Doubling up
Add comment July 16th, 2008
When you have trouble squeezing the gym into a busy schedule, exercises that combine to engage more than one major muscle group can be the time savers that also save the workout.
A couple that have become popular with my clients work upper and lower body muscles at the same time.
Try these the next time you’re pressed for time:
Cable fly with lunge – Stand with feet together in the center of a cable crossover machine, holding a handle attached to each side of the machine at shoulder height in each hand. Your arms should be straight, but the elbows not locked out. Without bending the elbows and further, move both hands toward the center of your chest until they meet in the middle. At the same time, step forward with your right leg and lower yourself until your right thigh is approximately parallel to the floor and your left shin is an inch or two above the floor. Make sure your knee is directly over your foot and doesn’t extend farther forward than your toes. Return to the starting position and, as you bring your hands together again, step forward with your left leg and repeat the lunge. Repeat, alternating legs each time, until you have 8 to 10 repetitions with each leg forward.
Squat with one-arm cable row — Attach a handle to one side of a cable crossover machine at slightly above your waist height and set the weight at a challenging but manageable weight. Stand facing where the handle is attached, holding the handle in one hand. Lower your body by bending both legs as if you were going to sit down, making sure that your knees are aligned directly above your feet and don’t extend farther out than your toes. As you lower your body, pull the handle toward you, keeping your elbow as close to your body as you can, until your hand can touch your shirt. You can perform several repetitions with the same hand and then switch hands or switch hands for each squat repetition. Try to work up to two to three sets of 8 to 10 repetitions for each arm.
There are several other exercises that work upper and lower body muscle groups at the same time, including lunges with lateral side raises and stability ball squats with dumbbell curls, but we’ll save those for another time.
