Stretching and Lifting – Basement Series

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Here is the next installment of the Basement Series – a day of Stretching and Lifting. We started adding in these stretching and lifting days because we were getting really tight from all the training. It is our desire to continue developing our strength while also finding time for stretching.

So, how did we go about this? We took the base model from our 10,000 Kettlebell Swing Challenge and we swapped out all the kettlebell swings for stretching movements.

This means that during this 60-minute workout you will have 30 rounds of stretching. A pretty effective way to add in 30 stretching movements into an hour.

Stretching and Lifting Workout #1

We will bring you some different variations of this workout as we develop them. Our workouts are primarily constructed to hit 4 major bodyparts. First, chest (normally some kind of pressing movement to hit this area – think push-ups, dips, kettlebell presses, etc.). Second, we tackle the back (normally some kind of pulling movement, think pull-ups, banded pull-downs, etc.). Third, shoulders (we mix this one up with presses – kettlebell strict press or some kind of pulling movement – banded forward arm raises). Fourth, lower body (here we will use a variety of movements to target our hips and own – goblet squats, sissy squats, lunges, etc.)

So, for our stretching sessions, we want to mirror the strength section targeted with a corresponding stretching session.

This week’s total session looked like this:

8-Minute Cycle

1. Two-Arm banded shoulder stretch (loop a moderate to heavy resistance band around a pull-up bar or from an elevated position. Place both hands into the loop and pull to tension. Then, bending at the hips lower your chest towards the floor. Allow the band to pull against your hands. you will feel this stretch through the shoulders) – this is a shoulder stretch that will connect with the shoulder movement at the 8-minute mark;
2. Push-ups/Dips (first round you will do push-ups and the next round you will do dips);
3. Wall chest stretch (here is a good video for this movement) – this is a chest stretch that matches the Push-ups/Dips movement above. This cycle will continue with the strength movement followed by a stretch;
4. Goblet kettlebell holds walking lunge. For this movement, you will hold a kettlebell close to your chest. Holding the weight in that position you will do your alternating walking lunges;
5. Pigeon stretch. (here is a good video of this stretch);
6. Pull-ups. If you are unable to do full pull-ups look for some modifications like heavy banded rows, negatives, etc.;
7. Wall-ball/Exercise ball backstretch. We like to use a wall ball for this due to its firmness. But, you can certainly use an exercise ball (here is a great video of this stretch); and
8. Kettlebell strict shoulder press. Pretty simple here. Just ensure that you are targeting both arms during each round.

This is the cycle that we used this week. This cycle gets repeated until you hit the 60-minute mark (or any other mark you have set for yourself).

Conclusion:

We have really enjoyed adding these weekly sessions into our routine. Like most people, we were neglecting our stretching in favor of more strength movements. This creates great “mirror” results, but you will quickly learn that tightness throughout the body is a bad thing.  In order to be complete, we need to have a balance between strength and flexibility. This is a small step in the right direction towards that important balance.

If you enjoyed this article then check out our other Basement Series articles. We will continue to add more as we create them.