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Hi, everyone. I’m Maeve McCaffrey. We are going to do a dynamic core workout today using a mini band, a mini loop band, and dumbbells. Really, any weight will do on the dumbbells, but I’m gonna go kinda air on the medium to lighter side on this. We are going to start with one dumbbell. It will be optional but I decided I think I’m gonna add this extra little weight.
So holding a weight very firmly end to end Or no, wait. Take the feet wide here. Pretty wide. Toes are open, knees are open. Here’s a little cheat sheet. I love all these little sheets that I use in my life. I hope they they resonate with you.
Whatever direction your feet are going, your knees need to go the same way. Don’t take your feet super wide and then have your knees collapsing in. Ah, right? This is not just look horrible. So don’t go crazy with the turnout. Have the feet at a nice comfortable position where you feel good, and your knees can follow that. And we’re gonna drop down chest stays tall, and we’re gonna come up.
So we’re just dropping down in like a plie squat, meaning your chest stays lifted as opposed to dropping down in a more traditional squat. So chest tall dropping getting into those hips, feeling your feet. Staying your breath. So while this is a core workout, think you’re gonna feel that we’re gonna work your whole body. And I wanna talk for a moment about what your core actually is. It is your abdominals.
It is your back, it is your glutes, anything in your trunk, I consider your core. Last two. Last one. Beautiful. We’re gonna hold it down. You’re gonna come off to the side, and then to the other side. Really nice.
If being low here feels like too much, you can bring it up. You’re gonna get less. I am a believer in being a doer. So if something I am doing does not suit you, do something else. Yes. Nice sideband pass through center. Oh, my sides are burning.
Last two each way. Fantastic. Come back through center. I have no idea if that was 2 each way. Don’t hold me to my counting. Alright. Take the arms up.
Hold this weight super strong. We got this weight up overhead. You better connect to that weight and hold it. Besides the fact that then we get to work grip strength, which is vastly important. We have a little tip- off to the side. Whoo! Before I move, I already feel this leg lift.
You can tap your foot down every single time if you need to. You can bring the weight closer to your center, which will make it easier. This one hits quickly. 5 more. Last two straight long leg, beautiful.
We’re gonna keep moving this leg, switch the weight into this hand. Nice and tall, firm stance. My foot’s a little turned out. It’s going to give me a little bit more stability here. We’re gonna bring the elbow and the knee together, and we’re gonna continue on this little side quest working the size of our torso, Really nice. Every single time reset.
Start fresh. Each repetition better than the last. Last three. Last 2 and beautiful. Reset.
Off to the side. I’m gonna take these arms up. You know your options, right? I will remind you. Leg lift. Make this moving leg as long and as strong as you can.
If you need to bring this weight in at any point, you can come back if and when, you’re ready. We have 5 more finished strong arms are strong, center strong, standing leg strong. Last one. Yes. Switch your hand off to the side.
Turn this knee open. I have this foot turned open. Arm is gonna pop up. Strong, elbow to knee. Really nice. There’s some energy here of drawing together.
Yes. Pull extend. Pull, extend. This hip is strong. We have 4 more.
Yes. 3. 2, and 1. Keep that weight. You’re doing great. Nice strong grip. If you prefer, you can hold it like this, either one is fine, whatever your preference is.
Reverse lunch, step back turn toward the front leg, come back to center, rise up. 2nd side, step back. Both these are bent. Rotate, center, backup, step back, turn, and up. Back. Turn.
Oh, let’s go. Nice. Big bend in both of your knees. Fantastic. As you can see, I am clueless when I’m working core, sometimes I really like to be barefoot because it gives me a really nice connection to how I connect to the earth or the ground. And that affects how we move all the way up our body.
And Part of working core is finding your center, and that has to do with what our foundation is. Stay in it, connect, ground up, center out, Yes. You’re almost through this. Nice and strong, chest lifted, one more each way. Let’s go.
I’m of the mindset that the last ones should be the best. Fantastic. Alright, we’re feeling this. Give yourself some space in front of you and you don’t need any weight. We’re gonna do a squat.
We’re gonna take our hands down to the ground, and you’re gonna inch yourself forward so inch worm. You’re gonna come out nice strong plank, cross to the elbow, bring it back, cross the elbow, bring it back, walk it back, hit your squat, stand it up. I’m gonna go this way. Squat down, hands down, walk out, strong plank, So notice my plank here, be strong before you move, nee cross, reset, nee cross, reset. Start to bend the knees, walk back, arrive in your squat, and rise up. Sit hands down, walk with control forward, try not to swing side to side, find your plank, cross, cross, walk back, start to bend the knees, finder squat, rise up.
Sit, reach, walk, cross and cross. The leg that’s not crossing is crazy strong. Bring it back. Rise up again. Every exercise today, barring we have to do it on the second side.
We only see one time. So with that knowledge, give it everything you got. Don’t hold back. Don’t wait for the end, if you need to stop early, I’d rather that than you holding some in your reserve tank. And on that note, last one.
