30-Minute Strength-Training Workout With Weights

Join group fitness expert Raneir Pollard for a challenging strength-training workout.

Okay, all let’s, get right into it. With some good dynamic warm-up. We’re gonna get at the back of our mat. Crawl forward drop those hips to an up dog. I like to let the hips shift forward. Squeeze my butt for a moment: walk back, try to keep your hands flat to the ground as long as you can’t, bend the knees and stand all the way up now, right in front of me, you’ll notice that Brittany Is doing the modified version of both of these activities and right behind me, Mikhail, is gonna be standing right with me.

We’re starting off and there’s, no need to modify unless um. You feel like you, don’t want to bring that chest up high and you want to bend those elbows just a little bit and if you want to listen to your lower back, not feeling comfortable feel free to get into that.

And last one here come on back crawl. It drop push through those heels and stand up high now pushing through the heels is always what I want with all of your squats and speaking of which our next activity and warm-up we’re gonna start, with our feet together hand straight out, Like we just pushed now step to the side, drive your elbows in keep your chest up like a row and exhale to stand side to side inhale and exhale and again you get to decide to speed right now.

We’re, not here for cardio. We are here for strength training. I’m, trying to activate that back. That mid back is all about making sure you have a nice tall stance with your posture. How low are you able to drop those hips as you drive those elbows in and you keep your chest up high? My questions are not rhetorical.

I want you to show me. I am watching you, it’s very creepy. I can see you. I can see you get down low and open up these hips open up this front body. As you drive those elbows back last couple moments here: side to side, we go side to side.

We go keep that breathing. I want that to be a top concern. Don’t, let yourself hold your breath. It is not that time right now you breathe and become more powerful by using that power instrument of your breath, laughs one here and right now the legs are warm, so we get back to this crawl.

No more up dog, we’re gonna. Do a Superman, so walk it forward lie down, try to go sternum first, hip last Superman squeeze that back body. Squeeze that booty push up high, walk it back and sit down low.

Now, if you can drop your hips lower than those knees and that feels comfortable for you – please indulge me in that. But if that’s, not where your range of motion is feel free to just try to take it as low as you feel comfortable.

But a nice goal is getting your hips at least to the height of the knees. Okay, just rock in that body coming forward Superman and pushing it right back up. I let my back round just a little bit when I push back up out of the Superman just to take my spine, an opposite ranges of motion so open the chest.

Then I push close the chest: walk it back, drop this booty low hands to prayer, just a few more to go. And yes, I do want your heels planted when you get back to that squat. If you’re, having trouble with that most likely taking your feet a little couple, inches wider will help you out with that.

Let’s, get another one. We got the time, walk it out remember this is still warm up and we are not here for cardio, we’re here for strength, training and when you think about what that should mean for your workout slow it down.

Press stand on up slow down, try to get as deep into your range of motions as possible each time now I want you to drive your elbows down your back and open your chest. Just like you’d, be doing if you’re on a lot pulldown machine and when you squat, I want you to reach overhead don’t feel pressure to look straight forward.

You can look kind of at a 45 degree angle towards the ground, keep the neck comfortable. So I’m, inhaling as I get down, because that’s. Gon na fill my body and help me stretch and reach reach reach exhale come on up, pull those elbows down there, your back, so my hands are really trying to go almost towards the back of the room.

So I’m, not only reaching high. I’m, pulling my hands towards the back, getting a little bit more activation through my back body. More than halfway there you’ll notice. I pull my elbows down as I come up high.

I just want to get as much out of that back as I can yes feeling it hello how low you gonna go, though hello. Are you gonna go last moments here? Oh and final inhale exhale. I stand tall very nice now from those squat positions.

We’re gonna get into our first exercise and it involves a deadlift and a row. So we ‘ Ve got two big ol muscle groups that are working primarily here and they are both in the back of your body. I want you to respect that by grabbing on to some significant weight and the majority of this workout is designated for a significant kind of weight.

So just open. We’re gonna lift those hips look towards the ground one row: let it down and squeeze that butt and stand tall. So a nice deadlift lift those hips drive the elbows and high and again just like.

