“The components of a fitness regime that are most important to me are cardio, strength & mobility. My routine is 20-30 minutes of cardio (rowing machine or stationary bike).” Whitney McClintock is a Canadian water skier from Cambridge, Ontario. McClintock is a five-time world champion. McClintock has also won thirteen Pan American Games medals (four gold and seven silver).
In her interview with Women Fitness she shared her 5 favourite exercises to build full body strength.
1) Jefferson Curls:
Start by standing upright on an elevated surface. Slowly round your back one vertebra at a time starting from your cervical spine. Keep the weight in the balls of your feet. Return from the forward flexed position, one vertebra at a time.
2) Single Leg Dead Lifts:
Stand with your feet together. Plant the working foot and press hard into the ground. Slide the unloaded leg back behind you until it is slightly hovering off the ground. Straighten the back leg, dorsiflex the foot, and push through the heel. While maintaining a flat back with squared hips and shoulders, inhale a breath and begin to slowly hinge at the hips. Begin to bend the working side knee more for a deeper hinge and push farther back with the straight leg for more muscle recruitment of the hamstrings, glutes, and quads. After reaching the bottom position, pause for a second to work balance. Then use a power breath to return to standing position by pressing hard into the ground and fully extending the hips. Pause at the top of each repetition in a single leg “standing plank,” then repeat for desired reps.
Progressions:
Once you have performed SLDL slowly with your bodyweight only, then feel free to advance to performing the movement while loaded. When it comes to how you load the SLDL, there are many tools that can be used and different hand placements to choose from. As you begin loading this exercise with external weights, the same instructions apply, but you also must make sure you maintain the lat-shoulder connection. You should be controlling the weight—the weight should not control you. It is important to do the SLDL slowly while loading them in order to not rush past a sticking point.
3) Kettle Bell Swings:
Stand tall, gripping the kettle bell. Keep arms long and loose while squeezing shoulders blades together and engaging your core. Soften knees, shift body weight into heels, and lower butt back and down toward the wall behind you. Driving through heels, explode through hips to send weight swinging upward from quads. Aim for chest height, with arms extended. Achieving this finish position requires you to snap your hips through, contracting your core while squeezing glutes. As the kettlebell begins to descend, let the weight do the work as you ready your body for the next rep. Shift weight back into heels while hinging at the hips and loading both the hamstrings and glutes. Receive the weight, allowing the kettlebell to ride back between legs. As it makes the transition from backward to forward, drive through the heels and hips to repeat.
4) Hanging Knee Raises:
Grab a pull-up bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip, making sure your arms are completely straight and your feet are off the ground. This is your starting position. Brace your core and use your abs to raise your knees toward your shoulders. Pause when the tops of your thighs reach your chest. Return to the starting position. Note: Avoid allowing the body to swing back and forth. Keep your torso as still and stable as possible. Do not jerk your legs up. Instead, contract your core musculature to generate movement. Avoid hyper-extending the lower back. Your spine should remain flat and neutral throughout the movement. Do not shrug your shoulders. Force them down and back to recruit your lats and make it less stressful on the shoulder joint.
5) Banded Rotator Cuff series (Cross Over Symmetry):
The Crossover Symmetry System helps eliminate and manage shoulder pain by strengthening the rotator cuff, helping the shoulder to move more efficiently and provide more stability in the shoulder girdle. Comprises of series of exercises, here we have covered, The victory drill. To Perform: Grab a lighter resistant band (purple or yellow), cross over the bands and walk back until you have tension on the band. Face the Crossover Symmetry System have a slight bend in your knees and hold the cords at eye level. Without bending the elbows, pull your shoulder blades down and raise your arms to an overhead position. Make sure to not shrug your traps and to keep your mid-line engaged (no over-extension in the ribcage). Keep the shoulders pinned back and down then descend the arms back to the start position. Repeat for 6-8 repetitions.
