Ready for Anything: Drills and Skills

Self-Myofascial Release: Foam-Roll Lower Body

• Place the foam roller under your calf.
• Slowly move your body forward and backward over the roller, trying to find a “tight spot” or “knot.”
• Hold the spot for 10 seconds and then move your leg side to side, going across that tight spot for 10 seconds.
• Find another spot. Then repeat on the other leg.
• Move the foam roller to your hamstring and repeat as above.
• Flip over and do the same thing for the quadriceps.

Self-Myofascial Release: Foam-Roll Upper Body

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands hanging at your sides.
• Arc both arms forward and up in a full circular motion. Focus on using your full range of motion and loosening your shoulders.
• Continue circling your arms forward for 15 seconds. Then switch directions and circle backward for 15 seconds.

Ground to Standing

• Start in a prone position, lying facedown on the ground, hands near your shoulders.
• Press up into the top of a push-up or high-plank position.
• Step one foot forward, and place it on the ground.
• Step the other foot forward, and plant your feet under your hips.
• Drive up to stand.
• Reverse the move to come back down into a prone position. Repeat.

Ground to Standing from Your Side

• Start in a side-lying position on your forearm and side of your thigh.
• Initiate the movement by sitting up on your side, coming onto your hip and placing your hand on the ground under your shoulder.
• Plant your feet, then press up to stand.
• Reverse the move to come back to start and repeat.

Cross-Legged Sit to Stand

• Begin seated with your legs crossed, spine tall.
• Press through the sides of your feet to stand—trying not to use your hands to come up to standing.
• Land with feet under your hips. Reverse the move to come back down and repeat.

Vertical Jump

• Start in a tall standing position with your chest elevated.
• Reach overhead with both arms and extend your hips as high as you can, thus bringing yourself onto your toes.
• Pull your arms down toward the ground as if you are pulling a parachute rip cord. As your trunk folds and your hips and knees and ankles bend, push explosively into the ground, capturing all that elastic energy.
• Instantaneously drive the ground away from you and jump vertically as high as you can, reaching overhead and getting as extended through your hips and your knees as you can. When you land from the jump, land in triple flexion by pulling the rip cord and landing softly.

Mountain Climber

• Start in a prone position with your shoulders over top your hands and your feet shoulder-width apart. Your spine should be long and strong as steel.
• Initiate the motion by running and driving one knee toward your chest, placing your foot into the ground in line with your right arm at about waist height. As you place your foot in front on the ground, you will drive the opposite knee toward your chest.
• There is a small flight time between strides. Maintain a long spine and be still at the shoulders as you reciprocate your knees forward and backward.

Medicine-Ball Steering Wheel

• Start the motion in an athletic-ready position with a neutral hold of the medicine ball.
• Initiate the motion by shuffling laterally while simultaneously rotating your hands in front of your body in a reciprocating motion. Imagine turning a large steering wheel at the same time you move from side to side.
• When changing directions, try to continue moving your hands, keeping the rotational shifting of your hands rhythmical. Keep your spine extended and move through your hips as you travel.

Figure-8 Bear Crawl

• Start in a prone quadruped position with your shoulders over your hands and your knees under your hips, toes on the ground hip-width apart.
• Crawl by reaching your contralateral foot and hand at the same time. Simultaneously place your foot and hand into the ground.
• Move around in a figure-8 pattern. Keep your hips parallel to the floor; don’t shift them side to side as you move.

Dumbbell Renegade Row

• Start in a prone position with each hand on a dumbbell, directly under your shoulders.
• Create one long line from your head to your heels, bracing your core.
• Push one hand down into the ground, which will create tension in your body.
• Then lift one dumbbell off the ground, leading from your elbow. The elbow reaches vertical toward the ceiling.
• Lower the dumbbell back to the starting position and then alternate. Repeat for the desired time, keeping your hips stable as you row.

