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Team Work Circuit III

Jackie Wright
The Fitness Trail

Third in a three-part series

For the past two weeks the “team work circuit” design has been detailed and a portion of the complete exercise program described. This week, the remainder of the second circuit and third circuit segments will be highlighted. Take a moment and review the first two parts of this three-part series so that you have all of the information required to perform the team work circuit safely and effectively. As always, prior to beginning any exercise program, please consult your physician.



Exercise station details



Circuit No. 2 (refer to last week’s column for station No. 1 and station No. 2 of this circuit)

Station No. 3 – TRX inverted rows – shorten the TRX straps so that when you are lying supine your arms are fully extended and your head/neck/shoulders are not in contact with the floor. Hold onto the handles directly underneath the anchor point for the TRX. Legs flexed at the knee joint, buttocks and feet are on the floor. Engaging the wide part of the back, initiating the movement from the scapulae, keeping the feet on the floor, pull the remainder of the body off of the floor, including the buttocks, bringing your chest toward the handles. Lower the body back down toward the floor until the arms are fully extended, without touching the buttocks to the floor and repeat. If you do not have access to a TRX, then you may use a Smith Machine bar or other stable bar to perform the inverted rows. If you would like to increase the intensity of the row, then keep the legs straight with the heels on the floor.

Circuit No. 3 – Performed with a stability ball

Station No. 1 – Knee tucks – kneel down onto the floor with the stability ball right in front of you. Lean over the ball with the abdomen until your hands are on the floor and roll out until the thighs are on top of the ball. The body should appear to be in a “plank” position without the toes touching the floor. Shoulders should be directly over the wrists. Engaging the inner core unit muscles to stabilize the spine, tuck the knees in toward the chest until the knees are directly underneath the hips (i.e. think tailbone to ceiling/pubic bone to breastbone). Slowly return to the fully extended position and repeat. If you do not have access to a stability ball, perform plank mountain climbers instead.

Station No. 2 – Pushups – stability ball or floor. Place the body into the same position as the knee tucks referenced above and perform a pushup from the top of the ball. In order to increase the intensity, walk out further until the shins, rather than the thighs, rest on the ball and perform the pushups from this position.

Station No. 3 – Supine roll ups – with or without a stability ball. Holding the ball in both hands, lie supine, body completely extended with the arms over the head. Engaging the inner core unit muscles, pressing the back of the body into the floor, peel the spine off of the floor, one vertebra at a time until you are sitting completely upright and the ball is either touching or almost touching your toes. Then, return to the beginning position and repeat.

Jackie Wright is the owner/manager of Mountain Life Fitness, LLC opening in mid-June 2014 in Granby, Colorado. She may be reached at her website at http://www.neversummerfitness.com , her email at NSFGL@comcast.net, and her Facebook Page at Never Summer Fitness.


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