or a dumbbell. ·         Whatever form of resistance you chose, hold it tightly in your left hand with thumb wrapped around the handle. ·         Next, curl it up to chest height then externally rotate your left arm and shoulder until the kettlebell/dumbbell is at shoulder height. ·         Keep your left arm in this position, and the weight to the left, throughout the exercise. ·         For balance you can place your right arm out to the sides, or place the right hand on your hips, it is entirely up to you. ·         As with most alternate exercises it is entirely down to personal preference which leg you start the exercise with. As long as you alternate and perform the same number of repetitions for each leg it is fine. However, for this explanation I will be starting with the left. ·         Take a big step backwards with your left leg. When the toes of your left / back foot is planted your right thigh must be parallel to the floor but your knee must not be forward of your toes. Your left leg must also be bent at the knee with your knee stopping just short of touching the floor. ·         Contract your left thigh and push yourself back up to the start position and repeat with the right. ·         Performing the exercise with both legs equals 1 repetition.
Fartlek	·         From marker one walk to marker two. ·         From marker two jog back to marker one. ·         From marker one sprint flat out to marker two. ·         This equals 1 set.
Squat Jumps	·         As with the ‘Jump Lunges’ this version of the squat is a dynamic, powerful, very demanding version. ·         Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. ·         Keep your back straight, head up and shoulders back. ·         As with regular squats, to save injuring your back with excessive torso flexion, pick out a mark at eye height when you are stood upright. Keep your eyes on this mark as you lower down into the eccentric component of the squat. ·         From the upright position, contracting your thighs, glutes explode upwards as high as possible. You can use your arms for momentum also by swinging them from behind your torso to up high, in time with your explosive concentric phase of the jump. ·         Immediately on landing perform another squat, and try to squat low enough to touch the floor with your fingers or hands, before exploding upwards again. ·         Keep jump squatting until you have completed the prescribed number of repetitions.
Shuttle Runs	·         Run, as fast as possible from marker one to marker two. ·         This equals one shuttle.

Squat Hold	·         This exercise is similar to the standard squat in that you are squatting down. However, you are not lowering and raising for repetitions, once your thighs are parallel to the floor you must hold this position in an isometric hold for the prescribed time. ·         Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent; your toes don’t have to be pointing straight ahead, they can be pointing out slightly. ·         In the start position, keep your head up, shoulders back and look straight ahead at something at eye height e.g. the top of a piece of equipment, a line on a poster or simply a mark on the wall if you’re inside; or the top of a tree in the distance, or a point on a house in the distance if you’re outside. This will ensure you keep your spine in the correct position as you lower and raise your torso. ·         Keeping your eyes on the mark ahead, slowly and in a controlled manner, bending at the hips, lower your torso towards the floor until your thighs are parallel to the floor or slightly lower. ·         As you squat, ensure your heels are firmly fixed on the floor. If your heels rise up off the floor as you squat down then raise your toes in your shoes, this results in only your foot and heels being the point of contact with the floor and you cannot raise up on your toes/your heels will not be able to raise off the floor. ·         One you are in this low squat position, do not return to a stand, stay in the squat position for the prescribed time.
Jumping Jacks	·         Stand up straight, with your head up, shoulders back, chest out, feet together and arms hanging down by your sides. ·         Bending at the knees, bounce down slightly then jump upwards, just a few inches off the floor. Before landing, open your legs out to the sides and land back on the floor with your feet wider than shoulder width apart. ·         At the same time as you are moving your legs outwards, raise your arms from your sides in semi-circles until you touch your hands above your head. ·         You should time it so that your feet land back on the floor and your hands touch above your head at the same time. ·         Jump up again and bring your arms back down to your sides and your feet back together and repeat.
Bear Crawls	·         Bear crawls are an excellent  ‘total body’ exercise. As the name suggests, this exercise requires the participant to crawl, on their hands and feet, across the floor like a bear (I think it looks more like Spiderman climbing up a wall myself). ·         Firstly, get down on the floor, resting on your hands and feet only, not your knees. Keep your bum down and your torso low, and parallel, to the floor. ·         From this start position, reach out in front of you with your left hand and place it on the floor; at the same time, twist your torso slightly to the left, raise your left foot off the floor, bend your left leg at the knee, and when your left hand is placed on the floor immediately bring the left knee towards the left elbow and place the left foot on the floor. ·         At this point your left arm will be far in front of you, the left leg will be bent at the knee, the left knee will be close to the left elbow, the left foot will be on the floor (toes only), the right arm will be bent with the right hand still on the floor but close to your chest, the right leg will be straightened. ·         From this position, perform the same movement with the right arm and leg and crawl across the floor alternating from left arm and leg to right arm and leg.
Shuttle Runs	·         Run, as fast as possible from marker one to marker two. ·         This equals one shuttle.

