If you stuffed yourself with stuffing, went nuts on mom’s potato casserole and freebased enough pumpkin pie to kill a small horse, chances are you’re feeling a little sluggish. Another telling sign that you went a bit far might come if you dare to step sheepishly on the scale. But a bit of weight gain doesn’t mean that all is lost. Though you might still have to do the rounds with those distant relatives whose names you can never quite remember and the specter of work or school next week is creeping up, you could do yourself a lot of good in very little time with these simple yet effectives moves:
Photo: AMP Fitness
Kettlebell Swing
If you ski or snowboard, paddle or play any sport involving jumping, you need to be able to create explosive power from the hips while maintaining the integrity of a solid hinge that doesn’t involve rounding your lower back. Enter the trusty ol’ KB swing, which combines elements of the deadlift, vertical jump and good morning in an athletic do-it-all exercise. To do it:
—Place a kettlebell on the floor a few inches in front of you
—Stand with your feet straight and shoulder width apart
—Screw your feet into the ground to create stabilizing torque at the hips
—Hinge at the hips and, keeping your back flat, reach down and pick up the kettlebell with your left hand
—Pulling your hamstrings back, hike the bell between your legs like a football player
—As soon as your active arm touches your torso, squeeze your glutes (butt muscles) as hard as you can and explode from the hips, but don’t allow your feet to leave the ground
—Keeping your arm straight, use the momentum from the butt squeeze to swing the bell upwards until it’s at chest height
—Return to the “hike” position and repeat
—Accumulate 10 reps and then switch sides. To make the move more intense, try to make the downward portion of the exercise just as fast as the second half – think vertical jump max
Check out this video to sort out your swing
Photo: Fitgirlcode.com
Burpee
In the realm of go-anywhere exercises (or “hotel WODs, as they’re know in the CrossFit community), the burpee is hard to beat. It requires you to be both competent and explosive in several fundamental movement archetypes with its unique combination of a squat, pushup and leap. Instead of just mindlessly banging out as many reps as you can, try to focus on your form, as the burpee is also one of the most error-prone exercises and you don’t want to be driving or flying back from Thanksgiving with a shoulder tweak or blown low back. To do the burpee right:
—Do a quarter squat and, keeping your back flat, place your hands on the floor beneath your shoulders
—Shoot your feet backwards so you’re in a plank position
—Drop into the bottom of a pushup
—Explosively press your upper body off the floor and as you do so, jump forward
—As your feet end up where your hands were, stand up and perform a small vertical jump
—Repeat the series from the beginning
—Perform 10 burpees, adding more volume and speed if your technique stays solid
Photo: Youtube
Pull Up
There’s a reason the military still requires recruits to perform pullups even though there’s nothing new or trendy about them – they’re one of the best expressions of the overhead archetype and demonstrate both upper body strength and postural control. The pullup is also extremely versatile. If your in-laws or whoever you’re staying with for the holiday weekend don’t have a bar, just head to a local park and take advantage of the play equipment. To do the pullup right:
—Wrap both hands around the bar, getting your pinkie knuckle over it using your thumb to lock in an overhand grip
—Retracting your shoulder blades back and down, pull yourself up until your chin is level or just above the bar
—As you’re doing so, make sure your legs are straight, your abs are engaged and your toes are pointed so you’re in the lumbar-spine saving hollow hold position
—Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position, keeping your gaze straight ahead and maintaining the hollow body posture
—Repeat for 10 reps. To shake things up, pull up until your chest is touching the bar, pause at any point for a few seconds, or alter your grip or the width of your hand position
