4 TRAINING EXERCISES AND THE FITTING MUSIC
Do you lack good exercises for your whole body, that you can do anywhere? And do you want music that will get you in the mood to perform at your very best? Then read this guide and get four strength training exercises from a personal trainer, perfectly matched with his absolute favourite songs.
MIIEGO Ambassador Jakob Schmidt works full-time as a personal trainer and is also a running coach and elite football referee. For Jakob, being active and in motion is not just a choice but an entire lifestyle that he has built his life around.
When Jakob himself must keep his heart rate up, he throws himself into cycling, strength training and running. But what is the one thing that is always with him through his workouts? Music!
Music is not just music. For Jakob, music and good sound are an essential part of creating drive and giving energy in his active everyday life. And if you ask Jakob, it has to be powerful music when he trains.
Watch Jakob’s exercises below and listen to his choice of songs to get the full experience!
EXERCISE 1: PULL-UPS
Song: “Thunder” by Gabry Ponte
Jakob says: “Pull-ups are an ingenious exercise for the back and biceps, where you get your muscles activated and can use your body weight. I chose the song “Thunder” because the beat gives me insanely good energy and gets (or ‘moves’) me up in gear to take pull-ups!”
Here’s how you do it:
1. If you have a pull-up bar or similar nearby, start by taking a wide grip around the bar.
2. You should have the top of your hand facing yourself and your thumbs should align with the outside of your shoulders.
3. After that, pull yourself and your arms so your chin comes up over the bar and your chest just slices the bar.
4.Then calmly lower yourself to the ground again.
5. Do 6-10 repetitions. Complete three rounds.
Do you not have a pull-up bar nearby? Don’t fear! You can use the edge of a solid table instead and do the exercise the same way. See how it is done here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYUxXMGVuuU&t=40s
EXERCISE 2: WALKING LUNGES
Song: “L’amour Toujours” by Gigi D’agostino
Jakob says: “Walking lunges are an enormously good exercise when you want good legs and glutes. If you are a beginner, it is obvious to do walking lunges with your body weight, whereas the slightly more experienced can do them with dumbbells, kettlebells or e.g., two filled water bottles. The reason I choose the song L’amour Toujours for this is that it has a great rhythm to make lunges and keep a good tempo!”
Here’s how you do it:
1. First: Make sure your toes and hips are both pointing straight ahead.
2. Walk forward on one leg and slowly lower yourself to the floor. Make sure your front knee is not moving past your ankle.
3. When you reach an angle slightly below 90 degrees on your front leg and your thigh is parallel to the floor, stop and step back.
4. Then change legs and perform the exercise on your other leg.
5. Make 10 lunges on each leg. Repeat this for four rounds.
EXERCISE 3: ELEVATED PUSH-UP
Song: “The Business” by DJ Tiesto.
Jakob says: “Elevated push-ups are a super exercise for your chest and your triceps, which at the same time relieves a bit of the pressure on the joints in your upper body, which can feel hard during normal push-ups. The reason we need to hear The Business with Dj Tiesto for this exercise is obvious. Business means work – and we need our bodies to work here.”
Here’s how you do it:
1. Find an object that fits in height for your elevated push-up. If you are in the woods, you may find a wooden frame, in fitness you can use an exercise bench, and at home, you can use the sofa or kitchen table as a starting point for the exercise.
2. Stretch your arms and place them on the surface of the object you have chosen for the exercise. Make sure your back and legs are stretched and straight.
3. Bend your arms so that your upper body is approaching the object.
4. Stop when you hit your chest and lift your upper body again.
5. Repeat 6-10 times. Do three rounds.
EXERCISE 4: BURPEES
Song: “Stamp on the Ground” by Italobrothers
Jakob says: “Now there must be speed! Both with the music and exercises. That’s why we need to make burpees. Burpees are a great exercise for training conditioning, getting your heart rate up and training your explosive power. With burpees, you must use your body to the maximum, which is why the song must of course also have a full throttle.”
Here’s how you do it:
1. Lean forward with bent legs.
2. Put your hands on the floor and jump backwards with your feet so that you end up in a high plank.
3. Bend the arms so that the chest touches the floor like a push up and then stretch them again.
4. Jump forward with your feet again and jump from here with good speed up while clapping your hands over your head.
5. Repeat 6-10 times a minute for 6-10 minutes.
With these cool songs and exercises from Jakob, you are guaranteed a sweaty workout of all the major muscle groups, whether you are in the gym, outside or at home.
