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Table of Contents
1.Disclaimer32.Testimonials....43.About Me..104.Introduction...155.Compound Exercises.236.Pulling Exercises...797.Core Exercises...928.Core Stabilization Exercises..100
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Disclaimer
I (Ines Subashka) strongly recommend that you
consult with your physician before beginning any
exercise program.
You should be in good physical condition and be able
to participate in the exercise.
I (Ines Subashka) am not a licensed medical care
provider and represents that it has no expertise in
diagnosing, examining, or treating medical conditions
of any kind, or in determining the effect of any
specific exercise on a medical condition.
You should understand that when participating in
any exercise or exercise program, there is the
possibility of physical injury.
If you engage in this exercise or exercise program,
you agree that you do so at your own risk, are
voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all
risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and
discharge me (Ines Subashka) from any and all claims
or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of
the content mentioned below
.
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Testimonials
Read the stories of other women like you and how
they gained their confidence back.
Alisia Kovacheva
I was a follower of Ines for a long time, but I never
found the courage to start working out with her. One
day I decided that I wanted to become fitter and
healthier because I was getting fatter with eachpassing day. Initially I was scared and everything
seemed so hard. The time it took others to finish a
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workout, was the time it took me just to complete the
warm up. But as the time went by, I was getting
better. The results became obvious and the fat was
melting off. I felt better and the Facebook page,
together with the daily posts kept me motivated.
Then I had a moment, when I became worried about
getting bulky. I like defined muscles, but everybody
told me I will become muscular as a man. And thats
when Ines posted one of her articles about womenand lifting weights, where I saw the video of a
beautiful woman- a bikini model. She said that she
was scared of weights, but she decided to give it a try
and if she doesnt like it she could always back off. I
followed her advice and Ive never looked back!
Ive been working out like this for two years and I amfar from bulky or too muscular. I and people around
me find my body to be athletic, strong and sexy and I
feel healthier.
Maya Zlatanova
Ive always believed that people are good on the
inside and instead of getting older, with time,they get
prettier and stronger. When I first met Ines, she was
an intelligent girl, who knew where she was going
and has made her decision of the life she wanted to
have and the kind of people that she wanted to be
surrouned with. Now, a few months later, she has
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become a really beautiful woman, a great
businessman and a role model for all of us.And this
transformation is not only because of her perfect body
or positive attitude, it's because she is one of the rare
people recognizing their mission to lead others in
their quest for a better life, by helping them find their
path to health and happiness. The training with Ina is
more than just exercises, it is attitude, belief. It is a
way to become true to your body and yourself. Iadmire her dedication and perseverance and
everything she does-this is what I call success- not just
having ideas, but making them real. Thank you, Ines,
for giving me the opportunity of being a part of
something so real and special!-
Milena Karpacheva
For me working out is my sacred time. It is the place
of harmony, strength, self-discovery. The moment
when I am all by myself and I go on a journey to the
furthest corners of my soul. Ive been through a lot of
mental states, while working out. Theyve all helped
me grow and become better. But just now, I can say
that I feel I am doing my best. And the reason for this
is called ,Ines Subashka.
She hasnt invented something revolutionary, but she
teaches you how to listen to your body, how to be
conscious, how to work out just for yourself, while
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still fighting to be stronger, better, closer to your best
potential.
I was a successful competitor. I was strong,
motivated, and I still am. But I wasnt even half of
what I am now and what I know I can become. Youd
ask why? Because when you work out for yourself
you are always motivated to give your best. It doesnt
matter who will beat, if you cant conquer your own
self.
And exactly this point of view, crossed my path with
Ines. In her, I see a mirror, a teacher, who is
flourishing in front of my eyes- as a person and an
athlete. And I am just floating on the current,
following the steps, because every fight is important,every day matters in the quest of achieving my best
self!
Ines is the motivator, the spice, that was missing in
my life, so I can find the courage to make one step
forward, while in the same time backing off to take a
more critical view on myself. I even got mad atmyself, because I knew I could be more- I saw it in
her eyes, and thats when I realized I needed more
time, patience and consistency.
I could hear how she was talking to me without
uttering a sound you are doing great, but you can
do it even better and I liked it, because I dont want
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to get to a point where I wont have more room to
grow.
Thank you, Ines! You are the real proof for my belief,
that small things, add up for great success!-
Dolya Pipileva
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Before I met Ines, I used to do ineffective cardio andmy nutrition consisted of just chicken twice a week, a
lot of doughy products and sweets. Initially, I was a
bit hesitant and nervous, because I wasnt used to
avoiding some foods, but the biggest worry came
from the idea of lifting weights. I was afraid I will
become too muscular and lose my feminine look. I
was afraid that I might have the opposite of the
desired effect. That is why for a long time, I was just
following Ines publications, but I nevertook an
action. I read one of her posts about the benefits of
lifting weights for women and I decided I had
nothing to lose. Thats when I started lifting weights
with her and the only thing I lost is the unwanted fatand the inches from my butt and thighs, that were
really problematic spots for me. Ive been working
out with Ines, for about an year and Ive never felt or
looked better. And the most important thing is that
my health improved and I forgot what it is to be sick.
Besides that I do not need to starve anymore- I eat
real food, as much as I need and I dont worry I willgain weight. Ines is beautiful and motivating and she
hasnt stopped being by my side, believing in me,
even when I lost faith in myself. I am so thankful for
her. I am happy I know Ines and that I made the
decision to work out with her, because this step
changed the quality and the direction of my life.
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About Me
My name is Ines Subashka. My passion for sports and
nutrition comes from an early age. Ive played almost
any sport you could imagine. You name it, I played it!
I am a certified personal trainer and I am on a mission
to spread my workout and nutrition philosophy.
Somewhere along the way, we stopped eating real
food. We are troubled to recognize basic, natural, and
nutritious fare, instead plucking processed, chemical
products off of store shelves and calling it food. My
goal is to help as many people as I could, pay
attention to the nutrition choices they make.
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I am a strong believer that no matter if you are a
professional athlete, a teacher, marketing director or
whatever, we all have the same body needs and we
all need to workout in a way that includes intensity,
variety and functionality.
I firmly believe that women arent designed to sit at
the hairdresser saloon all day long, reading fashion
magazines and admiring the skinny-fat bodies from
the coversand later on starving to death in order to
have that robbed from life look. Instead Id take every
woman with the notion of the mass media-induced
ideals of beauty and Id show them what true beauty
looks like.
Beautiful women are strong! Their bodies are nice andcurvy. They have muscles- the fruit of their hard
work and dedication in the gym! They are capable of
facing everything that our demanding life serves
them. They are aware that skinny girls from the
covers are just a mean trick played by the marketing
world, in order to sell useless products, created by
people hungry for money. Beautiful women areconfident, and arent tortured from an insecurity that
overtakes their life. They aint scared to look
themselves in the mirror-smile and be proud of what
they see! Beautiful women lift weights!
I was a professional basketball player for 6 years.
