Winter is here and it’s damn cold in Melbourne as of late; so here is a workout you can do in the studio to keep yourselves warm.

For this workout you will need three things.

1) Rowing Machine set to 10

2) Pair of Dumbbells

3) Kettle Bell

Note; weight used depends on level of experience and quality of technique

How it works

The idea is to complete 4 rounds of the circuit with moderate volume reps, explosive movement patterns, with moderately heavy weight; use light weights and you’re wasting your time.  You can time yourself if you want; but it’s not compulsory.

The reps don’t drop and neither will your heart rate; which is pretty much the idea.

For the two weighted exercises the reps for beginners should be around 10-12 reps for the more advanced 12-15.

For the row; do 300-400 meters for beginners; 500-600 for advanced; rower is set to 10 for either group

The Exercises!

Rowing; keeping a neutral spine; or sturdy back with core engaged; explosively push against the foot rests. Once your legs reach full extension use your arms to pull the bar back into your belly button; note elbows should stay as close to your sides as possible. To return to your start position; bring arms to full extension then draw your legs back in towards your body; note knees should remain inline with your toes. Make sure to keep a neutral spine; little hint I give my clients; think legs then arms followed by arms then legs; legs arms arms legs.

Dumbbell Thrusters; start with dumbbells resting on your shoulders; perform a squat movement keeping the dumbbells steady on your shoulders. Once you reach at least a 90 degree angle in your legs; or have squatted as far as your legs will allow you to keep a neutral spine; explode upward by straightening out your legs while at the same time propelling the dumbbells up off your shoulders; make sure not to lock out your elbows. You should end in a standing position with the dumbbells above your head. Now gently lower the dumbbells back onto your shoulders. Congrats; you just did a Dumbbell thruster; now do it again 14 more times. 

Two Handed Kettle Swings; this exercise should not be attempted until you have had your trainer teach you the movement; but the basics are use your glutes, hips, core; not your back or shoulders; if you feel slight back pain or your shoulders burn out quickly you’re doing it wrong. The movement involves pushing your hips back followed by thrusting your hips forward; while keeping a neutral spine through activating your core; and that’s all I’m going to give you; if you want more instruction talk to your trainer.

Good luck people and enjoy.

Perform 20 reps of each exercise and repeat the circuit 2 – 3 times.

Squats: Stand with feet shoulder width apart, hands straight out in front of you. Take a deep breath in and squat down keeping your head and chest up and remembering to push your hips back as if going to sit on a chair. Your weight should be going through your heels. Breathe out as you stand up.

Push – ups: Position your hands just outside your shoulders and attempt to touch your nose to the floor.

Bicycle Crunch: Start with your fingers by your temples and crunch up to bring your right elbow to your left knee while extending your right leg. Twist your torso to the other side to bring your left elbow to your right knee while extending your left leg. Use your abs to control the move and try not to strain at the neck.

Jump Lunge: Take a stride forwards and lower yourself in a fluid motion until your front knee is bent at 90 degrees and your back knee nearly touches the floor. Jump up, swapping your leg positions in mid-air. Raise your hands as you jump to gain height. Land in the lunge position, absorb the impact, and then go straight into the next jump.

Dips: Use a chair or a bench to perform this exercise. Grip the edge of the chair with your hands. Keep your feet close together and legs straight and your back upright. Lower your body straight down, keeping your elbows pointing back, then press back up powerfully.

Burpees: Stand, then drop into a crouch. Jump both feet backwards so you’re in a push up position. Jump both feet forwards until they’re underneath your chest. Jump up so that your feet leave the ground and your body is straight. When you land is one rep.

Plank : Position yourself so that your feet are about hip width apart and your body is straight from head to heels with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders and your head looking down. Hold the position as long as possible without letting your hips sag.

At New Level we recommend our clients do a minimum of 4 sessions per week. Obviously some of these 4 sessions will be actual Personal Training sessions with the trainer. The remaining sessions will be ‘homework’ sessions that our clients complete on their own.

We take care in ensuring that all our clients understand and learn the correct technique of the homework exercises. We also try to prescribe exercises that require little to no equipment.

The homework routines set by our trainers for our clients are specific to their goal to ensure we are always striving for the desired results. New Level trainers DO keep the clients accountable by asking for the details of their homework workout each time they see each other.

The exercises demonstated in the video above are beginner level exercises that can be performed at home. This website will be uploaded each week with more exercises you can do at home if you wish to add them to your routine.

Good luck!