SHUTTLE SUPERSET FOUR

1: Kettlebell Overhead Walking Lunges (walk the 15 metres) ------ run 15 metres ----------- Shuttle Runs x 4

2: Jumping Jacks x 20--------------------- ------------------------------------ run 15 metres ----------- Kettlebell Squats x 12

3: Squat Jumps x 12 ----------------------------------------------------------- run 15 metres ----------- Fartlek x 2

4: Mountain Climbers x 10 each leg -------------------------------------- run 15 metres ------------ Body Plank ‘Jacks’ x 10

5: Bear Crawls (bear crawl 15 metres from marker 1 to marker 2) ------------------------------- Shuttle Runs 4 x 15 metres

6: Fartlek x 4 (walk, jog & sprint, using the markers as the change of speed points).

Exercise	Performance Instructions
Kettlebell Overhead Walking Lunges	·         Hold a kettlebell, or 2 dumbbells of equal weight, tightly in each hand with thumbs wrapped around the handle. ·         Next, bending at the elbows, curl the kettlebell/dumbbells up towards your shoulders; then perform a shoulder press straightening your arms upwards until the kettlebell/dumbbells are directly overhead. ·         Lock your arms and keep the kettlebell/dumbbells in this overhead position throughout the exercise. ·         Stand up straight, with your head up, shoulders back, chest out, feet shoulder width apart. ·         Keep your torso upright throughout this exercise. ·         As with most alternate exercises it is entirely down to personal preference which leg you lead/start the exercise with. As long as you alternate and perform the same number of repetitions for each leg it is fine. However, for this explanation I will be leading / starting with the left. ·         Take a big step forwards with your left leg and bend both legs, lowering your torso downwards towards the floor. ·         When your front foot is planted your thigh must be parallel to the floor but your knee must not be forward of your toes. Your right leg must also be bent at the knee with your knee stopping just short of touching the floor. ·         Your legs should now be in the following positions: ·         Left leg - thigh parallel to the floor calf 90 degrees to the floor. ·         Right leg - thigh 90 degrees to the floor and calf parallel to the floor. ·         Contract your left thigh and push yourself forwards with your right foot, until you are back up to a standing position. Now repeat this with the right leg, moving forwards with each lunge. ·         Complete however many repatitions it takes to get from the 1st to the 2nd marker.
Shuttle Runs	·         Run, as fast as possible from marker one to marker two. ·         This equals one shuttle.
Jumping Jacks	·         Stand up straight, with your head up, shoulders back, chest out, feet together and arms hanging down by your sides. ·         Bending at the knees, bounce down slightly then jump upwards, just a few inches off the floor. Before landing, open your legs out to the sides and land back on the floor with your feet wider than shoulder width apart. ·         At the same time as you are moving your legs outwards, raise your arms from your sides in semi-circles until you touch your hands above your head. ·         You should time it so that your feet land back on the floor and your hands touch above your head at the same time. ·         Jump up again and bring your arms back down to your sides and your feet back together and repeat.

