House Call, MD: Health Carefully Explained

Perform the warm-up as indicated above.

Running

Run 3-4 miles at 75% VO2 max (i.e. of your fastest pace). You can wear a heart rate monitor if you have one.

Note: If running outdoors, stay on grass or soft dirt preferably to minimize the impact placed on your joints and decrease risk of a stress fracture or shin splints, which are common in many long distance runners.

Core:

Exercise #1: C Curve Leg Lifts

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your feet turned out slightly.
2. Extend your arms forward, around your back, and raise your left leg.
3. Hold for 10 seconds then return to the starting position.

4. Do 10 reps, then repeat steps 1-3 with the right leg.

Exercise #2: Fly-Up’s

1. Lie on your back with your feet flat on a wall, legs together. Lift your shoulders and grab your outer thighs.
2. Hold for 30 seconds. Let go of your legs and hold for another 30 seconds.

3. Repeat steps 1-2 two more times.

Exercise #3: Seated Leg Raises

1. Sit with your legs wider than hip-width apart, knees bent, fingertips on the floor outside your knees.
2. Brace your abs and slowly lift both legs, pushing your fingertips onto the floor.

3. Hold for two seconds, then lower. That is one rep. Do 20 reps.

Exercise #4: Pretzel

1. Sit on the floor and bend your right leg, bringing your foot across your body; bend your left leg so your foot is behind you.

2. Try to lift your left knee off the floor 10 times; then reverse your leg positions and repeat, lifting your right leg.

3. Stand with legs shoulder-width apart and feet pointed straight ahead.

4. Jump up quickly, extending arms straight up overhead.

5. Land softly, maintaining optimal alignment and do not allow knees to go further than front toes. Immediately repeat.

Perform the warm-up as indicated above. Perform Exercise #1-10, 1 set at a time.  Repeat for a total of 3 sets.

Perform the warm-up as indicated above.

Exercise #1: Squat Jump

1. Stand with legs shoulder-width apart and feet pointed straight ahead.
2. Jump up quickly, extending arms straight up overhead.
3. Land softly, maintaining optimal alignment and do not allow knees to go further than front toes. Immediately repeat.

4. Do 10 reps (equal to 1 set) and repeat for a total of 3 sets.

Exercise #2: Multiplanar Lunges

1. Stand in proper alignment with hands on hips, feet straight ahead and draw navel inward.
2. While maintaining this upper body positon, step forward (sagittal plane), descending slowly by bending at the hips, knees, and ankles.
3. Use hip and thigh muscles to push up and back to starting position.
4. Perform 10 reps and repeat on opposite leg.
5. Progress to sideways lunges (frontal plane). Do 10 reps and repeat on opposite leg.

6. Progress to turning lunges (transverse plane). Do 10 reps and repeat on opposite leg.

Exercise #3: Alternating Lunge Jumps

1. Begin with legs separated in frontal lunge position, maintaining a straight spine and not allowing your knees to pass the tip of your toes.
2. Lunge down and jump up, alternating legs in mid-air and landing softly on the opposite leg.
3. Repeat as quickly as possible.

4. Do 12 reps (equal to 1 set) and 3 sets total.

Exercise #4: “The T Drill”

Improves agility (for basketball, tennis, soccer, football, etc.)

1. Place cones (or any 4 objects) in the shape of a “T”: 5 yards apart from one another in each direction.
2. Sprint 5 yards up (center cone)
3. Side shuffle 5 yards to the left (left cone)
4. Shuffle 10 yards to the right (right cone)
5. Shuffle 5 yards to the left (back to center cone)
6. Sprint back to the starting place (starting cone)

7. Repeat 3 times

Exercise #5: “Outside-In” Drill

1. Stand with feet shoulder width apart.
2. Jump from right to left (zigzagging forward) for 10 yards.  Repeat backwards.

3. Repeat steps 1-2 three times.

Perform the warm-up as indicated above.

Medicine Ball Workout: Use a 6, 8 or 10-pound medicine ball. Do 20 reps of each exercise in the order shown below. A complete circuit consists of one set of each movement without resting.  After completing the entire circuit, rest for 2 minutes and repeat the entire circuit a second time.  You can do this workout anytime or anyplace, because all you need is a medicine ball.

Exercise #1: Big Circles

1. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, hold a medicine ball with your arms extended directly above your head.
2. Without bending your elbows, rotate your arms counterclockwise, using the ball to draw large imaginary circles in front your body.

3. Do 10 circles in one direction, and then reverse direction (clockwise this time) and do 10 more

Exercise #2: Midline Woodchops

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. With your arms nearly straight, hold a medicine ball above your head.
2. Bend forward at your waist and mimic throwing the ball backward between your legs — but hold onto the ball the entire time.  This movement should mimic chopping wood with an axe (thus the name).

3. Quickly reverse the movement with the same intensity, and return to the starting position. That is 1 repetition.

Exercise #3: Standing Russian Twist

1. Hold a medicine ball with both hands in front of your chest with your arms straight.
2. Without dropping your arms, pivot on your right foot and rotate the ball and your torso as far as you can to the left.

3. Reverse direction: Pivot on your left foot and rotate all the way to the right. That is 1 repetition.

Exercise #4: Squat to Press

1. Stand holding a medicine ball close to your chest with both hands (place your feet just beyond shoulder-width apart).
2. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body until the tops of your thighs are at least parallel to the floor.
3. Then simultaneously drive your heels into the floor and push your body back to the starting position as you press the ball over your head.