Basketball was what I ate, slept and lived through! I
was on the Bulgarian National team for the whole
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time I played basketball. Ive won every single award
there is on a national level. I won an MVP award in
the WAB camp in 2005. I also went to play overseas in
USA, when I was 15 years old. There I won the award
Newcommer of the year. Later on I came back to
Bulgaria and in 2007 I became MVP at the Balcan
games. I was a young athlete with a lot of potential
and big dreamsand unfortunately with pretty weak
shoulders. After I dislocated both my shoulders-fivetimes I stopped playing basketball.
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Sports were still my passion. I couldnt bare the
thought that I was done with my dreams and my
goals. I needed to put the anger and the pain I felt
into something, so what could be better than
swimming. Thus, I started swimming and for about
3years I was a swimmer. Swimming helped me a lot
to recover from the injuries but I felt like it wasnt
what I was born to do. So I decided to keep on
searching.
thats how I found crossfit. Since then I decided that if
I couldnt be the professional athlete I dreamed about,
I could transfer everything I learned through my
experience and help others reach their goals. Thats
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how everything started and thats how I hope my life
will keep on goinghelping people achieve their
athletic goalshelping them make their life
betterand just hoping to make a difference
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Introduction
If you are reading this book, chances are:
YOUvetried every mainstream training program, and no
matter how hard you worked out, how many hours
youve dedicated on the treadmill, on the stepper and
how many sit-ups youve done, you didnt get even close
to the body of your dreams.
And now you are feeling in a stalemate.
When everything youve been taught about women and
working out doesnt seem to work, then your last choice is
to try exactly the opposite.
And in this case, the mass media has thaught you that
women should eat less, do more cardio and lift pink
dumbbells, if they want to be fit and lean. But thats not
how things work out in reality.
Thats why with this book I amgoing to challenge yourbeliefs. I am going to help you go out of your comfort zone
and try everything youve been avoiding until now- lifting
weights.
And I am not talking about pink dumbbells. I am talking
about lifting some heavier dumbbells, doing basic,
compound movements.
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I am going to ask you to say goodbye to the long,
countless hours of cardio, and greet short, intense
workouts.
And before you think Ive gone nuts, dont rush with the
judgement.
Dont close the book and keep on reading my story
Because Ive been there!
I know exactly how you feel, because I was one of those
women.
Ive spent most of my teenage years, desperately trying to
become fitter and leaner. Ive tried everything in order to
get nice, defined abs and a sexy, athletic body. And the
more I tried, the further I got from it.
Until I had nothing more to lose and I was challenged to
try what women have been told is just for men- lifting
weights;doing squats, deadlifts, push- ups and pull ups.
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How Did Everything Start?
I will never forget the fear of getting big and bulky.
I will never forget the days, when I went to the gym, did
the shortet, most intense workout, composed of just
basic, compound movements. That was the best time, Ive
ever had in the gym, and yet when I got home I looked
myself in the mirror and I was scared to death how this
type of training will reflect on my appearance.
Everybody around me kept on telling me that I was nuts,
and that I will become masculine and bulky.
But somewhere deep inside, I knew that I was on the
right track.
I somehow knew that this was my ticket to the athletic and
fit body, Ive been dreaming for so long. And thats what
gave me the courage to keep on returning in the gym,
getting stronger, lifting more and more weights.
Today people who used to mock me about my decision to
try lifting weights, are my biggest fans- those that are
always there to ask me how to get a body like mine; howto become more athletic.
I know how hard it is for you to believe it. It took me some
time as well.Even when I was noticing the changes, even
when I started feeling better about myself and my
appearance, I was still scared that if I keep on training with
weights, I will become big and bulky.
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But the more I lifted, the better I looked. I gained back
my confidence, actually Ivenever had confidence about
my appearance. Ive always been shy and Ive alwaysconsidered myself not attractive enough.
And thanks to my new lifestyle- lifting weights and eating
real food, I feel great about myself. You have no idea
about the power, the confidence, the boldness that weight
training gives you.
It was literally the spice to my life, that lightened the
fuel of passion within my heart. It is the spice that
taught me how to love myself,how to be strong both in
the gym and in life and how to chase my dreams until the
end.
Thats why Ive dedicated my life, to helping others learn
the proper way to sculpt and move their body. To workout in a way that doesnt take much time, brings a lot of
pleasure and a sense of fulfillment.
Ive dedicated my life to prevent others from walking on
the bumpy road of injuries, disappointments, emotional
eating, a sense of being worthless and unaccepted.
Why? Because Ive been there and I know how it feels.
And now, when Ive discovered the better, easier and
enjoyable way to achieve your body composition goals,
while enjoying perfect health and athleticism to rock your
life, I want to provide you with the tools, that will help you
apply it in your own life.
Follow me on the journey to gaining back your health and
functionality.
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What To Expect Out Of This Book?
With this book, I will provide you with some of the best
compound movements that you need to include in your
workout routine.
I will teach you how to perform them properly, so you
can get the benefit of doing them, without hurting your
body, due to improper technique.
I will show you some of the most common mistakes, the
reasons behind them and how you could fix them.
Once you master these movements, you will realize how
the work youve done in the gym, can be easily transfered
in your daily life.
The way you move in the gym, will help you learn how to
move in real life. Thus your workouts, wont be just a
time spend to feed your ego and sel-esteem. They will be
a time invested in a better lifestyle and a pain free
movement. They will be your free ticket to a healthier
life.
Do You Need More Proof That ThisTraining Method Works?
And if you still doubt my words, here is the last proof - my
own transformation.
The first picture is a vivid example, not just of my unfit
body, but an example of my chained soul.
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On the beforepicture, I was on a trip to Egypt ( one of my
dreamed destinations), but I was so miserable and
unsatisfied.
I felt terrible in my swimsuit and I lacked confidence. I
constantly covered my body with a towel so others
couldnt notice the cellulite on my thighs, the stetchmarks
on my love handles or the fat on my belly.
And on the after pic, I feel great about myself- not just
because of the way my body looks like, but also because
now my soul is happy to reside it. I feel confident and
satisfied with the work Ive done and the results I amgetting.
So, trust me! I will show you how to do it for yourself. Just
keep on reading.
Dolia Pipileva is one of my best clients, and eventhough
she had the same fears, as you do, she kept the vision of
her dreamed body and she trusted the process. She
believed my and my training and nutrition program, and
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now she is living her life to the fullest- feeling confident,
fit and sexy.
And do you know what is the best part about it?
Dolia was just like you.She was a women with the notion
of the mass media-induced ideals of beauty, she spentcountless hours in the gym, restricted her food intake and
every day, instead of getting closer to dreamed body, she
got further and felt even more miserable and unfulfilled.
But she had the courage to trust me and I showed her
what true beauty looks like. I taught her how to listen to
her body and how to shape the best body, training just
three times a week, for about 45 minutes, using basic,
compound movements and lifting real weights.
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And if I and she can do it, you could as well .
Forget about genetics and all the excuses and false notionsyouve been repeating to yourself- because eyou have
everything you need to be the fittest, sexiest version of
yourself.
Just let go of the wrong knowledge and be open for the
truth- women SHOULD lift weights and that is the best
road to a stunning, fit, sexy body.
Follow me and you will never look back!
Its your choice! You can keep on doing what the mass
media is telling you to do- thats cool,you will be forever
in the enchanted circle of starvation, self-punishment
through endless hours of cardio, and you will never gain
the confidence to rock your beach body and proudly walkin your swimsuit.