Bring it back, finish strong, rise up, so good. You need your dumb pills. Okay. You may need to modify this. I’m gonna run through the gamut of how to do that. So I’m gonna go from the hardest to the easiest I know that seems like I’m doing it backwards but I believe that you can do more than you believe you can probably. So we’re gonna start down.
We’re picking up from that same plank. You are going to push down strong, pull one weight back, the other weight back and then lower down back extension. You’re going to press up row, row, carefully lower down, extension, So lots of ways to be here. Alternatively, you’re on your knees. Row, row, lower down, extension. Rise up, row, row down, extension.
I honestly believe I truly do. I’m not kidding you that it’s easier in a plank than on your knees. You can also come to your knees, full quadruped, move it forward, lower it down. I underestimated the size of my hips there. Lift up, press it back up, adjust. So there’s a lot of ways to get this done.
And like I said, I believe in doing, you’re gonna figure out what your best option is. We have 2 more. This is not easy. I wanna let you know I am aware of that. Doing things that are very challenging, It’s invaluable last time all the way up. Yes.
Knees down. So good. We are going to move these off to the side, these dumbbells. And Our mini band. I love these. Take a little scan over your band. Make sure that there’s no rips or tears in it.
And then you’re gonna bring it to your thighs. You can do everything we’re about to do with no bini band. So 1, if you don’t have it, don’t worry. 2, if it’s ripped, put it away. 3, you’ll feel it without it. Don’t let this stop you.
Hips are stacked. Push lift, really strong here. Feet stay together. I’m gonna keep my top hand on my hip because I want to know where my hip is at all times. Sometimes it has a tendency to slide back, keep it right on top.
Right now, we’re just holding, take the knee a little higher, and then little pulses. Really nice. So while we’re here, really emphasizing that side body that we worked when we were standing. So while we’re working our hips, Don’t forget about this. We’re getting shoulder stabilization.
Hopefully, this is starting to kick in, and you’re feeling that hip a lot Again, now hold it up. You’re gonna take the leg out, bring it in, and lower. Lyft, extend, bring it in, and lower. Lift, extend, in just a little bit down. We’re not losing the connection of the band and its tension.
Check-in with the shoulder, check-in with the side body. Really nice. Last two, full extension on that leg, full extension, and fantastic. Let’s just flip this to the other side. Set up is everything.
So take your time. That’s right away. Try to get that knee up if you can, just so we’re starting to get that hip going as I talk about what’s going on here. Shoulder is really strong. We’re not resting here.
Press down. Energetically lift those bottom ribs from the floor. Keep pushing that knee up, little isometric. Top hand is on hip. Notice if your hips sliding back, stack it on top, and we go lift.
Keeping the tension. My range of motion here is I’m going to the very top of what I can go to and then just barely releasing down. So I think my move is about maybe 2 inches here, you tell me, but it is not that big. And anytime you feel like you’re fatiguing, take a break, come back, your form is paramount here. We are going to hold this leg up, extend, bend, release. Extend, bend, release.
Okay. Really nice. You can check out your leg. Don’t forget about this shoulder. Don’t forget about your side, but you can check out what’s happening here because sometimes We think we’re doing one thing, and we’re doing something very different. We have 2 more, please.
We’re getting a bonus one on this side. And fantastic. Hands and knees. We’re gonna keep this band on. Of course, as with all things, the band is optional.
Hands and knees, this is a plank. I don’t care if you’re on your knees. It is a plank. So treated as such, shoulders are strong, center is strong, you’re lifting the ribs, you’re lifting the belly. We’re gonna add a little more subtlety to this plank, because it’s a plank, hug your shoulders toward your hips a little bit. So we’re getting a little more lat to kinda connect here. Your posterior core is really important and often neglected.
So your lats are those big muscles on your back that connect your shoulders to your hips, really important for a strong position here. So keeping all of those points, this is what makes it tricky is doing all those things at once. Knee goes out and up, out to the side, extending up. Now, I have the tendency, and I just caught myself of dropping my head down, staring at my fingers, like something is going to come very interesting from looking at my fingers, there’s nothing there. So keep the gaze a little forward of your hands on the floor, And that is going to keep your back in a really lovely position.
1 more. Fantastic. Stretch back. Collect yourself, and the second side. Nice and strong here.
We are in plank. So what are our contact points? Hands, knees, feet? Shoulders are strong. Front body draws up. Hug the shoulders toward the hips to prepare, and we start out. And up.
Good. Oh, my band is a little slippery on my pants. I’m still getting all the good work, though. So we’re going into this nice fire hydrant out to the side and this really strong hip extension up. Keep the knee bent the whole time.
Keep both legs active. You have 2 more here. And last one. Fantastic. Stretch it back. If it feels good, drop your head.
Let the back of your body stretch. And rise up. We are taking our band off. Okay. Options as always on this next one. I’m gonna start from the easiest in workup on this one, even though I like to start the other way, but I’ll give you that. So knees are great here.
And you can be on your knees the whole time. I like top leg straight even when I am on my knees, but you’re gonna decide that. We have a lift, rotation, here, and dip. So lift, rotate up dip. This is perfect.