I was saying before it’s, not cardio its strength, training, so look for consistency in movement, more of a steady-state training, not a high-intensity hit. Okay, one drive of the elbows at the very bottom.

I’m, even keeping my elbows close to the body, which is just more of a signal that I can handle some big ol ways here. We do have longer intervals. So, if anything is not feeling beautiful and good, you just slow it down.

Take a bigger pause and you’re at the very top. What I’m coming up, I’m. Not even thinking stand up. All I think is squeeze that black boom. Okay and it my bottle. Do the rest pull. Let it down and squeeze one thing: I see a lot of people that start to stand up before they let their arms all the way down and let you let them all the way down these time, one more pull it down and squeeze okay.

So this is the part where you can drop the weight for like 10 seconds. If you’d, like all that we’re gonna do with each set is increase the amount of time that your elbows are high. We’re gonna pull that’s, a very pop, so let’s start with two seconds: come on down, inhale exhale pulse two one down and squeeze that button.

So right now, every time I stand up, I’m, giving myself just a quick moment and going right back down. If you don’t feel you’re ready for that pacing. You spend more time at the top. No shame in that game because when you’re standing on top, you’re, squeezing that, but you’re still getting some work done.

When you stand back up, you’re lifting your chest, depressing, your shoulders down your back. So there’s, always something working. If you’re doing this right squeeze it come right back into it, just A two, A one.

A down let’s, squeeze it less than ten seconds remaining yeah 201 down the you should hear the side of my voice, this beautiful PopSugar, music and the sound of your breathing exhale and rest. I’m gonna rest.

My hands for a hot second, you can shake out these hands. If you like, okay, how you don’t, do it? Are you don’t? Do it? Are you gonna? Do it? Oh, my god that was such an embarrassing to our TV movie.

Now we’re gonna grab those weights, and it just goes to a three second: let’s, get it go three two one and bring it back up now, when I’m going between exercises and giving an explanation, If you feel like you, couldn’t last longer in these sets, you can keep working.

Do my explanations, you, don’t have to have the same pause breaks. I’m here to collaborate with you and these workouts. I want you to push yourself toward your limits respectfully and responsibly. So if that is that you’d like to move fast, you like these work interval slots longer.

I support you and all that you do. If that means you can go grab heavier weights, I definitely support you. Let’s effect this body off you get what you give in this life, so give a lot to this work up.

So we can give a lot of these results right back. Let’s, get one more in there, lift the hips pulse it three two one. I’m down good, so we’re about to go to that interval. Those biceps may start to feel it to just really focus on getting these elbows up high okay, that was enough of a break grab on pick it up.

Squeeze that butt and go. You know one of the funniest things I see when I’m teaching, our people that we’re in the midst of practicing. A really good hinge the proper way to pick up a heavy piece of equipment, but when they put their weights on the ground and pick them back up, they do it with really sloppy form.

Watch the way you’re picking up your weights as well. Are you using the form that we’re teaching you right now, bending those knees trying to keep that back in a nice controlled position? I hope you are it’s not about just learning how to be stronger in the midst of a workout, just learning how to be stronger in your everyday life.

I want you to use this form when you’re. Picking up your groceries, Bettany’s. Knees, get your legs ready to help your back. Let ‘ S have to use weight last. One here pulse it on four three: two one has down squeeze that but stand tall and let’s get down to the flow, so we’ve been working.

The back and this next exercise is gonna, combine all the muscles on the back body, and then we’re gonna flip right over and work the muscles of the front body so hands up hips up high. I want you to reach one arm at a time to the back of the room.

My hips are gonna stay consistently high. I inhale, as I reach overhead, to try to get my body to be as long as possible. Now, if you feel you can control these weights well, but you don’t feel comfortable touching the ground that’s.

Okay, you don’t have to that’s, the way to modify it just a bit, but I would love for you to try to keep these arms long. If you got to bend it there’s. No shame in that game. It will make you use more triceps and using more triceps will make you hate the next exercise.