Or you can try something new, something different and
finally achieve your goals. You can finally feel confident
to go shopping, go out on a date and actually feel sexy
and stunning.
You dont have anything to lose- you can just gain the
happiness youve been searching for.Just give it a try.
Youve wasted so much time, just give yourself three
months of dedication and consistency and you start
enjoying your new and better life.
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1. Compound Moves
Squats
Problem: Do your knees hurt when you squat?
Solution: Follow me and you will teach you how to squat
with proper technique and not only your knees will stop
hurting, but they will even get the health benefits of
squatting properly!
If you learn how to do just one thing, then let it be
squatting.
There isnt a more natural movement, than a squat.
Squatting is really important and if you are still wondering
whywell keep on reading!
Do You Need Proof the Squat Is the most
Natural Movement?
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Lets start it simple. The squat is the most fundamental
movement to all of us. Just think about it. In your everyday
life even if you do not realize it you squat hundreds oftimes.
For example when you sit in a chair-you squat; when you
get up from the chair-you squat; when you sit down in
the busguess what? YOU SQUAT!
Even from our earliest age as infants, we first start learningto move by squatting. Think about a baby that is trying to
get up from the floor, or trying to pick up something from
the floor. It wont lean down with straight legs. Instead the
infant will squat down and take what it needs.
By the way if I should show somebody what a perfect
squat looks like, Id show them a baby picking a toy from
the ground. Infants squat with perfect form- weight on theheels, knees tracking over the toes and back straight.
See what I am talking about?
Seems like we are born with some instincts of how we
are supposed to move properly but later on influenced by
our environment we lose it and start moving in a waythat is hurting our health.
As we get older most of us lose the requisite mobility in
our hips, knees and ankles to be able to squat properly.
That is a result from our lifestyle- we spend way too much
time sitting. Actually most of our ancestors lifestyle,
demanded performing a squat- when you start with eating
a meal, ceremonies, gatherings, going to the toilet and
etcall of them were performed bereft of chairs or seats!
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But after the industrialization we started using chairs,
benches, couches and other similar furniture to perform
our daily tasks. As I already said this leads to a loss offunctionality.
Unfortunately, during the years the squat has earned a
bad glory as a dangerous exercise.Most people claim that
it hurts your back and your knees. But does it really?
Yea, my knees would hurt too, if I squatted like mostpeople in the globo gym do. Walk in a gym and look at the
corner where the squatting rack is. Shocking! People
squatting with rounded backs; with knees going way
forward; the weight on the toes instead of on the heels
and so on.
If I wanted to learn how not to squat, Id spend a day
watching these guys train their legs. Actually if you do thesquat properly-it is one of the safest, most natural
movements the human body can perform.
As I already said the squat is a really important movement.
It is the so called compound movement- meaning that it
exercises multiple muscles in the same time.
During the squat, the body recruits your glutes,
hamstrings, lower back and abdomen to successfully
execute the lift. A stable upper body is required for your
lower body to create enough force to drive the weight up
against gravity.
As we get older, being able to squat becomes even more
essential. Good knee health is a consequence of being able
to squat properly! And as the years pass, we need to make
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bodyweight variation.Then you can move on to the bar
and progressively add more weight.
The way I like to teach the squat is on the wall. Most
people do not have good mobility, and when you make
them squat, they compensate for it, by leaning forward,
going forth on their toes and so forth. Which is definitely
not the right way to squat.
Proper Technique:
1. Keep your feet shoulder width apart
2. Turn your toes slightly out
3. Wheight on heels ( even though I see that most people
take that too literally, and more often than not they raise
their toes and stay just on their heels.This is not the right
way to do it. Thats why I prefer telling my clients,that the
way to distribute the weight on your feet is to aim for the
tripod foot. And that is what this means:
4. Chest up I always love telling my clients that if I am
standing in front of them, they should aim to show me the
logo on their T-shirt. This really helps as a cue, when you
want somebody to keep the shoulders back and the chest
up.5. Pelvis turned forward
6. Eyes forward
7. Knees tracking over the toes.
This is really important. As you descend make sure that
your knees are tracking over your toes.This means theknee is parallel to your feet.
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You should feel your adductors activating.If you do not
feel them, this means that you are bringing your knees
inside.
In order to squat properly imagine that you are trying to
spread the ground, both when you descend and when
you ascend.This will help you keep the tension on your
abductors and thus interfere with your knees going inside.
Start with learning the squat on the wall.
Face the wall, and asses the proper squat position- feet
shoulder width apart, toes slightly turned out.Keep your
hands to the side and glide your upper body through the
wall as you descend.
Make sure you pay attention for the tripod foot,knees
tracking over the toes and spread the ground. The wall willhelp you master the proper way to hold your upper body,
because it wont allow you to lean forward, due to the lack
of mobility.
When you master thebodyweight squat, you can move on
to the Barbell Back Squat.But keep in mind, that you
should really master the bodyweight squat.
Leave your ego at the door and do not rush it. It is a lot
harder to repair an old, bad habit, once you learn it the
wrong way, than it is to first master it perfectly and then
move on to the next stage.
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Barbell Back Squat
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Proper Technique:
1. Keep your feet shoulder width apart
2. Turn your toes slightly out
3. Wheight on heels( dont forget the tripod foot)
4. Chest up( show me your logo)
5. Grip outside of the shoulders
6. Elbows tucked in(imagine that you are trying to tuck
your elbows in your pockets. It wont happen but it will get
your elbows pointing down, which is the goal)
7. Scapula Contracted (this will help you keep your back
tight)
8. Pelvis turned forward
9. Eyes forward
10. Knees tracking over the toes (dont forget to spread
the floor)
When you get down to the bottom of the squat,in order
to ascend with proper form, you should try to pull yourself
up. Imagine that the bar is a pull up bar. As you go up, pullthe bar. This will help you keep your body tight and it will
help you rise up with proper form.
So, the key points are show your logo, tuck your elbows in
your pockets, spread the floor and pull up for the bar as
you ascend.
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Bulgarian Split Squats
I love all squat variations, but if I had to pick just onevariation, that I could do to the end of my life, it would be
the Bulgarian Split Squat ( and do not get me wrong! It is
not just because I am a Bulgarian).
This is an exercise, which most people avoid, but an
exercise that could give you so much, when it comes to
becoming stronger, improving your balance and
coordination and achieving a sexy, well shaped lower
body!
I often hear people, who claim that they do not perform
the Bulgarian Squat, because it hits them in the knees.
With some exceptions, most people who claim this, just do
not perform the exercise properly!
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My observations show me that people, who have knee
pain, when they perform Bulgarian Squats, just use a really
short stance, which is tough on the knees and usuallythere is a shift of the weight towards the toes,
accompanied by taking the heel off the ground, which IS
NOT RIGHT!
If you perform the Bulgarian Squat with a longer stance,I
assure you that you wont have knee pain.
When you perform Bulgarian squats, keep the weight on
your heels, by staying on your whole foot( tripod foot),
without shifting the weight towards your toes or taking
your heel off the ground.
