By Faye Del Mundo, Ocotillo Village Personal Trainer
From the time we are little, we look up to superheroes and we want to be more like them. They have power, strength, discipline and determination, among other many qualities. What they can do is limitless and awe inspiring. They can fly, they can lift cars with one hand, they can run in the speed of light — they can do anything!
Do you consider yourself a superhero? You might answer “no,” but I’m here to tell you the answer is yes — yes, you are a superhero! We may not be able to fly and run at flash-of-light speed, but if we look within ourselves, we will find that just like superheroes we have power, strength, discipline and determination. Harnessing these superhero-qualities will make us better in all facets of our lives and enable us to reach any goals we set for ourselves.
So why not harness these qualities and use them to help move us towards a healthy lifestyle. Use that power of choice to choose what’s good for you. Use that strength to fight temptations. Use that discipline to get consistent movements in your daily life. Use that determination to always show up for your health and always be present. In other words — be a superhero!
Here’s a workout inspired by superheroes like you. You can pick and choose and add to your own workouts or do the entire list with 10 repetitions and three rounds to make it a full body workout.
Spiderman Squat — Grab a kettlebell and hold it close to your chest. Squat down until your quads are parallel to the ground. Hold for ten seconds and feel the burn. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility — the responsibility to listen to our bodies! Ensure proper form and appropriate resistance to prevent injuries.
Robin Row — Holy Oleo, Batman! Let’s get your back muscles working. Grab one medium-to-heavy weight dumbbell with your right hand. Stand and bring your right foot back for a split stance. Bend at the waist placing your left hand on your left knee. Pull the weight with your right hand for four counts up and four counts down. Row, baby, row.
Joker’s Loco Lunge — Grab a heavy dumbbell and hold it close to your chest. Now step forward with the right leg bending both knees to get into a lunge. Pulse five times then step forward again this time with the left leg and pulse for five. Let those legs burn. “Everything burns!”
Batman Box Jump — Start in front of an appropriate plyo box height. Start jumping up towards the box but only land on one leg. Keep Batman’s mantra in mind: “It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”
Captain Marvel Medicine Ball Throw — Grab a medicine ball, bring it over your head and in a fast yet controlled motion, slam it to the ground. “Higher, further, faster, baby!” Click Here For Video Demonstration
Storm Trooper Sled Push — On a skill mill, set the resistance to at least seven. Then with your hands on the front vertical rail, push against the rail and drive your legs to the ground to move the tread. Sustain this output for 30 seconds.
Captain America Chest Press — Laying on a bench on your back, hold dumbbells in each hand and raise both arms towards the ceiling. Now lower the right arm and press, then lower the left and press. Let’s go — Captain America “can do this all day.”
Wonder Woman Wall Sits — Get into a squat position with your back pressed against the wall. Hold that position for 30 seconds. Wonder Woman knows you can do this — “You are stronger than you believe. You have greater powers than you know.”
Aquaman Abs — Lay on your back on your mat and extend both arms and legs towards the sky. Now lower both arms and legs towards the ground for 10 seconds. “Ask the sea for mercy,” if you don’t want to do this. But if you want great abs, you do want to do this — so don’t even ask.
During your next workout, summon your inner superhero and gather the power, strength, discipline and determination to push yourself to become your best and healthiest version yet. You’ll feel invincible!
Meet the Author: Faye Del Mundo
Faye has lived in four countries, is the mom of two boys and is game for any kind of physical activity. She enjoys triathlons, tennis, and coffee. She would like to learn Spanish, so if you know Spanish when you train with her you can help her out with the language. Her favorite quote is, “The best exercise is the one that you will do.”.
