The warm-up is a few minutes of commando jacks and squat kicks. Try to accumulate 100 of the jumping jack variation and 50 of the squat variation. Those squat kicks are something from a martial arts workout. You’re going to dig them.

The circuit is 4 times through barbell back squats, dumbbell lateral raises (aka shoulder flyes), and single arm preacher curls. Bust out 8 squats, 6 lateral raises, and 7 preacher curls before starting over.

See the “How I did it” section below, to see what type of weight I used for each of the movements. Your starting point is going to be different, but the goal is to use enough weight safely that you are promoting muscle development through the overload principle. The idea is to gradually increase the intensity of your training so that you see the desired adaptations, like greater strength, more muscle mass, et cetera.

So, thus far the workout has some light agility, plus legs and pulling-type upper body strength training. What about pushing for the upper body? You’ll find the pushing component of this workout in the cool down. The aim is 3 x 10 plyo push-ups. If clapping push-ups are too challenging, scale down to regular push-ups. For those of you starting out, incline push-ups with your hands on a bench is a nice place to begin.

Have fun and have a great 4^th of July!

HOW I DID IT:

• 175 lb back squats
• 30 lb preacher curls
• 25 lb lateral raises

See more at-home workouts HERE

The gradual recovery plus the end of Spring is getting me PSYCHED. Summer adventures are just around the corner! It’s all the more reason to stay as fit and conditioned for fun as you can.

On that note, this Strength Mob workout brings the heat with some single leg strength. Pistol squats and other unilateral lower body drills are ideal prep for the rigors an adventurous life. Bounding down a trail run. Pushing through your foot to reach a new grip while climbing. Cutting across the field during an ultimate game. All of the radness during sport depends on a strong and stable set of legs.

The rest of the session targets your upper body with some kettlebell bent presses, and landmine rows. If you don’t actually have the little landmine attachment to keep your barbell secure on the ground (I don’t), just tuck it into the corner of the wall. Similarly, if you are struggling with the mechanics of the bent press, switch it up by leaning your torso to perform an angled shoulder press.

Give it a shot, and let me know what you think of this workout. PEACE.

HOW I DID IT:

• 50 lb kettlebell for bent presses
• 30 lb pistol squats
• 90 lb landmine rows (two 45s on the bar end)

If you’ve ever been laid up with an injury, I’m sure you can appreciate the desire to stay fit. It’s maddening to watch your strength waste away. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to share one type of workout that I had been able to do while on the mend.

Given the injury, my back was intolerant to heavy loading and compression for a good 3 to 4 months. Thus, I had to come up with some alternatives. I should mention however, that this was well after I was out of the acute phase. There was a good 6 weeks of taking things VERY easy. Lots of gentle mobility, light aerobic work, and some classic lumbar exercises.

Heavy squats and deadlifts were out. Even shoulder pressing and handstand development were off the table for a while. No squats, deadlifts, or pressing – what was an athlete to do?!

For the lower body, the workaround was to add in more single leg work, like step-ups, single leg hinging, and lunges. For the upper body, it meant lots of pulling movements, as well as plenty of the isolation exercises that bodybuilders use.

Have a peek and let me know what you think. What are some of the ways you work around an injury?

You’ll see that the rest of the workout is straight forward, with some fun handstand wall walks, and one of my favorite single leg lifts. If you’re someone who likes trail running, winter mountain sports, and other adrenaline-fueled activities, single leg drills MUST have a place in your training. Balance, stability and coordination are paramount for outdoor athletes, so don’t skip these single leg deadlift to overhead raises. They might be awkward, but man, are they AWESOME. Go kick some butt.

If any of these skills feel out of your league, try swapping them with these alternatives:

• Handstand wall walks = substitute with pike push-ups or jackknife push-ups
• V-ups = stop half way and do a simple tuck-up (pull your knees-to-chest)
• Spiderman push-up = basic push-up, eccentric push-up, or chest-elevated box push-up

How I did it:

• 125 lb barbell back squats
• 40 lb kettlebell for single leg deadlift to overhead raise

How I did it: 

• 125 lb step-ups
• 50 lb kettlebell good mornings
• 40 lb dumbbell pull-over

Adjustments: If you are just starting out in the squatting game, dial things back to kettlebell goblet squats, or even box squats. Single bar dips are a fairly challenging motion, so you might try ring dips or parallel bar dips as two alternatives. For those of you struggling with the strength for the full dip cycle, start with jumping up to the top/support position and then working on the negative (descent). Ring rows can be made easier by assuming a higher, more elevated trunk position. 

