The Power of 3

Three is a great number for working out. I break many of my strength training workouts into groups of 3. Here is one set of 3 to start off a Power of 3 workout!

Warm up for a few minutes to begin and grab a water bottle!

1. Forward & Back Lunge - With or without weight. Stand with feet hip distance apart and parallel, your shoulders down and back, your spine in neutral and your core engaged. Begin reaching forward with your right foot and coming into a front lunge, engage your core and the hamstrings and glutes of your supporting leg and lift your right knee, without putting your foot on the ground, reach the right leg to the back into a reverse lunge. Engage your muscles, lift the knee and lower into a forward lunge. The foot will not return to the starting position until you complete 10 repetitions. 1 Lunge forward, 1 lunge back = 1 repetition. After 10, return your foot to center and begin with the left leg. Great as a body weight exercise!

To increase the challenge, hold a dumbbell at chest height when you lunge, press the dumbbell overhead, keeping your shoulders down and away from you ears, as you lift the knee and switch the lunge, lower the dumbbell as you lunge, press with the knee lift!

2. Alternating Toe Touch - Begin on your back with your legs extended and your arms extended out to the side. Engage your core and with an exhale, lift your head, neck and shoulders off the ground and lifting your right leg, reach your left hand toward your right leg, inhale to lower and switch sides. Repeat for 24 reps, 12 on each side.

3. Side Plank Push-Up - Begin in plank position, the up position of a push-up with your shoulders stacked above your wrists and dropped away from your ears, your core engaged and the muscles in your legs engaged reaching back through your heels. Lower into a push-up with an inhale of your breath, on a exhale, press up and rotate into the side plank position extending your right arm to the sky. Return the arm to the floor, rotate back into plank and do a push-up. Exhale up and rotate into a side plank on the other side, extending your left arm. Return to plank and repeat. Feel free to do these on your knees! Repeat for 4-8 repetitions and remember to keep your core engaged and not allow your back to sag!

The power of 3! Repeat this set of 3 exercises 3 times, have fun and drink a lot of water!