Kettlebell Squats	·         Hold a kettlebell, or 2 dumbbells of equal weight, tightly in each hand with thumbs wrapped around the handle. ·         Next, bending at the elbows, curl the kettlebell/dumbbells up towards your chest. Keep the kettlebell in this position throughout the exercise. ·         Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent; your toes don’t have to be pointing straight ahead, they can be pointing out slightly. ·         In the start position, keep your head up, shoulders back and look straight ahead at something at eye height e.g. the top of a piece of equipment, a line on a poster or simply a mark on the wall if you’re inside; or the top of a tree in the distance, or a point on a house in the distance if you’re outside. This will ensure you keep your spine in the correct position as you lower and raise your torso. ·         Keeping your eyes on the mark ahead, slowly and in a controlled manner, bending at the hips, lower your torso towards the floor until your thighs are parallel to the floor or slightly lower. ·         As you squat, ensure your heels are firmly fixed on the floor. If your heels rise up off the floor as you squat down then raise your toes in your shoes, this results in only your foot and heels being the point of contact with the floor and you cannot raise up on your toes/your heels will not be able to raise off the floor. ·         From the low squat position, contract your leg muscles and slowly raise yourself up to the start position and repeat.
Squat Jumps	·         As with the ‘Jump Lunges’ this version of the squat is a dynamic, powerful, very demanding version. ·         Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. ·         Keep your back straight, head up and shoulders back. ·         As with regular squats, to save injuring your back with excessive torso flexion, pick out a mark at eye height when you are stood upright. Keep your eyes on this mark as you lower down into the eccentric component of the squat. ·         From the upright position, contracting your thighs, glutes explode upwards as high as possible. You can use your arms for momentum also by swinging them from behind your torso to up high, in time with your explosive concentric phase of the jump. ·         Immediately on landing perform another squat, and try to squat low enough to touch the floor with your fingers or hands, before exploding upwards again. ·         Keep jump squatting until you have completed the prescribed number of repetitions.
Fartlek	·         From marker one walk to marker two. ·         From marker two jog back to marker one. ·         From marker one sprint flat out to marker two. ·         This equals 1 set.
Mountain Climbers	·         Position yourself on the floor in the standard press-up position. ·         Throughout the exercise, keep your upper body in this position by contracting all of your upper body muscles, including the core muscles of your obliques, lower back, abdominals and glutes. ·         As with most alternate exercises it is entirely down to personal preference which side you start the exercise with; As long as you alternate, and perform the same number of repetitions, with each leg it is fine. However, for this explanation I will be starting with the left. ·         Start with your feet and knees together, now push hard with the toes of your left leg and using your left thigh and core muscles, bending only at the knee, thrust your left knee up towards your chest. ·         Your left foot should now be just underneath your hips and your left knee near to underneath your chest. ·         From this crouched position thrust your left foot back to the start position, straightening your leg. ·         Repeat this with your right leg. ·         Get yourself into a rhythm as you thrust forwards and backwards.

Body Plank ‘Jacks’	·         This exercise is simply the standard Body Plank but with an added ‘jumping jack’ movement with the legs to increase the difficulty. ·         Start off in the press up position, body and legs straight, resting your lower body on your toes. ·         Next, lower your upper body so that you are resting on your forearms. ·         Position your elbows directly underneath your shoulders, so not to fatigue your shoulder muscles. ·         Keeping your body straight from shoulders to heels, contract the core muscles of your lower back, abdominals and glutes. ·         From this position, keeping your torso parallel to the floor and your legs as straight as possible, using your abductor and adductor leg muscles, perform a ‘jack’ movement with your legs. ·         Thrust your legs out to the sides, approximately 4 feet apart, to form a triangle from hips to feet. ·         Next thrust your legs back together, to form the basic body plank position again. ·         These 2 movements, one outwards ‘jack’ and one bringing your feet back together, count as one repetition.
Bear Crawls	·         Bear crawls are an excellent  ‘total body’ exercise. As the name suggests, this exercise requires the participant to crawl, on their hands and feet, across the floor like a bear (I think it looks more like Spiderman climbing up a wall myself). ·         Firstly, get down on the floor, resting on your hands and feet only, not your knees. Keep your bum down and your torso low, and parallel, to the floor. ·         From this start position, reach out in front of you with your left hand and place it on the floor; at the same time, twist your torso slightly to the left, raise your left foot off the floor, bend your left leg at the knee, and when your left hand is placed on the floor immediately bring the left knee towards the left elbow and place the left foot on the floor. ·         At this point your left arm will be far in front of you, the left leg will be bent at the knee, the left knee will be close to the left elbow, the left foot will be on the floor (toes only), the right arm will be bent with the right hand still on the floor but close to your chest, the right leg will be straightened. ·         From this position, perform the same movement with the right arm and leg and crawl across the floor alternating from left arm and leg to right arm and leg.
Shuttle Runs	·         Run, as fast as possible from marker one to marker two. ·         This equals one shuttle.
Fartlek	·         From marker one walk to marker two. ·         From marker two jog back to marker one. ·         From marker one sprint flat out to marker two. ·         This equals 1 set.