It’s hard to think about the future right now, especially when lately, life has been one big blur. But luckily, we’re starting to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

Chances are, you’re starting to plan for spring and summer activities, so I thought you’d appreciate this new strong body routine to kickoff to the warm weather season… with hopes of a lot of fun days ahead of us! 

I like to focus on practical, all-around strength, which is why I designed today’s strong body routine. 

10 reps.
3 rounds.
Dumbbells.
Willpower.

That’s all you need! My favorite part of this workout is that it uses combination exercises to help you build the strength you need to tackle everyday life. 

“Combination” or “functional” routines use the “integrate, don’t isolate” principle. Instead of training one muscle at a time, integrative movements encourage your muscles work together. 

When you’re in a pinch for time and still want to get a good workout in, turn to total-body compound moves. This style of exercising prioritizes the most important functional movement patterns (such as squats, lunges, deadlifts, and presses), and also increases your heart rate and caloric expenditure. It’s a great way to challenge yourself and get an effective workout when you’re tight on time. 

Incorporating compound moves is a holistic style of training that ultimately protects you against the aches, pains, and risk of injury that accompany age.

And, because compound motions draw upon how we move naturally in everyday life, they gives the body what it needs to respond more quickly to signals from the brain, optimize coordination and balance, and gain maximum agility.

1. Start in plank position, but this time, rest on your elbows instead of your hands. Be sure to keep the shoulders depressed back and down and the neck nice and long throughout the movement.
2. Keeping your abs engaged, slowly swivel the hips underneath you to the right. Feel your obliques driving this motion as you swivel to the other side with a slow, controlled motion.

STEPBACK LUNGE WITH TRICEP KICKBACK

1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, step your left foot directly behind you, taking a wide stance, and bend your legs, lowering your torso down into a lunge. Be sure and maintain that core stability to prevent injury.
2. While in lunge position, keep your shoulders over your hips, back knee slightly bent, front knee in alignment with your front toes, shoulders back and down.
3. Feel your weight in your right (front) heel as you push yourself to standing.
4. As you return to standing, do a tricep kickback: Reach your arms back behind you and extend, feeling a squeeze in the tricep.

SQUAT WITH CROSS PUNCH

1. Rest dumbbells on your hips as you place your left foot behind you. Instead of stepping directly back, the left foot should move diagonally back, with the back knee bending down directly outside the right foot
2. Fire up the core muscles as you squat down with the right leg, feeling the emphasis on your right glute (weight placed firmly in the right heel) as the left foot lightly supports you.
3. As you return to standing, bring the left foot forward, landing with a wide stance.
4. Punch the right hand across your body, toward the left wall, allowing your right foot to rotate as your torso twists to the left, engaging your right glute.

SIDE LUNGE WITH HAMMER CURL

1. Stand with dumbbells in each hand in hammerhead position, with palms facing each other.
2. Step out to the right side, with a wide stance. Bend the right leg and lower your hips down as you keep the left leg straight out to the side, feeling a slight stretch in the left inner thigh.
3. Pressing off the right foot, keeping your core engaged, push yourself back up to standing.
4. As you return to standing, curl the weights up toward your shoulders, squeezing the muscles on the front of the arms for a bicep curl.