4. Lower the ball back to the start. That is 1 repetition.

Exercise #5: Medicine-Ball Sit-up

1. Grab a medicine ball with both hands and lie on your back on the floor.
2. Bend your knees to 90 degrees, place your feet flat on the floor and hold the medicine ball against your chest.  You make need to brace your toes against the wall so that they don’t fly up into the air when you sit up.
3. Now perform a classic sit-up by raising your torso into a sitting position.

4. Lower it back to the start. That is 1 repetition.

Exercise #6: Rocky Solo

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight and hold a medicine ball with both hands just above your lap.
2. Twist your torso to the right and place the ball behind you. Then twist all the way to your left and pick the ball up and bring it back to the starting position. That’s 1 repetition.

3. Do 10 repetitions. Immediately do another 10 repetitions, but this time start by twisting with the ball to your left.

Exercise #7: Toe Touch

1. Grab a medicine ball, lie on your back and raise your legs so they’re pointing straight up and perpendicular to the floor. Hold the ball above your head with your arms straight (and don’t drop it!).
2. Without moving your legs or bending your elbows, simultaneously lift your arms and torso until the ball touches your toes.

3. Lower yourself back to the starting position. That is 1 repetition.

Exercise #8: 45-Degree Twist

1. Grab a medicine ball and sit on the floor. Lean back at a 45-degree angle, raise your legs and feet off the floor and hold the ball with both hands in front of your chest with your arms straight.
2. Without dropping your legs or arms, rotate the ball and your torso as far as you can to the right.

3. Then reverse direction, rotating all the way to the left. That’ is 1 repetition.

Exercise #9: Suitcase Crunch

1. Lie on your back with your legs straight. Use both hands to hold a medicine ball above your head and barely off the floor.
2. Simultaneously raise your torso and bend your right knee toward your chest as you bring the ball over your knee and toward your foot.

3. Reverse the movement and repeat, this time bending your left knee. That is 1 repetition.

Exercise #10: Diagonal Crunch

1. Grab a medicine ball and lie on the floor with your legs straight and spread wide. Roll onto your right hip and hold the ball with your arms straight at 10 o’clock above the top of your head.
2. To perform the movement, raise your arms and torso and then touch the ball to the floor between your legs.
3. Lower your body, but instead of rolling back onto your right hip, roll onto your left and hold the ball at 2 o’clock above your head before you repeat the movement. That is 1 repetition.

4. Repeat, alternating back and forth in this manner.

Perform the warm up as indicated above.

Hill Workout: Find the nearest hill (about 100 yards is ideal).

1. Sprint to the top and then walk down with hands overhead for deep breathing.

2. Rest for 60-90 seconds and repeat 6-10 times.

Stair Training:

1. Go to the nearest school (bleachers) or stairwell (preferably 75-100 stairs or steps).
2. Run at your fastest speed to the top of the stairs. Slowly jog back down the steps, catching your breath as you do so.

3. Repeat 10 times, alternating between running up every single step and then skipping every other step to increase muscle strength in your quads, hamstrings and gluteus.

Perform the warm-up as indicated above.

Who doesn’t love mixing the great outdoor into their workout?

Exercise #1: Dive Bomber Push Up

Works core, arms, shoulders, chest, back, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves

1. Begin with your hands and feet on the floor and your hips raised, so your body forms an inverted V.
2. Lower your shoulders, then glide your chest forward, bringing it between your hands and up toward the ceiling.
3. Keep hands 2 to 3 inches wider than your shoulders and your knees and hips 2 to 3 inches off the floor.

4. Reverse the move, bringing your hips back toward the ceiling.
   

Exercise #2: Mountain Press

Works core, chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, forearms, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves

1. Get in plank position with your feet together, your arms extended about a foot in front of you, shoulder-width apart on a secure stump or bench.
2. Bend your right knee in toward your chest then repeat with the left knee. That’s one rep. Go as fast as possible–as if you were running in place–for 20 reps.
3. Next, get into plank position with your hands under your shoulders and do five pushups.

4. Repeat the entire sequence.

Exercise #3: Downward Press

Stretches and strengthens entire body

1. Kneel facing a large log (a stable fallen branch or tree trunk is also okay) about two feet in front of you. Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the log, then straighten your legs so you’re in a downward-dog position with your neck in line with your spine.
2. Rise onto the balls of your feet.
3. Lift your right leg and bend your right knee until your thigh is parallel to the ground and your heel points toward the sky.
4. Hold for two counts. Lower your leg, coming down to flat (or as flat as possible) feet, and repeat on the other side.

5. That’s one rep. Do 10 reps.

Exercise #4: Bear Crawls

Works shoulders, back, arms, hip flexors and calves

1. Get down on all fours (hands and feet) and move forward like a bear (Yes, you’ll look like that kid from ‘The Jungle Book’). Sounds easy, right?
2. Move forward 20 yards then backwards 20 yards.
3. 
   

   Repeat 5 times

Exercise #5: Inverted Row

1. Find a railing or low branch that will support your weight.
2. Grab the bar from a lying position on the ground. Place your hands shoulder width apart with your palms facing out. Dig your heels into the ground. Keep your core tight by pulling your abs in to your back. Keep your back straight and strong throughout the movement.
3. Lift yourself up until the bar touches your chest. Lower yourself to your starting position.  Repeat the lift and lower motion for 15 repetitions.

4. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat at least two more sets.

Exercise #6: Suicide Runs

1. Perform full-speed sprints following the pattern in the diagram below.

2. Repeat 3 times.