Be Well Workout of the Week: The Super-Killer Superset Workout 

Explanation of exercises:
Click the links for how-to videos.

Squat: Stand with your feet just a bit wider than shoulder widt and your toes slightly turned outward. Keeping your weight in your heels, bending at the knees and lower until your quads are parallel to the floor. Keep your back as upright as possible. Straighten legs and come back to the starting position.

Squat jumps: Stand with feet hip-width apart and perform a squat, dropping your rear until your knees are just behind your toes and your hamstrings are parallel to the floor. As you stand, propel yourself upwards and jump. Return to standing and squat again.

Dumbbell chest press: Laying on a bench on your back, hold the dumbbells straight up, out from your chest. Bring your arms down to a 90-degree angle and press back up. Repeat.

Chest fly: Lying on your back on a bench, hold a dumbbell in each hand and extend your arms out from your body so you form a T; palms should be facing up toward the ceiling. This is your starting position. Without locking elbows, raise your arms so they meet together in front of you, knuckles touching, squeezing your chest as you do so. Lower and return to the starting position.

Stationary lunge: With hands on hips, step forward with your right foot. Drop your left knee down to the floor, until your right knee forms a 45 degree angle. Straighten both legs then drop again. Repeat with left leg in front.

Lunge jumps: Start standing with feet together and step forward with the left leg into a lunge, bending knee to about 90 degrees. Jump as you stand back up and switch legs before you land, so your right leg is forward. Lunge again, then jump, putting your left leg forward, and so forth. Left and right counts as one.

Bent-over rows: Hold a dumbbell in your hand with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Bend forward from the waist, keeping your spine straight and letting your hand fall forward in front of you. Pull the dumbbell back (you should feel like you’re rowing a boat), squeezing your shoulder blade. Do 10 on the left then switch and do 10 on the right. For more of a challenge, try a plank row in a push ups position with your hands on the weights.

Reverse fly: Stand with feet hip-width apart and hinge forward at the waist. Holding a weight in each hand (palms facing towards each other), keep your arms slightly bent and using your back, squeeze your shoulder blades together, lifting your hands to the side.

Side plank hold: Lay on your side and prop up your upper body on your forearm, keeping your elbow in line with your shoulder. Both feet should be on the floor, with your top foot just in front of your back foot for stability. Lift your hips off the floor so your body is in a straight line. Hold.

Ab twists: Sit on the floor with knees bent, heels pressing into the ground. Lean back slightly and use your abs to twist side to side.

Lateral lunge: Standing with feet together, step to the side in a lunge, making sure your knee doesn’t bend past your toe. Return to standing and lunge on the other side.

Ski jumpers: Start in a skier’s stance (like a squat, but bent forward at the waist slightly). Using your arms for momentum, jump up and to the left, landing on both feet. Jump to the right. Repeat.

Alternating front raise: Stand with feet hip width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Hands are resting on front of the quads with palms facing towards you. One at a time, raise the left arm to shoulder height and lower, then raise and lower the right arm.

Lateral raise: Holding dumbbells, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Raise your arms out from on your sides to shoulder height, return to start and repeat.

Sit-up: Lie on your back with feet on the floor and knees bent. Put your hands behind your ears. Without pulling on your neck and using only your abs, lift your shoulders off the mat and come to a full sit-up position. Lie back down slowly.

Toe taps: Lie on your back with arms by your side and legs in the air, knees bent at 90 degrees. Alternating left and right, gently touch your toes to the floor, pulling your belly button to your abs to keep your lower back from arching. (If it does arch, don’t bring your feet all the way to the floor.)

Dead lift: Stand with legs shoulder-width apart and dumbbells in hands. Bend knees slightly and lean forward with your arms moving towards the ground, until your back is at a table-top position,. Slowly return to the starting position.

Hamstring curls on the physioball: Lying on your back, place heels onto top of the ball so your legs are straight and lift your hips toward ceiling; your hips should be in line with shoulders. Keeping your hips up, bend your knees and pull the ball in toward your butt, squeezing your hamstrings. Hold for a beat, then return to the starting position.

Tricep extensions: Holding a dumbbell with both hands, behind your head. Raise the dumbbell directly above your head, toward the ceiling. Return the dumbbell to the starting position. Repeat.

Tricep dips: Using a bench or a chair, step your legs out a few feet in front of your body. Steady your hands on the bench or chair and, with your back just a few inches from your fingertips, lower your body to the ground. Then raise your body back to the starting position by pushing into the bench or chair. Repeat.

Bicep curls: Hold dumbbells at your side with palms facing forward. Pretend your elbows are glued to your midsection and curl the weight toward your shoulders, keeping your upper arm still. Slowly return your weight to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

Hammer curl: Stand holding dumbbells at your sides, and lift them toward your chest with your palms facing each other, then lower down slowly, as though you’re hitting something with a hammer. Repeat.

Bicycle crunch: Lie on your back in sit-up position: feet on floor, knees bent, hands behind the head to support the neck. Lift your feet off the floor, extend your left leg to straighten, and twist your torso as you touch your left elbow to right knee. Draw the left leg in as you push the right leg out, and twist the other direction, touching your right elbow to left knee. Repeat by alternating sides in a fluid motion.

Elbow-to-knee crunches: Lay on the ground with your legs at a 90-degree angle, and you hands behind your head. Crunch up to touch elbows to your knees, then lower back down. Repeat.

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Audrey McKenna Hasse is the owner of A.M.Fit, a personal training and healthy consultation business on the Main Line. You’ll find her workouts every Monday right here on Be Well Philly.

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