Keep your shoulders back and activate your lats.Do not
allow the weight, to drag you forward, making you lean
down. Imagine that somebody placed a pencil on yourspine, and you are trying to hold it, squeeze it with your
lats. This will help you think about keeping your shoulders
back.
Lower your back leg, until it reaches the ground.
When you reach the lowest point, do not relax your body.Stay tight and stand back up, by pushing off your heel
and by helping yourself with the foot on the bench.
Pay attention to this! Do not shift your hips to the side,
when you go up. If you are doing this, then you are
probably using weights that are too heavy!
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Key points when you peform Bulgarian
Split Squats:1. Place one of your feet on the bench, and the other one
on the ground. Make sure the foot on the ground is
pointing straight forward.
2. Experiment with your stance length, until you find the
one that allow syou to move without feeling pressure or
pain in your knees.
3. Keep your chest up, contract your scapula and keep
your belly tight.
4. Lower the back foot straight down. Imagine that you are
trying to hit theground with the knee of your back
foot.Make sure that you are not strtching your back footbut bending it down.
5. As you get to the bottom, keep your body tight and your
muscles under tension. Do not relax on the floor.
6. Push yourself back up, by pressing on the whole foot(
the one on the ground), while still pressing with your back
foot on the bench.
7. When you rise up, be careful to keep holding your torso
straight. Dont allow your shoulders to slouch forward and
your back to lean forward. Squeeze those lats.
8. If you do the Bulgarian Squat with the weight kept in
front, dont forget to push your elbows up- towards theceiling.
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Front Lunges
Lunges, have a bunch of, that make them an excellent
exercise to fix any disbalances between both legs,
improving your balance and coordination, and
strengthening the muscles that stabilize the knees. Besides
that they are a pretty good test about your core strength.
Proper technique:
1) Stand straight with your body tight( do not leaning, do
not drop the hips forward, keep your abs tight)
2) Make a longer step forward, by landing on your heel
and then transitioning to your whole foot.
3) Drop the leg behind straightly down, till it almost
touches the ground. Dont lean and dont let the knee of
your front leg go forward!
4) In order to get back up, push up through the heel of
your front leg and then push back until you get in the
starting position.
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Common mistakes:
1.You make a really short step forward and you put the
weight on your toes, lifting your heel. This is wrong and it
really loads your knees way too much.
2. You turn your foot inward. That also messes up the
knees and if you are doing the lunge with bigger weights
you could injure yourself pretty bad! More often than not
if you have instability in your ankles or a disbalance in yourcalf muscles, you turn your foot inward.
See how the foot is turned inward? That is wrong!
3. You let your knees cave in. One of the reasons could be
due to mistake number 2(turning your foot inward). That
instinctively forces your knee to cave in. Another reason
could be your weak glutes( your butt muscles). They play
an important role in stabilizing your knee and when they
are weaker, your knee will cave in.
See how the knee is caving in? That is wrong!
4. You lean forward. Often, beginners tend to lean
forward, way too much.
5. You lose balance. This is could be due to weak core, a
stride that is too short, or too wide and the other reason
might be that you are using heavier weights, than you can
handle.
When doing a lunge there are a lot of arguments about thelength of the step forward, but my observations and my
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experience, show me that longer step forward is better
because:
1.More often than not people doing a shorter step, make
the mistake to put more weight on their toes and lifting
their heel, which is wrong.
2.A lunge with a shorter step forward is a quad dominating
exercise, and personally I am not a fan of it, because it
puts more stress on the knee!
Reverse Lunges From Deficit
As every unilateral movement, reverse lunges from a
deficit, help you improve the strength imbalances betweenyour legs; they improve your balance and coordination,
they help you improve stability in your hips and mobility in
your ankles. Besides that they load pretty good your legs
and your butt!
And probably you are already wondering why perform
lunges from deficit and not traditional lunges?
The reason is that when you do them from a deficit, you
have a bigger range of motion(ROM) and you load your
butt a lot more, than doing traditional lunges. Besides that
a lot more leg muscles are activated, because you are
going way deeper when you perform the exercise.
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Why Reverse Lunges?
Personally, I always do reverse lunges, because they areeasier on the knees, unlike the front lunges. And do not
think that I am the kind of person, who thinks that
squatting and lunging is gonna ruin your knees! That is not
the truth, but when you perform reverse lunges, you do
not need to step forward and slow down, the weight of
your entire body!
Thus the stress on your knee is less! If you have problems
with your knees, and you are fooled into thinking that you
cant perform lunges, try reverse lunges! I assure you, that
you wont feel pain!
Before leanring the Reverse Lunges from Deficit, make
sure that youve mastered the Front Lunges.
It matters if you perform the lunge with the bar in front,
on your back or with dumbbells.
If you keep the bar on the front, as you do for a front
squat, you should keep your elbows high. Dont let your
elbows drop down, because you will lean forward, you will
load your back way too much and you will probably losebalance! And remember- the lower you get, think about
pushing your elbows up!
If you perform the exercise with dumbbells, keep them on
your side and when you are dropping down, be careful-
dont let your shoulders drop down and go forward. Dont
let the dumbbells go forward. If you do so, you are
changing the center of mass and you will lean forward,
losing balance and making it hard on your back!
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If the bar is on your back, think about your wrists- they
should be always straight( as for a back squat). When you
go up, think how you should be pulling yourself for thebar! You should press it down. This will help you keep your
body tight and it will keep you away from stressing your
back.
No matter which way you pick, you should be careful
about the height of the platform. Dont make it too high. If
your platform is too high, and your legs and butt arentstrong enough, you will compensate for the weakness by
shifting your hips to one side, which is not the right way to
do it! If you feel that you are shifting your hips to one side,
either take lighter weights or decrease the height of the
platform.
Proper Technique:
1. Step on the platform with both legs.
2. Keep your torso straight.
3. Chest up. Scapula contracted.
4. Make a long step back. (make sure both of your feet arepointing in the same direction ( forward)
5. Bend the knee of the back leg straight down.
6. Then pushing from the heel of your front leg, rise up,
and then go back to the initial position.
You can see them in a wide range of programs, from pure
calisthenics to kettlebells and even circuit training. While
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I'm obviously excited to see bodyweight strength training
getting its due from the mainstream, it makes me wonder:
Where does the pistol squat fit in to the fitness regimen ofthe average gym goer?
Pistol Squats
That is one of my favorite squat progressions (ok, I knowthat I say it about every lower body movement. But I just
freaking love strong legs.)
Pistols are a great movement and a true measure for
lower body strength. They train your strength, balance
and mobility and you can do them everywhere.
Pistols are not a piece of cake. Ok, they are but once you
have the strength to perform them. Before you manage to
do your first pistiol, you should arm yourself with patience
and dedicate to practicing them.
As difficult as the exercise seems, it is absolutely possible
for you to master them. You just need to start with easier
progressions, until you are strong and balanced enough to
perform a real pistol squat.
Before thinking about mastering the pistol squat, make
sure that you are a sensei in bodyweight squats and
Bulgarian split squats. Just then, you are good to start
with some pistol progressions.
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Bench Pistol
This is your first step.
1. Stand in front of a bench or another low object of your
choice.