Even more, but hey there’s, always some sacrifice to be made. Okay, there’s, always some benefit and some consequence to everything in life. So sometimes you ‘ Ve got to choose your route. You hear me, I’m, being philosophical keep moving! Thank you rest.

Now. We’re gonna turn over, and these are gonna be our first shorter intervals of today. I want one pushup and then one reach with the hand switch hands every time. Let’s, get a quick 20 seconds in here.

Maybe 25 low, exhale high, so Brittney’s on those knees. But if you want to be on the toes, you can definitely just put those feet a little bit wider and that will modify it a bit and also you can do the push-up on the knees then pick up your knees for that reach.

If you can handle that one more here and rest, I did an odd number of push-ups. I will start, on the other hand, when I reach for this second set. The second set starts in five seconds. You you’re ready, let’s, get on it and go get low, then reach it as you push the ground away and lift that hand that’s, the best time to exhale right, I’m, not Just thinking about the hand that’s lifting the hand that’s on the ground, I’m, really pushing that into the ground, okay and try to gain control of the center of my body and last one here.

Okay rest, so we’re gonna turn over get right back on our back and reach to the back of the room. This time I want you to have the option of taking the same side leg as the hand that goes overhead up with you, tick make it nice and controlled.

I like to keep my me at the same angle, like 90 degree angle, that I have it in when it’s. My foot is on the ground. It stays at that whole time and that just takes a little bit more work from the core.

The more you have a goal or are making the body do what you want it to do, rather than whatever it’s. Trying to just make happen that’s, the more muscle that you are activating and calling upon your recruiting get this body to do what you want it to do.

You’re in charge. This is your instrument. The best instrument you’re ever gonna, be given to learn how to control it. Okay use your breath once again inhale. Take it back. Exhale back to Center dude, you’ll eat this.

A nice long interval cuz it’s, calm. You can just catch your breath and feel good. Okay, uh-huh there’s, a method to my madness y’all and rest. Now we’re gonna turn. Over get back to the pushup from the reach, but I want you guys to have the option of adding your opposite leg.

You’re gonna really want to exhale when you’re lifting the opposite arm and leg and feel control of the limbs there off staying on the ground so get low. Exhale then inhale lower exhale high exhale. I’m, locking the knee of the leg that stays on the ground and I’m, focusing in on that foot, not turning Wow, my opposite arm and leg are in the air.

Let’s. Get one more here breath good show: we’re doing one more round of those. I know they’re hard, but they’re worth it. Okay, fill everything about body, working three two and go, and if this is your second third time doing, this, video plus some of y ‘

All are on like the 50th time of semi videos and you’re. Getting strong and you don’t need that ten second break don’t. Take it keep moving! Oh yes, I love. When I hear from people who have taken the video they’re like I was working harder than you the whole time I’m joking, no one ‘

S ever said that I have heard. I laugh at my jokes to know that people say: oh last, one yeah yeah bring it down with control rest. Now let’s stand up, so we feel good. We’re feeling flexible. We’re feeling, like at our break, is appropriate with all the drip drip that’s.

Coming and now we’re gonna have a little bit of balance as we’re in a split squat, and we’re, dropping that knee as low as we feel comfortable as we bicep curl. So the majority of my weights on that front leg I’m.

Doing the right leg notice. My left heel is high. My left knee is active. When I’m standing tall coming down low, I’d, write back up. How low can you go? Maybe you’re, still feeling those biceps from what we were doing those roads.

Don ‘ T worry, you are not alone. Renier feels it to anybody else. You don’t have to sit you don’t have to say you feel it just cuz. I have you can be like no Renier okay, but let me just let me just say using some twenty, so okay, these weights are significant for at least the higher rep work up.

Baby boo. Okay, let’s, get one more here! Oh and right now we’re gonna come down on the knee. I still keep my right foot in front, but my left leg is giving me a lot of support. I’m, flexing that glute.

We’re gonna. Do a shoulder press, let’s, stay straight up and down so meet in front, come out and press open and push. I just breathe it through y’all right, oh yeah, baby! How tall can you stay? Let yourself get supported on that left leg.

