Heidi Powell’s ‘Perk-Me-Up' Workout for When the Gym Is the Last Place You Want to Be
When it comes to staying in shape, Heidi Powell does not mess around. The 34-year-old author and [...]
When it comes to staying in shape, Heidi Powell does not mess around. The 34-year-old author and weight loss expert posted an Instagram Thursday, sharing that after two days of traveling, the last place she wanted to be was the gym.
"After 3 flights in 36 hours, my body feels exhausted and my muscles feel flat," Powell said. "My mind and emotions feel equally as (or more) exhausted and flat. THE LAST thing I wanted to do at 9pm tonight was workout...but usually the last thing we WANT to do is the first thing we NEED to do."
She went on to explain that normally she doesn't encourage workouts that work every muscle in your body at once. But for extreme situations like this, she's OK with it. "And since I know the truth in 'you NEVER regret a good workout,' I got my buns to the gym here in Huntington Beach. Tonight I jumped outside of my box and broke my own rules...by working every body part I could think of in one swoop. While I don't usually do this, it gave a nice little shock to each of my muscle groups and forced extra blood flow throughout my entire body. Bottomline, it made me feel good, energized, and pumped."
"I call this my Late Night Total Body Perk-Me-Up. Not to be confused with "pick-me-up" (considering I'm nearly sleeping through half of these workouts)."
Check out Heidi Powell's Late Night Total Body Perk-Me-Up workout:
PART ONE
Shoulder Press: 5 x 5 increase weights, drop set at the end.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with feet about hip-width apart. Bend your elbows and raise your upper arms to shoulder height so the dumbbells are at ear level. Push the dumbbells up and in, directly over your head, and then lower then dumbbells back to ear level. That is one rep.
Lateral Pull Down: 5 x 10-15 increase weights each set.
Grab the bar of the lateral pull down machine with your palms facing forward. Sit your torso back and stick out your chest. Bring the bar down and squeeze your back muscles — only your arms should move (not your chest or torso). Pause for one second, then slowly bring the bar back to the top. That's one rep.
Cable Row, superset with reverse flyes: 4 x 15 for each move.
Sitting at a low pulley rowing machine, pull the cable toward your torso, squeezing those back muscles. Slowly go back to starting position. That's one rep. Next, lie on your stomach on an incline bench. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, extend your arms so they're perpendicular to the bench. Move the weights out and away from each other, squeezing your shoulder blades. That's one rep.
PART TWO — 3 GIANT SETS of the following
Hip Thrusts: 15
Sitting on the ground in front of a barbell bunch, lay a barbell slightly above your hips. Sit back against the bench and thrust your hips upward, supporting your weight in your shoulder blades and feet. Bring your hips and the barbell back down. That's one rep.
Abductors: 15 each way
Sitting at the abductor machine, grip the handlebars with both hands. Bring your legs away from each other, pausing to feel the contraction. Slowly return to starting position. That's one rep.
Glute Kickbacks: 12 each leg
Standing at the glute kickback machine, place one foot in the foothold. Slowly move your leg backward, feeling the burn in your glutes and thigh. Return to starting position. That's one rep.
PART THREE
Lateral Delt Raises: 3 x 20
Holding a dumbbell in each hand, raise both arms out to the side, pausing when your arms are parallel to your shoulders. Slowly bring back down to starting position. That's one rep.
Sleep!
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