2. Reach one leg into the air.
3. Carefully sit back onto the object. Perform it as slow asyou can, even though at the beginning you might not be
able to control your body very good and you might sit back
too quickly. Dont worry. It is part of the process. Just be
careful not to hurt yourself.
4. Keep the weight on the heel of your base foot.
5. Keep your abs tight and your arms stretched in front.
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6. By pushing off the heel and reaching forward with your
hands, try to stand back up.
7. As it becomes easier, increase ethe range of motion and
perform the Bench Pistol Squat on a lower object.
Elevated Pistols
1. Stand on top of an object with one leg hanging off of the
side (if you are in the gym you ight pile up some bumpers
and step on them, or if you have a box thatd be great).
2. Reach your arms in front.
3. Lower to the bottom of a squat by allowing your
opposite leg to hang down. This make sit easier to balance
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the pistol squat, while keeping your leg hanging, instead of
straight forward.
As you get better, increase the height of the object. This
will make it harder and get you closer to the pistol squat.
Assisted Pistol
1. Stand in front of a pole or another vertical object.
2. Grasp the pole with your hands.
3. Reach forward with the opposite leg ( the one on the
outside).
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4. Lower yourself down, until you reach to the bottom. Be
careful to distribute the weight on your whole base foot. (
i.e. let the footremain flaton the ground)
5. In order to get back up, lightly use the help of your
arms, in order to pull yourself back up. Initially you will rely
more on your arms to pull you back up, but as you
improve, you will start pushing more off of your leg and
you will need your arms less and less.
Pistol with Counterweight
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As strange as it may sound doing pistols with a weight in
your arms, might be easier, due to better balance.
Real Pistol Squats
And now you are ready to do pistol squats EVERYWHERE!
When you can perform a couple sets of 15 reps of all the
progressions above, you are good to progress and becomea master of the real pistol squat.
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Good Morning
Problem: You often hurt your back during
daily activities.
Solution: When you learn the proper GM technique, this
will save you a lot of injuries in your everyday life, because
you will learn how to lean, without bending and without
hurting your lower back!
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One really underestimated and rarely performed exercise
in the gym, is the so called Good Morning.
Unfortunately just like deadlifts and squats, the goodmorning also has a bad name. Interesting!
All UNIQUE exercises and absolutely essential exercises
that ensure the good health of a person, are being denied
and claimed as dangerous! No wonder that most people
spend their time in the gym, sitting on different, weird
machines and no wonder that so many people have a badposture, lower back pain and so on.
One of the best exercises, which you could perform in
order to strengthen your posterior chain are Good
Mornings.Unfortunately people rarely take the time to
learn the proper way to do the exercise and usually their
first try to perform it, ends up with a sharp lower back
pain. Thats how myths about the danger ofthe exercisestart!
Well, I want to tell you that there arent many exercises,
which could contribute so much to you getting rid of
lower back pain, as Good Mornings(GM) could!Thats
right! Not harm you, but actually help you!
Besides that it will help you shape nice, strong hamstrings,
get your butt tighter and strengthen your lower back
muscles.GM is a great exercise that could help you
increase the pounds on the deadlift if you are in a plateau!
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Proper technique:
When you perform it, you could do it with a wider or
narrower stance. This respectively changes the loading.
When you do it with a wider stance you get more tension
on your hamstrings and glutes!
Personally I switch through the stances, so I can load my
muscles from a different angle.
1. Choose the width of your stance.
2. The weight should be on your heels, as with every other
exercise!
3. The bar should be placed on your back, as when you
perform squats. Keep your body tight, activate your lats,
so you will carry the load on your back muscles and not on
your spine!
4. When you place the bar on your back, imagine that
behind you there is a wall and you need a couple more
inches to reach it with your butt. Then take your hips back,
so you can try and touch the wall. Be careful to do it with
the hips, and not bent over from your upper body!
5. The load, should be felt on your hamstrings and glutes.
You will feel them stretch!
6. You shouldnt feel bending in your lower back! It would
be wrong to bent forward! This will really hurt your back!
7. Imagine the wall and try to take your hips back, as if you
are trying to reach back to it!
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GM resembles swings and deadlifts, the difference is in the
loading vector and the ROM.
8. Reach back withyour hips and butt, while you feel full
extension of your hamstrings and glutes!
By pushing back, your upper body will lean forward! This is
ok. But keep in mind it will LEAN not BEND! The leaning
will come from pushing your hips back, not from a bend in
your lower back!
9. After that contract your glutes in order to get back .
Your glutes should contract! As when you perform a swing,
you should lock the hips to get back in the initial position!
Here I want to emphasize again, that getting back,
shouldnt be done by lifting the weight with your back, but
by using your glutes!
I just want to add, that when you learn the proper GM
technique, this will save you a lot of injuries in your
everyday life, because you will learn how to lean,
without bending and without hurting your lower back!
Keep in mind that if you are a beginner, you better focus
on mastering the swing and the deadlift. Just when youare good at the hinge movement, add the GM exercise!
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Hip Thrusters
I think that strong legs and glutes are the base of a
healthy, athletic, functional and good looking body!One
of the exercises, which I LOVE are hip thrusters! Here the
credit goes toBret Contreras,who is known as The glute
guy! This is probably due to the fact that hip thrusts are
incredibly effective, when it comes to strengthening your
glutes and hamstrings! Everything I know about thisexercise, Ive learned fromBrets website(HERE),which is
an outstanding source of information, especially for those
of you who are interested in the details of what, how and
why you are supposed to do!
http://bretcontreras.com/2012/07/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-hip-thrust/http://bretcontreras.com/2012/07/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-hip-thrust/http://bretcontreras.com/2012/07/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-hip-thrust/http://bretcontreras.com/2010/03/hipthrust/http://bretcontreras.com/2010/03/hipthrust/http://bretcontreras.com/2010/03/hipthrust/http://bretcontreras.com/2010/03/hipthrust/http://bretcontreras.com/2010/03/hipthrust/http://bretcontreras.com/2012/07/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-hip-thrust/8/12/2019 30 Exercises on Becoming Wonder Woman
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What is a hip thruster?
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Thats why I will take advantage of the fact, that you
wont see me blushing, explaining you how you should
imagine, that you have a bill, which you should keepbetween your butt cheeks! For that purpose you should
try to squeeze it, i.e. to squeeze your butt! That is how
you should finish the movement!
Its the same as when you perform swings or deadlifts. You
have to finish the movement with your hips.
The cool thing about hip thrusters is that they help you
improve at deadlifting. So a well performed hip thruster
will help you increase the weight on the deadlift!
When you perform the movement you should be careful
to lift the bar with your hips, and not with your lower
back! Your back should be straight!
More often than not, people who perform a hip thruster,
make the mistake of putting too much weight on the bar,
and they dont perform the movement with a full range of
motion, or they try to lift the bar with their lower back,
because of the lack of strength in their glutes.
Remember that the movement finishes when youvesqueezed your butt- when youve reached hip extension,
and not when youve lifted your butt off the ground.
Control the movement. Keep the bar with your hands.
If you are still not feeling ready to try it with weights, first
learn the technique with your bodyweight.
After that increase the weights on the bar.