If you want, your bottom leg’s gonna straighten. Yes. If you notice the placement in my hand, it’s a little forward because when you come up into a plank, because of the angle of your body, You want that hand a little forward for your shoulder to be safe and strong. Last two. One more.
Beautiful. Carefully come out. And let’s switch sides. Well done. You know your options. Knees.
I’m gonna just go right into it with a straight leg position in both of my legs. Notice my hand It’s not directly under my shoulder when I start up, it’s a little forward because when we lift up, that would be the equivalent of a being right under your shoulder, and then we’ll come here. Lift, twist, and dip, lift, reach under rise up dip. The dip, the the size of the dip is up to you. It could be really subtle.
It could be a little more obvious where you feel safe and it’s all parts of your body here. 3 more. Strong Breathe. Last one. Well done.
Fantastic. Just take a little pause here, lace your fingers, lift up, bring your ribs up out of your hips a little bit, little side bend, And then the other way, fantastic. Find your mini band again. Feet, top, and bottom. So we wrap the feet up right here, and we are going to lie down.
Feet must keep pressing into that band. The band can’t control your feet. You You’re creating this movement. It’s not happening to you, so be very strong here. Hands behind your head.
Elbows are white. Breath into prepare. Exhale, twist, pull the knee in, push the other foot away. So it’s opposite knee, opposite shoulder, And you’ll notice I’m not saying opposite elbow. I said what I said, opposite shoulder.
Turn your torso. We don’t wanna just bring the elbow across. We want to turn our chest. Enjoy this peak moment of twist before you release. The entire way you’re in charge of the band and where it’s going.
So I’m pulling the knee. I’m pushing the other foot. I’m returning home. I’m pushing, I’m pulling, returning home. That’s my lower body.
Upper body. There’s a similar relationship. I’m pulling this elbow back. I’m twisting and coming back to center. So there’s a pull and kind of a push across, but it could be a pull in both ways. But both sides are working is what I’m getting at.
It’s really easy to focus on just his top shoulder, pull the bottom and shoulder down. Pull the elbow down. 2 more each side. Well done. This is it. Last one.
Really nice come through center and pause. Hands can be behind your head at your side. I’m gonna leave that up to you I’m gonna continue with my hands behind my head. Inhale. Exhale. Curl your shoulders up.
Restock your knees on top of your hips. And we’re just gonna hold the upper body. If at any point in time, you need to rest your shoulders down. Wonderful. If you need to keep your shoulders down the whole time, fantastic. You’re still gonna get the benefit here.
I promise. The same movement we just did, but without the rotation of the torso. So push the leg away, stretch it out. Bring it back in, stretch away, and back in. I’m gonna ask you to move with precision here.
So take a gander at your feet, your legs, and have kind of a set point for your feet, see if you can return to that position every single rep. Renegotiate your torso, maybe curl a little higher. Fantastic. Keep going. Full extension, full stretch, stabilizing with a non moving leg. Yes.
Let’s enjoy one more rep on each side. Really nice. Release your head. Draw your knees into your chest. Take a pause. Breathe.
Feel at work. Really, really nice. Okay. Band is coming off. Well done. We have a double crunch you’re going to reach an extent, hug the knees in, reach for your heels as much as possible. Inhale.
Exhale. As with all exercises, You have the opportunity here to modify in a number of ways if you need to do this with your head down Here you go. It is absolutely on the table. If you need to limit your range of motion, Do so. Make this work for you if you need to rest do so.
We have 2 more here. Really nice release down. We have arrived last exercise. Stretch your legs all the way out on the floor. Oh, that feels nice. Okay.
I’m gonna give you options because that’s what I do. If a full sit up is challenging for you, I am going to recommend use a little momentum so you can swing the arms to rise up. Sometimes you just need to feel what it feels like in your brain to get up there in order to do it well. Controlling. This is this is the really important part controlling back.
Draw the belly back slowly. Keep pressing the heels down. Control. Control. Control. Arms are gonna come at your side. And you’re gonna curl the knees up. Stretch the legs back out.
So if you need to put the feet right down, stretch out here. We’re taking it all the way up. I like a nice exhale on the way up. It really helps. Believe me, it really helps.
Control it back. It’s like you’re getting cane. You know, like, a cane on stage is yet, like, you’re getting canes, like, oh, I’m getting pulled off stage from my center. Good knees come up. Little reverse crunch.
If you can, both feet come down together, slide them out. Inhale, exhale. Rise up. Pull back to roll back down, knees, lift up. So then we start to find a little rhythm here. And ways to make this suit your body.
So I like to kinda draw up on my return. And then as my leg stretch. I reached the arms overhead, so I’m right ready and prepared to roll up. I’m gonna add a little hamstring in here because it just feels nice. A little hamstring stretch, I should say.
Curl that. Extend, extend My favorite piece of this whole thing is this, the control with which we go back. And I am really digging my heels down as I do that. I like to travel when I do this exercise. I kinda inch myself forward again, and this is our last one.
Make it impeccable. We’re finishing on the up, though. Really nice. You, my friends are done. You are amazing.
I hope you feel fantastic. Thank you for moving with me.
