12/10/2024 - Workout Of The Day (Core/Explosive Lower Body)

Table of Contents

Hello, I’m Adam Kemp, and today’s strength training workout is designed to build strength, explosiveness, and endurance while challenging your mental and physical limits.

Inspired by John 13:34, the focus is on effort, discipline, and love—for yourself and those around you.

Each movement emphasizes functional strength, coordination, and resilience, preparing you to tackle not just the gym but life’s challenges as well.

Remember, caring for your body is an act of gratitude, and the energy you create through exercise can ripple outward to inspire and uplift others. Let’s train hard and carry that positivity forward!

Verse of the Day: John 13:34
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

Quick Workout Summary

This workout combines strength, power, and endurance for a comprehensive full-body challenge. Perfect for building explosive athleticism while improving your overall fitness!

Warm-Up:

5-Minute Air Bike
10 Minutes Dynamic Hip/Low Back Mobility

Main Workout:

1A) Hang Clean – 5×5-4-3-2-1
1B) Box Jump/Depth Jump – 5×2

2A) Split Stance Cable Lawn Mowers – 4×15-12-10-8
2B) Med Ball Slams – 4×10

3A) Tire Flips – 4×8
3B) Walking Lunges – 4×20-16-12-10

Finisher:

Tabata Air Bike (20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, 8 rounds)

Warm-Up

A proper warm-up enhances blood flow, increases muscle temperature, and improves joint mobility, preparing the body for peak performance.

It also reduces the risk of injury by activating key muscle groups and improving movement efficiency.

5-Minute Air Bike: Get your blood flowing and muscles warmed up with this full-body, low-impact cardio.

10-Minute Dynamic Hip/Low Back Mobility: Before starting today’s workout, I used a comprehensive sequence of mobility exercises to fully prepare my body for the explosive and strength-focused movements ahead.

These exercises helped activate key muscle groups, improve joint mobility, and prime my body for performance while reducing injury risk.

Here’s the movements:

90-90 Hip Swivel: Loosens the hips by promoting smooth internal and external rotation, preparing them for dynamic lower-body exercises.
90-90 Hip Swivel/Fold: Deepens the hip and lower back stretch, enhancing flexibility and addressing tightness in the posterior chain.
90-90 Position Hip Internal Rotations: Focuses on improving internal rotation to prepare the hips for movements requiring stability and rotation, such as lunges and cleans.
90-90 Heel Taps: Introduces a core activation component while continuing to enhance hip mobility and dynamic control.
Adductor Rock Backs: Targets the adductors and groin muscles, critical for multi-directional movements and maintaining balance during heavy lifts.
Cat-Cow: A classic spinal mobility exercise to warm up the lower back, improve thoracic extension, and loosen the entire spine.
Bird Dogs: Activates the core and lower back while improving stability and balance, essential for controlling explosive movements.
Thread the Needle: Opens up the thoracic spine and improves rotational mobility, critical for overhead and rotational movements in the workout.
Down Dog Toe Taps: Engages the shoulders, hamstrings, and calves in a dynamic stretch while promoting full-body stability and flexibility.
Runner’s Lunge + Rotation: Combines a deep hip stretch with thoracic rotation, optimizing mobility in the hips, spine, and shoulders for dynamic and compound movements.

If you don’t know one of these exercises, most are featured on my YouTube channel.

Workout of the Day (12/10/2024)

Today’s workout is a powerful combination of strength, explosive power, and endurance training.

With a focus on functional movements, this session will push your body and mind to new limits, building resilience and athleticism to carry into all aspects of life.

Pairing it with the inspiration of today’s verse encourages you to approach each challenge with determination and love—both for yourself and for others.

Let this session motivate you to grow stronger physically and spiritually!

Let’s bring energy and purpose to every rep!

1A) Hang Clean (5×5-4-3-2-1)

Benefits: The hang clean develops explosive power, coordination, and strength in your lower and upper body. It’s an excellent exercise for improving athleticism and functional movement.

Safety Tips:

Start with a manageable weight and prioritize form.
Maintain a strong grip and neutral spine throughout the movement.
Use your hips and legs to drive the bar upward, not your arms.

Progressions/Regressions:

Progression: Add weight as your form improves.
Regression: Use dumbbells or practice the movement with a dowel rod.

1B) Box Jump/Depth Jump (5×2)

Benefits: Both box jumps and depth jumps build explosive leg power and improve reactive strength for enhanced athletic performance. By doing a box jump and then stepping off the box directly into a depth jump, you maximize your time and develop multiple types of force and power.

If you want to increase your vertical jump, this is one of the absolute best exercise combinations.

Safety Tips:

Land softly on the box or the ground to reduce joint impact.
Focus on controlled movements and quality over height.
Ensure the box is sturdy and at a safe height for your ability level.

Progressions/Regressions:

Progression: Increase box height or add a single-leg variation.
Regression: Perform squat jumps or step-ups.

2A) Split Stance Cable Lawn Mowers (4×15-12-10-8)

Benefits: Split Stance cable lawnmowers strengthen the lats, traps, and rear delts while also engaging your core. This improves pulling strength and posture.

Safety Tips:

Keep your back straight and core braced throughout the movement.
Pull with your back muscles rather than your arms.
Adjust the cable weight to maintain proper form.

Progressions/Regressions:

Progression: Increase weight or perform a single-arm variation.
Regression: Use a resistance band if a cable machine isn’t available.

2B) Rotational Med Ball Drop Step Slams (4×10)

Benefits: Rotational med ball drop step slams develop full-body power, core strength, and coordination while providing an excellent way to relieve stress.

Safety Tips:

Use a ball that bounces minimally to avoid injury.
Keep your back straight and engage your core as you slam.
Control the ball on the return to avoid awkward movements.

Progressions/Regressions:

Progression: Increase ball weight or perform overhead tosses.
Regression: Use a lighter ball and focus on technique.

3A) Tire Flips (4×8)

Benefits: Tire flips engage the entire body, improving strength, power, and endurance. They also mimic real-life functional movements.

Safety Tips:

Use proper deadlift form when lifting the tire to protect your back.
Ensure your footing is stable before initiating the flip.
Start with a manageable tire weight.

Progressions/Regressions:

Progression: Increase the weight or size of the tire.
Regression: Perform kettlebell deadlifts as an alternative.

3B) Walking Lunges (4×20-16-12-10)

Benefits: Walking lunges are one of the simple lunge variations that improve single-leg strength, balance, and coordination. They also target the glutes, quads, and hamstrings.

Safety Tips:

Keep your torso upright and knees tracking over your toes.
Step far enough forward to maintain proper alignment.
Avoid letting your back knee slam into the ground.

Progressions/Regressions:

Progression: Add dumbbells or a barbell for resistance.
Regression: Perform stationary lunges or reduce the number of reps.

4A) Tabata Air Bike

Benefits: Tabata intervals build cardiovascular endurance and muscular stamina. Additionally, the high-intensity nature of Tabata air bike intervals improves fat-burning and mental toughness.

Safety Tips:

Maintain a steady, controlled pace during the “rest” periods.
Adjust the resistance to your fitness level.
Keep your posture upright to engage the core and minimize strain.

Progressions/Regressions:

Progression: Increase resistance or extend the total duration.
Regression: Perform intervals at a lower intensity or shorten the session.