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Where Should You Feel The Tension?
If you feel the load more on the quadriceps, than on the
hamstrings and the glutes, try taking your heels closer to
your butt and perform the movement again. Another
reason for feeling the load in your quadriceps, might be
the fact that you have really tight hip flexors, so make sure
to use your foam roller, more often!
Why should you do hip thrusters? Because they are one ofthe best exercises, which will help you strengthen your
glutes. It will help you strengthen your posterior chain,
and as you now nowadays most people suffer from the so
called dead butt syndrome.
And of course lets not forget that hip thrusters will help
you increase the weight on the deadlift, which is one of my
favorite movements, as well.
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One Legged Hip Thrusters
You are already familiar with Hip Thrusters.In my opinion
this is one of the best exercises, you could do, in order to
make your posterior chain stronger. But still, as each
bilateral movement, hip thrusters, allow some cheating,
by compensating for the imbalance between both legs,
pushing more out of the stronger leg.
So here is when one legged hip thrusters come in hand.Unique movement! It seems like a waste of time, but just
as every other exercise, which looks easy from the
sidelines, in reality it turns out really demanding when you
go ahead and try it yourself.
What Happened When I First Tried One
Legged Hip Thrusts?
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Myfirst experience with one legged hip thrusts wasjust
another hit for my ego!I usually do bilateral hip thrusts,
with 70-90kg., so I decided that I will do well with 40kg. onthe single leg hip thrusts.
Well, my tries went like this:
First try: 40kg.
Results: No chance!
Second try:30kg.
Results: Go ahead and remove some more bumpers.
Third try:20kg.
Results: Ok, you are overvaluing yourself.
Forth try:15kg.
Results: It was about time!
So, it took me some time, adding and removing bumpers,
till I found out it is not as easy as it seemed.
First, master hip thrusters with your own bodyweight.
Then move on to bilateral hip thrusts with weights. Try
one legged hip thrusts with your own bodyweight and
then add some weights. I hope that you will pick the right
weight, faster than me!
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Proper Technique
1.Set yourself as if you are gonna do a bilateral hip thrust.
2. Then perform the ingle leg hip thrust by being careful
about the same key points, as you are when you perform
the bilateral version. The difference is just that you keep
one of your legs either bend in the air or straight in the air
and you push just through the base foot.
Another option for a progression is to perform hip thrusts
with both legs in the concentric part of the movement,
then lower on just one leg in the eccentric part.
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Deadlift
Problem: Does your backhurt when you perform
deadlifts?
Solution:Its not the exercise that is hurting you, but the
way you perform it! Follow me and learn the proper
technique.
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The deadlift is one of the best hinge movements. I think
that what people lack in the way they move through
everyday activities is the knowledge how to perform thehinging move properly.
Once you learn to hinge, you will be a master in the
deadlifts, swings, hip thrusts and most importantly you will
quit injurying your back, while you bend down to pick
something from the floor. Because the key to keep your
lower back healthy is to forget about bending down and
start hinging back.
I often hear people saying that they avoid deadlifting
because it hurts their lower back and leads to unwanted
injuries! Truth is that it is not the deadlift that is hurting
your lower back, but rather the way YOU do it!
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Proper technique:
1. Your feet should be at shoulder-width
2. Your hands should be a little wider than shoulder-width
( place them on the outside of your legs)
3. Shoulders should be in front of the bar. Chest up.
4. Head should be in neutral position( in one line with yourspine)
5. Keep your back arched
6. The bar should touch your shins
7. As you lift up keep the bar close to your legs
8. Dont lift the bar with your hands.(Imagine them as
chains which are just holding the bar)
9. As you go up- push on your heels.
10. Going up, keep your glutes and your abs tight
11. Shoulders and hips, should move up at the same rate,
till you reach the level of your knees
12. After you pass the level of your knees, you should lock
up your hips. Come to full extension with your chest up
and your shoulders back.
13. Then go back to the ground following the pattern
backwards.
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Key points:
When you set yourself for deadlifts, make sure that you
hinge back, i.e. take your hips back. Imagine the wall
behind you and try to reach back to it. Lower your hips by
reaching back.
Keep your chest up. Show me your logo,remember?
Always keep your elbows locked.Your arms are just chainssupporting the bar.
As you go up, make sure that you are leading with your
chest and that you are pulling the bar towards your shins.
If you dont havetrace marks on your shins, you are not
pulling enough.
As you go up, make sure to spread the floor and push from
your heels.
When the bar gets at knee level hight, squeeze your
glutes, as if you are trying to keep a hundred dollar bill.
Then go back down, following the same pattern. Keep your
back straight and your shoulders back. Dont let the weightdrag you down and force you to bend. HINGE!
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Common mistakes:
1. The stripper deadliftThis is the most common mistake.I love the name of this
WRONG deadlift variation.If you think that this is a type
of deadlift , that you should learn, you are DEADLY
WRONG! This is one of the worst ways to do the deadlift
but unfortunately it is the common way people perform it.
You are doing the stripper deadlift, if you let the bar move
forward and drag you down, and rush to extend your hips.
Thus you will have your legs straight, but your upper body
will be still in the starting position. From there, the only
way to lift the bar is using your arms and lower back,
which is WRONG. In case you didnt get my point, go to
Youtube and watch a stripper, you will immediately
understand what a deadlift DOESNT look like.
2. Allowing your knees to cave inIf this is your problem, think about spreading the floor
when you go up. Think about pushing your elbows with
your knees.
3. Rushing with the hip extensionThis mistake is often due to the fact that you are either not
pulling the bar towards your shins;you are not leading up
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with your chestand thus you are letting your shoulders
drop forward or you are doing both.
So think about the trace marks and show me your logo.
4. You are lifting with your arms, instead ofusing your hips for the lock out.
You are probably keeping your elbows flexed. Always start
with your elbows locked and keep them this way. They arejust chains, remember?
5. Instead of finishing the movement withyour hips, you are arching yourself and
doing a strange type of bend.
In order to avoid this mistake, push through the heels and
squeeze your glutes.Imagine that you are trying to jump
up, but your heels are sticked for the ground. Now, when
the bar gets to knee level, push from your heels and
squeeze those glutes.
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Kettlebell swings
The kettlebell is one of the best training tools ever. You
can take it everywhere and do a bunch of exercises with
it.One of the best things you could do are kettlebell
swings. They are pretty good when your goal is to get
more power and explosion, and they train your posterior
chain.
. When I show how the swing is supposed to be done,
most people start laughing because they make the wrong
associations with the explosive hip snap.
There are two types of swings-one is the traditional
swing(also called Russian swing), and the other one is the
overhead swing(called the American swing).
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Why Do I Prefer Russian Swings?
1. American swings are not for everybodyWhat do I mean by this? Tell you the truth, I rarely see
people, who perform American swings properly. Most just
think that their technique is good. Most of the trainees
have a problem with holding weights above their head(
no matter if we talk about different kind of pressing
variations, swings or something that requires your handsto be held overhead), and still manage to keep their body
in neutral position. Instead what most people do is arch
their lower back way too much- getting in the so called
hyperlordosis, lifting their chest up and keeping their
belly relaxed, in order to compensate for the lack of
mobility. This puts a lot of stress on the spine and it is
definitely not something that youd like to experience.