Oh one, more good one! I’m, going to give you a short break just ten seconds. Rest! Okay, one more time. If you want to increase your speed – and you have that in you and the forms gonna look right, please do it ready second set: go that’s! It yes, breathe through hot right back in front the body and push just lead out.

As Arnold presses, we get a little bit of anterior delt. I bring it back to the front and then push it up to the sky to the lockout. Those elbows try to lock out those triceps. Oh yes, maybe one more come on yeah yeah.

I rest. Okay! Let’s. Come on up. We’re gonna train legs. Left foot is forward. Our right knees gonna get as low as we feel comfortable as we bicep curl ready go. Well. I like to take my knee down and tap it gently to the ground.

Just show off that range of motion. If that’s, not comfortable for you find the level that is how low you feel comfortable going, we’re, going all the way through on a nice long interval here, because I know those biceps can take it, because both of these.

Ladies just that they didn’t feel it okay, I’ll. Never forget I’ll. Never forget! I heard you: okay, let’s, get it y ‘ All oh, and if you don’t feel it either that’s, a good sign that next time you need to pick up some heavier weight.

You heard me let’s, go oh and final one. Ah I’d. Say I’m talk. Okay, we get back on to that me. I got if you aren’t comfortable on the knee. You can take a towel, you can fold the mat, get a little extra cushion and now left shoulder press.

It huh push it back down nice. The kneeling is one of those positions where you don’t realize how much balance it is until you almost fall off balance. They’re like oh. This is balance training I get it.

Okay, I’m very concerned. Put my torso tape staying tight, my right, glute staying active and me just staying tall. We get one more yeah, okay, little rest here again. If you don’t need that rest. Don’t.

Take it you don’t, got to be a follower in this life. Don’t, be afraid to be an individual y ‘ All be your own dang second set. Can you speed it up? Go only beat it up. If you felt really comfortable okay, I get maybe one or two extra reps in but don’t, get it twisted holding high to the sky, that’s, good work! So having a nice pause on these weights, our overhead is always a good idea.

Yep come on. Let’s, go one more! Oh one! More yeah, okay, press, nice! Okay off we’re gonna actually stay on the ground. I mean we’re already here we might as well when you get some more good core training.

We’re, starting at a modified plank side plank my left arm directly. Underneath my left shoulder. I got a dumbbell in front my body. What I want you to do, grab that dumbbell come under your body, pull it in and push it up.

Now you have the option when you push it up to the sky of raising that right, leg, nice – and I again this – is about exploring your range of motion getting into your obliques, so no need to rush, especially on the way down, really try to reach under That body towards the back of the room, who you can feel that glute work as you lift that leg.

If you’re choosing that option we’re more than halfway there pull it. I push this to the sky there. It is come on nice, breathing up, exhale high less than 10 seconds remain, whoo, bring it and a push down and around bring it and a push.

I lied. I’m, adding one on because I can I’m in charge. Okay Brigid, I don’t push and down, and when it goes down to the ground, it’s at rest. Now, from there we’re gonna stay on the same side and do a side plank.

These are only gonna be 25 seconds long. You can do side, click on the elbow or, on the hand, push the ground away, lift those hips high and hold whoo. Now I’m trying to stack my legs, which is a little higher level shoulders down the back.

I’m, squeezing my butt. It should feel like you’re standing tall, even though you’re on your side. Push into that ground, okay, whether it’s, your elbow or your hand. Less than 10 seconds remaining reaching high towards the sky, pushing your left hand into the ground.

4. 3. 2. 1. Good news, one more set on this side. That could be the good or the bad news. I guess you get Fisher, the glass half empty, her glass, half-full person, okay, now pushing the ground ready and go now.

If you want to try it on your hand, but you’re, not ready for your feet to be stacked. You could always separate the feet. It’ll, make it a little bit easier, but these dips do it practice that higher level? Oh here it is okay.

I feel that we got 10 seconds follow. You know what is ten seconds in this short life we have to live, but something to enjoy and rest. Okay, we’re gonna turn over. I’m, giving you a nice break because we’re about to have this left arm push the dumbbell to the sky and that left arm was just working pretty hard.

