Achieve Fitness Boston X Pedestal Workout

Our friends and wholesale partners over at Achieve Fitness Boston have been sharing some killer content so we put a workout together using their demonstration videos.

We hope you enjoy!

Warm-up:

Hip Flexor Warm-up

 

ARE YOU STRETCHING YOUR HIP FLEXORS INCORRECTLY? - Most of us are told to stretch our hip flexors to counteract the sitting we do for most of the day! But have you ever considered that you may be stretching them incorrectly? - If you're stretching like @achievefitnessboston owner @laurenpak22 in the first video, you're probably not getting the benefits that you're looking for! As you can see, she is going really far forward which causes her lower back to arch. This actually puts a lot of strain on the lower back and doesn't really stretch your hip flexors very much! - To avoid this mistake, we recommend using a dowel to push into the floor as you stretch. This will help you to engage your abs which will keep you from hyperextending your back. From there, instead of just sending your hip as far forward as possible, you want to initiate the stretch by squeezing your back glute tight. Then you can ease into the stretch gradually by sending your back hip forward slightly, but stopping before your lower back goes into extension! - The next time you go to stretch your hip flexors, try this out and let us know what you think!!

A post shared by Achieve Fitness (@achievefitnessboston) on Sep 24, 2017 at 8:32am PDT

 

Workout:

A1) Deadlift - 5x5 Reps

 

BEST TYPE OF GRIP FOR DEADLIFTS - We often get asked what type of grip we recommend for deadlifts, and the short answer is, "it depends!" @achievefitnessboston owner @jasonlpak delves into the details in this video! - We almost always start people off with a double overhand grip. The symmetry of this grip will help lifters to stay square and will improve grip strength evenly. - However, most lifters will get to a certain point where they feel like they can keep lifting more weight with their legs, but they feel their grip giving out. When the grip becomes a limiting factor, THEN we like to introduce a mixed grip! - A mixed grip is simply flipping one hand under and keeping the other hand over. This will help the lifter to get a more secure grip on the bar, but the downside is that it can cause some rotation. Rotation during a deadlift is not ideal, so if you switch to a mixed grip you will want to be prepared to mitigate the rotational component! - If and when you do switch to a mixed grip, we highly recommend switching which hand goes under and which hand goes over! Staying with the same mixed position can lead to imbalances down the road, so be sure to alternate each set to keep yourself as even as possible!

A post shared by Achieve Fitness (@achievefitnessboston) on Sep 22, 2017 at 3:31pm PDT

 

A2) Kettlebell OH Press - 4x8-10 Reps

 

A stable base is a key component to a strong press! 🔑 - If you allow yourself to lean and flare your rib cage like @achievefitnessboston owner @jasonlpak on the left, you'll have a much more difficult time pressing heavy weight overhead! - Both the lean and the rib cage flare are energy leaks, meaning a loss of tension. The more tension you can create and maintain throughout your whole body, the stronger your press will be. Therefore, eliminating energy leaks and practicing greasing the groove with a straight torso and neutral rib cage will lead to a much stronger and more efficient overhead press!!

A post shared by Achieve Fitness (@achievefitnessboston) on Sep 22, 2017 at 7:16am PDT

 

B1) Back Squat - 4x6-8 Reps

 

You can spend all day trying to correct things that are going wrong in your back squat, but if you don’t have a proper set up, you won’t get very far! - The initial set up and unracking of the bar is so important because it gets everything into position, tight, and properly aligned BEFORE you begin. As our good friends at @strongfirst say, “your set up is your first rep” and that is definitely the case with back squats! - What we see all too often are the following mistakes that @achievefitnessboston owner @laurenpak22 demonstrates in the first part of this video: 1️⃣A timid and haphazard approach to the bar 2️⃣A rushed set up of the bar on the back 3️⃣A lack of tension created to support the weight - All of this leads to a weaker squat and likely poor form especially as the weights get heavier. Instead, you want to be more like Lauren in the second part of the video, where she: 1️⃣Gets her hands into position and grips the bar tight 2️⃣Pulls herself under the bar 3️⃣Takes her time to position the bar firmly against her upper back 4️⃣Lifts the bar off the rack with both feet planted firmly underneath her 5️⃣Takes just three steps back to get into her starting position - While this may seem like a lot of things to think about before you even perform the exercise itself, it will absolutely set you up for success and you’ll feel so much better during your squat if you take the time to properly set up!

A post shared by Achieve Fitness (@achievefitnessboston) on Sep 20, 2017 at 3:37pm PDT

 

B2) Kettlebell Swing - 4x12-15 Reps

 

Don't rush your kettlebell swing set up!! - When you rush, you tend to let your form slip, and we don't want to see that! 🙈 As you can see in the first part of this video, @achievefitnessboston owner @laurenpak22 doesn't take the time to tilt the bell back or get the bell to an appropriate distance away from her, which causes her to round her back and perform a sloppy swing overall. - In the second part of the video, she takes her time at the bottom. She brings the kettlebell closer to her by engaging her lats and making sure her shoulders are down and back. She also sets her spine in a neutral position to avoid putting her lower back at risk! This produces a much more powerful and efficient swing! - Don't forget that the set up is important, and it often determines how your set will go!

A post shared by Achieve Fitness (@achievefitnessboston) on Sep 21, 2017 at 5:30pm PDT

 

C1) Single Leg Deadlift - 3x8 Reps per side

 

There’s a time and a place for rotational training, but single leg deadlifts aren’t it! 🙅 - When performing single leg deadlifts, you want to aim to look more like @achievefitnessboston owner @laurenpak22 on the right! A big mistake we often see with SLDLs is allowing the foot to turn out to the side, which then encourages rotation at the hips. This rotation pulls you out of alignment and makes it much more difficult to stabilize on one leg! - The next time you’re performing single leg deadlifts, try to keep your shoulders and hips square to the ground by pointing your back toes straight down and reaching the leg straight back!

A post shared by Achieve Fitness (@achievefitnessboston) on Sep 20, 2017 at 4:58am PDT

 

C2) Push-up - 3x To Failure 

  

WHERE SHOULD YOUR ELBOWS BE DURING PUSHUPS? - A mistake we see quite often during pushups is allowing the elbows to flare out to the sides, as @achievefitnessboston coach @laurenpak22 is demonstrating in the first part of this video. By allowing the elbows to flare out, three things are happening: 1️⃣You’re putting undue stress on the ligaments of the shoulders. 2️⃣You’re in a weaker position overall because your elbows aren’t stacked over your wrists. 3️⃣You’re shrugging your shoulders which will over engage your upper traps. - Instead, you want to try to position your elbows about 45 degrees from your body. This will accomplish the following: 1️⃣Your shoulders will follow a more natural path and distribute more of the stress to your muscles, rather than your ligaments. 2️⃣You will be in a stronger position with your elbows stacked over your wrists. From this positioning, you will be able to push harder into the ground which will make the pushing up portion of the movement much easier! 3️⃣You will be able to relax the upper traps and involve the lats, pecs, and triceps more which will again lead to a stronger pushup. - Keep an eye out for more tips like this by following us at @achievefitnessboston! If you have any questions about specific exercises that you'd like us to cover, let us know in the comments!

A post shared by Achieve Fitness (@achievefitnessboston) on Sep 23, 2017 at 6:09am PDT

 

We hope you have an awesome workout!

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