All of this just increases the risk of an injury, because when
the body is not in neutral position, and when it is held like I
described above, the loading becomes harmful.
2. Russian swings allow for heavier weightsto be used
As you know, I do not encourage you to be a slave of your
ego and aim at increasing the weight, while compromising
your proper technique. But, I think that Russian swings
are a lot more appropriate, if we keep in mind that they
allow heavier weights to be used, respectively they help
you increase your strength and power.
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Proper technique:
1. Set your squat stance (feet shoulder width apart, toes
slightly turned out)
2. Hinge back (magine that you have a wall behind
yourself, and you are just 3 inches away from touching it!
Then, move your hips back, as if you are trying to touch
the imaginary wall)
3. Keep your chest up
4. Remember that swings are not squats! You do not need
to squat!
5. Shove your hands into your crotch: Keep the kettlebells
triangle high in your triangle (the handle of the kettlebell
should always stay above your knees.Dont keep the
kettlebell too low!
6. Keep your arms straight.
7. In order to lift the kettlebell up, use your hips, not your
arms.Perform a snapping movement from the hips.
A cue I love using is as fllows: Imagine that you are doing a
long jump. You know how to set yourselfproperly for one,
dont you? Now imagine you explode with a jump forward.
It comes from the hips. Do this with the kettlebell, but
instead of jumping forward, stay in one place and push
from the heels.
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In case, that you cant remember, I will remind you that in
order for an exercise to have the desired effect on your
body you should perform it with PROPER TECHNIQUE!
As a whole, even the best training program, could seem
ineffective, if you are not performing the exercises with
proper technique!
One exercise that at first sight looks really simple, and
everybody from the 4 year old boy, to the 80 year oldgrandpa is trying to perform, yet most people perform it
with terrible technique is the push-up.
Proper technique
1.Get in a plank postion, with your arms fully extended.
Your body should be straight and tight- head, shoulders,
torso and legs should be in line. Imagine your body, as a
piece of board!
2.Your fingers should be spread and you should be trying
to grab the ground.
3.Imagine that you should keep a piece of paper or a
pencil under your armpits. Then squeeze your armpits, so
you can activate your lats! Did you imagine that?
4.Make sure that your abs and your glutes are tight. Your
torso shouldnt be dropping down!
5.Push your toes into the ground, so you can make sure
that your whole body is tight
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6.Then row yourself down, until your chest touches the
ground. Be careful for your torso. Dont let it drop down.
Stay tight and straight. Your body should be in perfectalignment the whole time! Dont forget that you are a
board.
7. Your body shouldnt look like the letter T. You should be
more like an arrow. So try to keep your elbows closer to
your body and not to the side!
8.Then push yourself up, until you reach a full lock out. As
if you are trying to push yourself away from the ground.
Common mistakes:
1.One of the most common mistakes is to let
your elbows go to the side, and look like the
letter T.
Truth is that this is the easier way to perform a push-up,
because you activate less muscles. The tension on the
triceps is a lot more, when your elbows are closer to yourbody!
Besides that, push- ups, when performed as if you are the
letter T, could lead to shoulder pain and shoulder injuries!
As a person who has a lot of shoulder injuries, I will tell
you from my own experience that T-letter push-ups arent
good!
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2.Your torso drops down
At times you could see people performing push- ups in areally comical way. They are mostly dropping and lifting
their torso, than actually rowing their body down.
As I told you, the torso should be tight. To achieve it, make
sure that your abs and glutes are kept tight!
If your torso, reaches the ground before your chest, thismeans that you are not performing the push-up correctly!
And besides that, this puts a lot of stress on your lower
back, because you are not activating the proper muscles!
3.You dont do the push-up with a full ROM
As I said, a push-up is considered for a rep, when your
chest, reaches the ground. More often than not, people
fool themselves, that they are in good shape and that they
can do more reps, when in reality this is far from the truth.
Often times, if you ask somebody, who is showing off, how
he can do 20-30 push- ups in a row, to perform them allthe way down, he will probably hardly get 10 straight reps!
Ive said it before and I will repeat it! Leave your ego at the
door! Perform the exercises correctly! It is far better to do
10 good push-ups, than 30 crappy reps!
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Dips
Proper Technique
If your have shoulder problems, you might not be able to
go as deep as you are supposed to, or you might not be
able to keep the proper forward lean. In this case stay
more upright, but still keep your chest up.
1. Squeeze The Bar. The more force you apply to the bar,
the stronger you are.
2. Look Forward.. Look to a point slightly in front of you.
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3. Keep your chest up & shoulders back.
4. Take a big breathe while hanging with locked elbows &hold it. Lower yourself & come back up. Breathe at the
top, not during reps.
5. Bend Your Legs. And cross your feet.
6. Go down below parallel.The deeper the stretch, the
more you train your chest, but if your shoulders disagree,
scale the depth of the dip.
7. Lock Elbows. Drive out of the bottom until your elbows
are locked. Squeeze your triceps.
Common Mistakes
1. Not Hitting Parallel.Your shoulders must go lower than
your elbows on each rep.
2. Not Locking the Elbows. Lock your elbows at the top.
Squeeze your triceps . Keep chest up.
3. Don't let your shoulders roll forward& don't let yourtorso shift forward too much. Keep your chest up.
4. As you go up, be careful to keep your body tight, dont
let your back arch in hyperextension.
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Side Dumbbell Press
This is one of my favorite pressing movements.
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Proper technique:
1. Set your feet at shoulder width.
2. Take your right foot one step back, but leave your hips
forward.
3. Grab the dumbbell with your right hand and place it
close to your shoulder.
4. Let your elbow hang to the side, on your hips.
5. Slowly start pushing the dumbbell straight up. Let your
forearm be vertical to the floor.
6. Slowly twist your palm as you go up, until your palm is
faceing forward. When you fully extend your arm, go down
the same way.
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One Arm Landmine Press
This pressing variation is easier on your shoulder due to
the different angle of the movement. So if you have
problems with your shoulders, you will absolutely want to
include this exercise in your program.
Proper Technique:
1. Find a corner where you will stuck the end of the
barbell.
2. Set up your feet at shoulder width.
3. Take your right foot back.
4. Grab the end side of the barbell with your right hand.
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5. Brace the core tightly to resist extension and rotation.
6. Press straight out, not across your body.
7. Dont allow the elbow to migrate past the body too
much.
Overhead Press
This is another great pushing exercise. You can perform it
with the bar or with a dumbbell. But due to the fact that I
mentioned earlier when we talked about kettlebell swings,
i.e. lack of enough mobility, most people have a hard time
performing the movement.
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Thats why when I work with my clients, Id rather use
dumbbells, instead of the bar. First because it allows for
lighter weights, the trajectory of the movement could becontrolled better, than if you are using the barbell and
thus it doesnt lead to the ugly twists, most people do
when they try to compensate for their lack of mobility.
Proper Technique
1. Foot Stance should be shoulder-width apart. This allowsfor better stability and thus strength.
2. Grip Width. Should be about shoulder-width apart.
3. Chest Up.
4. Elbows Forward. Elbows in front of the
barbell/dumbbells when looking from the side. But dont
make your elbows parallel to the floor as you would with a
fron squat. Jut make sure that youve locked the bar.
