BWOD: Upper Body Workout

Yesterday I tried my first Zumba class here in Venice, Florida. I've been teaching some version of Zumba or Zumba-ish classes for more than 10 years. However, I'm not the type who likes to follow a lot of rules, so I changed the name of my class to Fit Jam and made up my own rules!

Zumba and most dance fitness and aerobics classes focus mainly on the lower body. So I opted for an upper body workout today, to contrast and compliment all the leg work I did yesterday.

In most classes and/or situations where equipment is not available, we tend to focus solely on pushing types of upper body work, like push-ups. Push-ups are fine on occasion, but doing lots of pushing develops the chest muscles while neglecting the back. This tends to create an imbalance, strengthening the front of the body to a much greater extent than the back. In our daily lives, we already tend to contract the front of the body much more than the back. Choosing exercises that involve pulling instead of pushing will help counteract this tendency and strengthen the back of the body, helping to open the chest and improve overall posture. 

For today's workout, you will need some equipment:

*a chin-up bar or something to hang from (could be monkey bars or even a tree branch!)
*a strong band

WARM UP:

Get your blood moving with a brisk walk around the block or up and down the stairs. Stand in place and reach overhead, lengthening your spine. With arms overhead, alternate reaches as if picking apples. Circle the arms like you're doing the backstroke. Take deep breaths throughout the warm up.

WORKOUT:

Begin with as many pull-ups as you can do unassisted. This might be zero, one, or maybe more! If you can't do any, just hang from the chin-up bar for 30 seconds, or as long as you can.

Using your strong band, attach it to a door knob or door handle or chin-up bar. Execute 10 rows, keeping elbows close to the ribs.

Try another set of pull-ups. If you have the chin-up bar, you can use the strong band for assisted pull-ups. Do a set of 10 assisted pull-ups. Here's a video showing how to use the band. Another option is to just hang from bar for another 30 seconds.

Repeat rows for another set of 10.

Finish by hanging from the bar for another 30 seconds.

This is a quick workout you can do when you're short on time. Pull-ups are very challenging for women, but definitely possible!

If you want to gain strength but don't know where to start, leave me message. I'm available for coaching one-on-one or in small groups. I can meet with you face-to-face in Venice or Sarasota. Or we can work together online!