Walking Lunge

• This is more of a walking deep stride. Take a larger-than-normal step as if you are stepping over a puddle. Lower your back leg so that your knee would touch that puddle.
• Push through the ground with your front foot and immediately step forward with the other leg.
• Maintain length in your spine, and keep your shin angle and spine angle congruent.

Jumping-Jack Burpee

• Start standing. Perform a jumping jack.
• Drop down and place your hands on the floor under your shoulders.
• Jump your feet back to come into a high plank. Perform a push-up.
• Jump your feet back under your hips and come back to stand. Repeat.

Sit-Up

• Begin lying on your back with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, and your knees bent. Place your palms on your thighs.
• In one fluid movement, roll up through your spine, lifting your chest toward the ceiling and reaching your hands forward as you come to a sit-up position.
• Roll back down with control and repeat.

V-Up

• Begin lying on your back with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, and your knees bent. Place your palms on your thighs.
• In one fluid movement, roll up through your spine, lifting your chest toward the ceiling and reaching your hands forward as you come to a partial sit-up.
• Lift your feet off the ground and point your toes to the ceiling. Reach your hands up toward your
• Roll back down with control, place your feet on the ground and repeat.

Superman to Snow Angel

• Lie in a prone position with your feet together and your arms extended overhead.
• Reach your arms and feet up by squeezing your back muscles to come into Superman.
• Hold and then reach your arms away from each other as you simultaneously reach your feet away from one another like you’re making a snow angel.
• Bring your hands and feet back together, lower down and repeat.

Self-Myofascial Release: Foam-Roll Lower Body

• Place the foam roller under your calf.
• Slowly move your body forward and backward over the roller, trying to find a “tight spot” or “knot.”
• Hold the spot for 10 seconds and then move your leg side to side, going across that tight spot for 10 seconds.
• Find another spot. Then repeat on the other leg.
• Move the foam roller to your hamstring and repeat as above.
• Flip over and do the same thing for your quadriceps.

Self-Myofascial Release: Foam-Roll Upper Body

• Place the foam roller under your arm near your armpit.
• Slowly move your body forward and backward over the roller, trying to find a “tight spot” of “knot.”
• Hold the spot for 10 seconds and swing your arm side to side, going across that tight spot for 10 seconds. Find another spot.
• Then repeat on the other arm.

Figure-4 Stretch With Rotation

• Start in a seated position.
• Place your left foot on the floor. Cross your right ankle over your left knee. Use your hands to support you sitting upright.
• Rotate through your hips and let your knees fall to one side. Keep your chest proud.
• Bring your knees back up through center and drop to the other side.
• Repeat, rotating side to side, then switch legs.

Hip-Flexor Stretch With Chest Opener

• Assume a half-kneeling position with one knee on a pad. Interlock your fingers behind your head, maintaining a tall posture. Slowly move your trunk and hips forward, stretching the front of your hip. Hold this static position. Repeat on the other side.

24 Hour Fitness Personal Trainer Connor Dealy finds joy in other people’s learning to move and move safely, and then find they can do things they thought they couldn’t do. His fitness journey began with martial arts classes at age 5 and has included team sports and circus arts. He took a few minutes at a 24Life workout shoot to tell us more.

24Life: How did you get from martial arts to circus arts?

Connor Dealy: I’ve always been a mover. I did tai chi and kickboxing, played soccer and football in high school. I’ve done weightlifting since I was young, probably too young, which meant I was sidelined from contact sports for a year. But it led me to want to understand the foundation of movement. In college I started dancing, then I picked up aerial fabric, aerial rope and Chinese pole work. I’m doing work with straps and the Cyr Wheel. That’s all the circus movement that I’m learning right now.

24Life: Your favorite and least favorite workout moves?

CD: My favorite workout moves are the sled push and back lever training. My least favorite is back squats.

24Life: What is one thing you wish every client knew?

CD: I sincerely wish every client knew that stretching was extremely important for recovery purposes, to help with longevity, injury prevention and to help you get bigger. The more room a muscle has, the more room it has to grow.

24Life: What is your life’s mantra?

CD: My life’s mantra is just enjoy today.