Combined Power

When time is of the essence, try these four essential hybrid exercises

#1 WORK YOUR ABS AND CHEST

Swiss-Ball Pushup/Jackknife
 Get into pushup position--your hands set slightly wider than and in line with your shoulders--but
instead of placing your feet on the floor, rest your shins on a Swiss ball. Start with your arms straight
and your back flat.
 Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor.
 Pause, then push yourself back up to the starting position.
 Now, lift your hips up as high as you can and pull your feet toward you by rolling the ball as
close to your torso as possible.
 Pause, then roll the ball back to the starting position. That's one repetition.
 Do two sets of 10 to 12 repetitions.
To build more muscle: Try the bench press/reverse crunch. Lie on a bench with your feet in the air, a
medicine ball or dumbbell between your knees, and a barbell or dumbbells held up at arm's length.
Lower the weights to your chest, then do a reverse crunch--curl your hips up and in toward your torso.
Lower your hips to the bench, then raise the bar to arm's length and repeat.
 

#2 WORK YOUR LOWER BACK, GLUTEALS, HAMSTRINGS, AND SHOULDERS

Good Morning/Behind-the-Neck Press
 Hold a barbell across the back of your shoulders, as if you were about to do a squat.
 Slowly bend forward at the hips and lower your chest as far as you can while keeping your
lower back flat.
 Lift your upper body back to the starting position.
 Press the bar above your head until your arms are almost completely straight.
 Lower the bar back to the starting position. That's one repetition.
 Do two or three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions.
To make it easier on your shoulders and lower back: Try the Romanian deadlift/bent-over row. Hold a
barbell at arm's length against the front of your thighs. Bend at the hips as you lower the bar until it's just
below your knees. Pull the bar up to your abdomen. Slowly lower it to arm's length, then straighten your
hips as you return to the starting position.
 

#3 WORK YOUR BACK, BICEPS, AND ENTIRE LOWER BODY

Dumbbell Power Clean/Box Jump/Squat
 Grab a pair of light dumbbells and stand about 6 inches behind a sturdy box or step that's 12 to
18 inches high. Hold the dumbbells at your sides and bend your knees slightly.
 Jump up on the box by dipping your knees and swinging your arms forward. Allow your
momentum to carry your arms up and bend your elbows so that when you land on the box, your upper
arms are parallel to the floor and the dumbbells rest above your shoulders.
 Keep the dumbbells in the same position and perform squats by lowering your body until your
thighs are parallel to the floor. Step down off the box.
 Do four or five sets of four to six repetitions, completing up to four squats after each jump. So
a set of four cleans and jumps could include up to 16 squats.
To build more muscle: Try the power clean and squat, without the jump. That way you can use heavier
weights for the clean.
 

#4 WORK YOUR LOWER BODY, UPPER BACK, AND BICEPS

Jump Squat/Sternum Chinup
 Stand under a chinup bar with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands at your sides.
 Lower your body by bending your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor, then jump up
to the chinup bar so that your palms are facing you and shoulder-width apart when you grab it.
 Using the momentum from your jump, pull yourself up until your chest touches the bar. You'll
have to arch backward to pull this off.
 Lower yourself to the starting position, then repeat.
 Do one or two sets of 12 to 15 repetitions. This one is tough on your palms, so consider gloves.
To build more muscle: Lower yourself slowly on the chinup--take up to 10 seconds. Or do three or four
chinups after each jump.