BOOST YOUR MOBILITY Loosen your back with self-massage, Lie
on your back with a foam roller placed perpendicular to your spine just beiow
your shoulder blades. Bend your knees so your feet are flat on the floor.
Support your head with your hands, and move your head, neck, and upper back
forward and backward over the foam roller four to six times. To loosen tight
ankles and calves, try the ankle mobility lunge. Stand in a split stance with
your front foot about 6 inches from a wall, Now bend your front knee to touch
the wall without letting your front heel leave the floor. Do this 8 to 10
times. Switch legs and repeat.
4.SCORE LEVEL120N THE BEEP TEST
Cardiovascular endurance isn't just a sign of your 10-K
potential; it's an indicator of how long you'll last in any athletic endeavor,
from a 48-minute basketball game to an afternoon of backyard football. And
people who play aerobic endurance sports have a higher life expectancy than
those who do not, according to a recent German study review
THE TEST Download the Beep Test app for your iPhone (Beep
Test Solo,SI) or Android device (Beep Test, $2.50), Place two cones 20 meters
apart on a track or field, hit the start button on the app, and run from ore
cone to the other When you hear the beep, run back. Continue until you can't
reach the opposite cone before the next beep sounds. (The time between beeps
will shorten as you progress through the test.) Then hit the "record
score" button. "This is the best way to test aerobic endurance."
says Alwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S.. owner of Results Fitness in Santa Clarita,
California. Its escalating intensity is a good measure of your body's ability
"to deliver oxygen to working muscles—your "peak aerobic
capacity."
IMPROVE YOUR ENDURANCE Repeat the beep test orce a week.
Just repeating the drill can help boost your peak aerobic capacity, says Cos-
grove, On two other days each week, do sprint intervals. Sprint at 85 percent
of your maximum effort for 1 minute and then rest for 2 minutes, Do that 5 to a
times total. "Over and over, intervals have been shown to be the fastest
way to improve your VO2 max, the maximum amount of oxy¬ gen your body can
process at once, which is a powerful indicator of your aerobic fitness
level," says Cosgrove,
5.DEADLIFT 1,75 TIMES YOUR BODY WEIGHT
The muscles of your posterior chain provide the power behind
many of tile most important skills in sports—consider them your "go"
muscles. These include your lower back, ghites, lianistrings, and calves—lots
of muscles that may not be visible in the mirror but are vital to overall
fitness. And no exercise hits them harder than the deadlift does. "Ifs
arguably tlie purest test of strength there is," says Robertson. Your
goal: Lift just a little bit less than twice your body weiglit.
THE TEST Load a barbell with the maximum amount of weight
you can lift once, and bring the bar close to your shins, Bend at your hips and
knees and grab the bar using an overhand grip that's just beyond shoulder
width, Keeping your Lower back naturally arched, puLl your torso back and up,
squeeze your gLutes, thrust your hips forward, and stand up with the barbell.
Reverse the movement to Lower the bar to the floor, keeping it as close to your
body as possible.
PULL MORE WEIGHT Add the deadlift to your weekly routine
using a weight that allows you to do 3 sets of S reps. That's right, only G
reps each set. "Keeping the rep count Low allows you to do two things:
concentrate on form and go heavy," says Robertson, When you can connplete
2 extra repetitions in your last set for two consecutive workouts, move up in
weight. Retest your l-rep max every 2 to 3 months.
6.DO 10 CLAPPING PUSHUPS
A powerful upper body docs n't just look good shirtless; it
helps transfer force to the world around you. "And that gives you an edge
in most sports, whether you're trying to stiff-arm an opponent in football or
spring off the mat in jujitsu," says David Dellanave, owner of the Movement
Minneapolis gym and a world-record-liolding all-around weightlifter. The
clapping pushup—which requires explosiveness as well as strength—is an
old'School move that many still consider the ultimate test of upperbody pushing
power (thanks In no small part to ifoc/�).
THE TEST Assume a pushup position, with your body straight
from head to ankles, Lower yourself until your chest is 3 inches from the
floor. Push yourself back up explosively so your hands leave the floor Maintain
a straight body as you clap in midair and land back in the starting position,
PUSH HARDER Can't clap? Add the exercise to your weekly routine but perform it
with your hands elevated on an aerobics step, which reduces the load. Shoot for
3 sets of 5 reps, lowering the step as the exercise becomes easier. For an even
greater power boost, also do kneeling medicine ball throws: Kneel facing a wall
and hold a medicine ball against your chest; throw it directly forward against
the wall. Catch it on the rebound and repeat, doing 3 sets of 10 reps.
"The goal is maximum power,' says Delia nave, "so start with a ball
you can throw at least 12 feet,"
7.HOLD A PLANK FOR MORE THAN 3 MINUTES
A chiseled core makes you stronger in everything you do,
fixjm carrying groceries to mastering the deadlift. It enables you to
"produce, stabilize, and transmit force throughout the body" says
Angelo Poli, owner of Whole Body Fitness in Chico, Cahfornia. But that armada
of muscles is "on" whenever you're upright, so stamina is key.
THE TEST Assume a pushup position but with your weight on
your forearms instead of your hands. This is plank position, Your body should
form a straight line from shoulders to ankles. Brace your core by contracting
your abs as if you were about to be punched, and hold the position for as long
as you can. When your hips sag or your knees touch the floor, it's over,
INCREASE YOUR CORE ENDURANCE Fall short? No problem,
"You can more than double your score in a matter of weeks." says
Poli, Alternate among these three exercises during the course of a week, ©
Three-point tennis bait toss: Hold the top position of a single-arm pushup
[feet slightly beyond hip width, body straight from head to heels, weight
supported on one hand) and bounce a tennis ball off a wall. Catch the ball and
immediately bounce it back against the wall. Do 2 sets of 15 reps each arm, @
Piank push/puli: Assume a plank position with a weight plate between your
forearms. Lift your right arm, push the plate forward as far as possible, and
then pull it back. Do 2 sets of 10 reps with each arm, © Swiss bait 'stir the
pot": Assume a plank position with your forearms on a Swiss ball. Make
small circles with your elbows, switching directions every 10 circles until
you've done 40, That's 1 set, DoZ