So let’s start setting up right hand underneath the shoulder left hand in front the body reach underneath and pull and push it high. Again, you have that option of racing that left leg as you go up to the sky with that dumbbell, and I just alluded to something I’m, always trying to speak about these moments when were working.

How these are time to enjoy. You got to work out the rest of your life. We don’t want to drag this experience. You want to look forward to it. This is new time. Okay and if you can enjoy challenges like this in life, imagine how much more you’re gonna enjoy things that are actually just incredibly fun, with no hard work attached to it.

You know what I’m, saying I’m sure you do that’s, your last one right there and hello. So, on the right hand, side plank. We start in three two hello. Oh so again we’re. Looking for a pristine posture shoulders down the back chest, open booty is squeezed.

I want you to try to turn on as much your body as possible. Okay, not only focus on the fact that our shoulder is most likely feeling this the most. We got five, four squeeze that butt three lock, those quads and these down rest huh, one more of those to go.

We got that. I know I mean. Why am i acting like this is so hard and hold, and you can just feel the end incoming we’re about to stretch it’s. Gon na feel so good. Everybody’s excited about it. I’m McVerry excited about it.

Just push into the ground. Oh dad come on. Keep those hips up high finish this off here: five for a free, a tool, a one and down, oh goodness, okay, oh, we’re gonna stand up and get ourselves a nice standing stretch.

We ‘ Ve got a lot of oblique work today, a lot of side body work. So let’s start with these legs wide. First, I want you to push your hips to the right, reach your right hand to the left and take a big breath as you reach your right hand even further, so inhale reach, reach, reach, reach, reach, stretch that side body exhale come up and around and take That left hand to the right, your hips to the left and let’s.

Do the same thing: inhale reach, reach, reach, reach, reach, exhale come up and around and again we’re gonna reach. This time you can look down at your left leg for that left foot, and I want you to bend your right knee.

I want you to get as low as you feel comfortable. If you can lift the outside of your left leg, do it try to keep the upper body open to the front of the room, inhale one more time, exhale come up and around and switch.

I’m gonna look at that right foot and I’m gonna bend. My left knee keep my upper body open to the front of room. If you can lift the outside that right foot, you can do it shift as much weight onto that left leg as possible, inhale and exhale to sim Sala.

That may be where you want to stop with that progression. If you want to go one more level high lift that left toe, keep your left leg long! You’re, going to reach your left hand for your right foot, as that right hand reaches overhead staying open the front of room just like before feel that increased stretch in your left hamstring, big, deep breath reaching in both directions.

That right hand reaches to the left, exhale up and around and again right toe up right hand reaching for the left, heel and left hand reaching for that right wall. Oh yes, one of my favorites keep that chest is open to the front of room, as you can nice deep breath reach with that deep breath, reach reach, reach, reach, reach exhale and come on up now I’m, going to squeeze your booty bend.

Your knees, gently and reach to the front of the room as you try to look back or maybe up to the sky, squeeze that button. How far back can you go? Inhale, deep breath and exhale come back forward and let’s.

Just hang right here, my neck is resting, comfortably just hanging and I can grab my opposite of with my hands. Just let the upper body hang, the lower body has the majority of your weight. My hips are up high and then I want you, as your upper body, is just hanging to bring your feet in towards each other one step at a time make it calm, make it calm when your feet are under your shoulders.

Just hang there let your head! Hang heavy, let your arms just hang! Now let go of those elbows. Those hands just come down shake your head. Yes, you’re just so happy about that amazing workout and you’ve, taken it all that positive energy shake your head.

No for any negative thoughts you’re having because you don’t have time for negativity in your life that is not going to serve you. Let’s! Shake our head! Yes, one more time because we love to end on a positive and then slight bed, underneath starting with that low back, keep that neck hanging heavy got that lumbar spine, thoracic spine then end with that cervical grab those hands inhale.

Squeeze that butt reach back one more time inhale exhale forward, and thank you so much for joining me today. [ Applause ], you

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