5. Look Forward.
6. Keep your core tight- squeeze your glutes and keep your
abs tight.
7. Press the barbell/dumbbells overhead in a straight line.
8. When you press up, tilt your head slightly back, so the
bar can pass your chin you needing a plastic surgery.
9. Once the bar reaches forehead level, shift your torso
forward.
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10. Squeeze shoulders. Lock your elbows. 11. Then go back
down, following the same route backwards.
Common mistakes
1. Keeping your feet together.This gets you out of
balance, so keep them shoulder width apart.
2. Allowing your elbows to drop down. This shifts the
weight away from the center of gravity and once again
takes you out of balance.
3. Instead of pressing straight up, people often press up
and forward. Once again you are keeping the weight in
front of the center of gravity, and this takes you out ofbalance and puts a stress on your back.
4. You over arch your lower back and relax your core.This
leads to a position of hyperlordosis and stresses your
lower back. Always stay in neutral position.
5. At the top of the movement make sure that your wrists
are straight. Most often than not people fail to keep the
wrist straight and bend them back.This Is not a proper
way toperform the overhead press.
6. On the way down, make sure that you are keeping the
straight line and you are bringing the elbows forward, not
flaring them to the outside.
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Pulling Movements
The sooner you realize, that the main purpose behind
working out and eating healthy should be your HEALTH,
the sooner you will become fit, and the sooner you will
start looking the way youve always dreamed! Besides
that the better you will feel in your own body!
Ive noticed that most trainees, usually pick up their
exercises on the foundation of a really weird logic! Menare really incline dto doing a bunch of pushing movements
and often neglect the pulling movements, or they perform
them with poor technique.Women totally neglect
compound movements and I often hear them say I dont
wanna do pull ups, because my back will become huge; I
wont do military press, because my upper body will
become too muscular; I dont wannasquat, because mylegs will get big and so on.
And after all, exactly what are you gonna do? Walk on the
treadmill and sit around the ab machines! Wonderful! If
that is all, you are about to do in the gym, you better go
for a walk in the park and stop every 10 minutes, to
complete a couple crunches!
But in case, that you really wanna be in better shape, start
choosing exercises, that will help you look better and in
the same time improve your health! Look on your
workouts as the ticket, which will offer you the best seats,
in the theatre of life- those of the healthy, active people!
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Why Do You Need Pulling Movements?
Problem: Do you have a slouched posture?
Solution: Due to a lot of lifestyle factors most people have
really weakback muscles, which contributes to a slouched
posture and a lot of unwanted pain. Thats why you need
to emphasize on pulling movements and wake up your
sleepy back muscles!
Do you have back problems? Or do you have a bad
posture? Do you sit with slouched posture? Then, there
isnt anything else, you would need, as much as youshould do upper body exercises ( and I am assuming, that
you have already started training your lower body)
Why?The main muscles, which are responsible for the
retraction ( the pulling back) of your shoulders, are those
in your upper back. In your words, those that are gonna
get huge from doing pulling movements(for women). By
refusing to work these muscles, you are voluntary cursing
yourself to contribute for your bad posture, which is gonna
lead to a lot of pain!
How?The main muscles, which do the opposite function
of retraction, i.e. take the shoulder forward are the
pectoralis and your deltoideus( picture the muscles on
your shoulders and your chest). As a consequence of toomuch sitting in front of the PC and many more activities
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we do on a daily basis, in a combination with not enough
pulling movements to balance this, the pecs and delts
become too short!
Thus, the lengthened, weak muscles, which are
responsible for retraction, in combination with the
shortened muscles, which take the shoulder forward, you
have the perfect formula for a bad posture, which leads to
a lot of neck, back and lower back pain!
In order to balance this, you should emphasize on the
pulling movements, which will wake up the muscles
responsible for retraction. So, the pulling movements are
your investment in a neutral, good looking, sexy posture
Pull ups
Start each rep from a dead hang with straight
elbows. Clear the bar with your chin on every rep.
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Proper Technique:
1. Squeeze the bar about soulder width apart.
2. Chest Up. Always spay attention to this. Dont let your
shoulders roll forward.
3. Drive with your elbows to the floor.
4. Make sure you are pulling with your ack (retract thelats)
5. Bend Your Legs and cross your feet.
Common Mistakes:
1. Rolling your shoulders forwardand not using your backmuscles properly. This puts a lot of stress on the shoulders
and it is not a proper mechanical pattern. Keep your chest
up and shoulders back.
2. Starting with your arms bend and not going all the way
up.A pull up starts with a dead hang and finishes when
you clear the bar with your chin.Not straightening the
arms.
3. Pulling unevenly, i.e. relying more on one arm. This is
due to imbalance between both arms, so be conscious
about pulling harder with your weaker arm, and do some
unilateral pulling movements in order to fix that
imbalance.
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Lat Pull Downs
Before I show you how to perform the exercise, I want to
make an agreement with you. NEVER perform lat pull
downs behind your neck! NEVER! Ok?
Now that I said it, I can continue.
This is a great exercise, especially if you cant perform pull
ups.
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Proper technique
1. Set your arms a little wider than shoulder widthapart.Squeeze the bar.
2. Get yourself straight under the bar. Hands should be in
line with your ears ( parallel to them)
3. Start with your elbows locked.
4. Pull with your elbows forward and try bringing them to
the ground and even a little to the back. ( imagine that you
are trying to hit somebody behind you with the elbows)
5. Pull with your back. Dont roll your shoulders forward.
6. When pulling down, keep the bar as close to your face
as possible.
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7. Pull the bar to your chest.
Common mistakes:
1. Lifting your chest to the bar, and not pulling the bar to
your chest. Always keep your abs tight and dont let your
chest flare up. Otherwise this hyperlordosis puts a lot of
stress on your spine.
2. Rolling your shoulders forward. Dont do it. Pull withyour lats. Imagine you are trying to squeeze something
between your lats.
3. Pulling with the bar kept way in front. Always pull as
close to your face as possible.
4. Not finishing the movement. Take te bar to the chest.
5. Starting with your arms bend. Always start with your
elbows locked.
6. Leaning back in the starting position. Always keep
yourself under the bar.
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Half-Kneeling Single Arm Pull Down
This is a great pulling exercise, for those that have an
imbalance between both arms.It helps you train your
pulling movement unilaterally and besides that it is great
for those that have problems activating their lats, and
make the mistake to rolltheir shoulders forward, whenperforming pulling movements.
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Proper technique:
1. Get in a half-kneeling position. (The bend leg is the
opposite to the pulling arm)
2. Keep your chest up, ribs down.
3. Start with your arm fully extended.
4. Then pull with your back, to the side of your body.
Common mistakes:
1. Not steting yourself properly, i.e. kneeling on the wrong
leg.
2. Rolling your shoulders forward. Remember to activateyour lats and keep your shoulders back.
3. Starting with your arm bend or not finishing the
movement.
4. Allowing your chest to flare up. Remember to always
keep your ribs down and keep your abs tight.
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