How I did it: 

• Back squat with 195 lbs total.
• Low windmill with 50 lb kettlebell.
• To be honest, my garage isn’t set-up with a high bar with enough room for the single bar dip. To adjust, I simply did ring dips and threw on a weight belt with 25 lbs for extra effort. 

Adjustments: This workout shouldn’t require much scaling, as you can use what tools you have at your disposal and there aren’t any super challenging bodyweight movements. If you don’t have a barbell, lift kettlebells, dumbbells, or a sandbag. That said, the “T” style push-ups might be a little hard, so there are a few ways to work up to them. You can either move in and out of the T rotation from a simple plank, or you can elevate your torso with your hands on a bench or box to make them easier. 

How I did it: I pulled 300 lbs for the deadlift portion, and used a 45-lb weight plate for the curl and press. The single arm supported rows were loaded with 60-lb dumbbells. 

If you enjoyed this workout or have any suggestions, please leave a comment below

Adjustments: As an alternative to Cossack squats, try low side-to-side squats –  they don’t require the same depth or flexibility. Any type of single arm bent over row will work for the circuit – you can do it with a kettlebell vs dumbbell, or support yourself with one hand on a bench. If the L-hang feels too hard for you, try hanging in a tuck, or in a simple passive hang (body extended) beneath the pull-up bar. Likewise, if the dive bomber push-ups are beyond your ability, scale back to regular push-ups, eccentric push-ups (descent only), or elevated (on a box or bench) push-ups.

How I did it: 

• Trap bar deadlifts, loaded to 255 lbs  
• Push presses at 130 lbs
• Single arm bent-over rows at 75 lbs 
• Russian twists with 10 lb weight plate

If you enjoyed the workout, please let me know with a comment below or tag @benmusholt on Twitter or Instagram.

Adjustments: If you don’t have a barbell, hold a kettlebell or dumbbells in the front rack position. If spiderman pull-ups are too challenging, scale back to regular pull-ups, or jumping/eccentric pull-ups as necessary. If ring dips are out of your grasp, try jumping/eccentric dips, or bench dips for a beginner option. 

How I did it: 185 lbs for front squats, + 25 lbs extra for the ring dips. 

Some background notes:

• One goal of any fitness program is to help you be as active as you can, for as long as possible. As a result, you’ll see that much of Strength Mob is focused “basic” strength development. You won’t find any Olympic lifting in here, because, frankly, I’ve had two shoulder surgeries and I’m not convinced that everybody needs to be throwing that much weight overhead. Consistency and injury-prevention are the foundation for an active life. With the Strength Mob know that you’ll get a few warm-up activities, a whole-body weight lifting circuit, and then a “cool-down”. It might be simple, but it won’t be boring.
• Next, you need to know a little about me: I am a 40-year-old, non-pro athlete living in the epic-center of the Pacific Northwest. I skate, snowboard, and surf—at least when the water isn’t too cold. You can find me trail running, or sometimes bike touring over a mountain pass. If it’s raining sideways, I might be indoors bouldering or at a parkour gym. Strength Mob reflects a desire to be strong enough to pursue these activities without getting hurt. The workouts that you’ll find here are replicas of how I train in our tiny garage in North Portland.
• With Strength Mob there is no weight to Rx. Instead of a one-size-fits-none approach, you alone will be in charge of how much weight to use. Go too hard for too long and you’ll suffer from over-training. Under load your workouts too often and your GAINZ will be negligible. By definition weight lifting should be challenging, so lets leave it at that.
• What if your home isn’t stacked to modern #garagegym standards? Don’t sweat it. Substitute with what is available. If you don’t have a barbell, load up a duffle bag for your deadlifts and squats. If you don’t have a pull-up bar or gymnastics rings handy, jam over the closest jungle gym. Use the Strength Mob as your low-cost fitness launch point.

Other reminders:

• If an exercise doesn’t feel right to you, adjust or move along. Your body has its own quirks and oddities, so swap movements as much as you need. Pay attention and avoid anything that causes direct joint pain.
• Use exercise regressions when appropriate. If one of the skills suggested in Strength Mob is out of your league, find a simpler alternative. Instead of using one leg, do it with two. Instead of moving in two planes, stick to one-dimension.
• For additional training concepts check out the 2^nd edition of the Mad Skills Exercise Encyclopedia.

Enough said. Now, turn up the sound system and start slaying!

For reference: When I did this workout, I used 90 lbs total for the single leg Romanian deadlifts (holding a 40 and 50 lb kettlebell).

After you complete the workout, please let me know what you think of it in the comments below. Too easy? Too challenging? Thanks in advance!