Personal trainer and Army veteran Erik Bartell’s training style blends high-intensity with full-body functional strength and conditioning. If you haven’t tried one of his Live Classes each Tuesday and Thursday mornings on the M&F Instagram page, you’ll understand what he means after completing this full-body punisher.
“Remember that even if you do everything right, you’re not always going to come to every workout feeling like you’re in the best shape of your life,” he says. “So give yourself grace.” You can find more of Bartell’s training programs at www.erikbartell.com.
Erik Bartell’s Full-Body Blast Workout
Warmup: Perform steady state cardio (run, row, etc.) for 3 min.
Priming:
Inchworms to World’s Greatest Stretch (6 reps)
Alternating Reverse Lunge (10 reps)
Alternating Forward Lunge (10 reps)
Alternating Lateral Lunge (10 reps)
Y Raises (10 reps)
Conditioning:
AMRAP* x 10 min.
Sandbag Sprawl to Squat (10 reps)
KB Swings (10 reps)
Sandbag Alt. Over Shoulder (10 reps)
Strength Training: (Rest 2 min. between sets)
Glute Bridge to Alt. DB Floor Press (3 sets, 10 reps) superset with Bench Lying DB Row (3 sets, 10 reps)
(Rest 2 min. between sets)
Kettlebell Rack Bulgarian Split Squat (3 sets, 10 reps) superset with Trap Bar Deadlift (3 sets, 10 reps)
Finisher:
Parallette Pushup (1 min.)
Tornado Ball Seated Chop (1 min.)
Sled Push (1 min.)
Exercise Instructions:
Courtesy of Erik Bartell
Sled Push:
Works: Full body
How To Do It: Grasp the arms of a loaded sled with both hands in a neutral position. Keep your body angled at or around 45 degrees, brace your core, and keep your arms extended as you drive the sled with your legs.
Courtesy of Erik Bartell
Parallette Pushups:
Works: Chest, triceps, shoulders
How To Do It: Grasp the parallettes with a neutral grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Your body should form a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders. Squeeze your abs as tight as possible and keep them contracted for the entire exercise. Lower your body until your chest dips below the bars, then push yourself back to the starting position.
Courtesy of Erik Bartell
One-Arm Kettlebell Swing
Works: Posterior chain, core, quads
How To Do It: Position the kettlebell between your feet. Push back with your butt and bend your knees to grab the KB. Your back should be flat as you look straight ahead. Raise the KB off the floor and swing it forcefully up between your legs. Try to keep your arm straight throughout the movement.
Courtesy of Erik Bartell
Tornado Ball Seated Chop
Works: Core, biceps
How To Do It: Sit on the ground with your feet out in front of you while holding a Tornado Ball. Keep the rope taut as you chop back and forth, side to side, rotating your torso in the direction the ball hits the floor.
Courtesy of Erik Bartell
Sandbag Sprawl to Squat:
Works: Full body
How To Do It: Hold a sandbag in front of you. Place it on the floor with both hands on top of it, hinge at the hips and jump both feet back so you land in a plank position. Hop your feet up, row the sandbag to your chest, and flip your wrists to push the sandbag up and over your head so it carefully rests on your traps. Execute a back squat, explosively push the bag up and over your head. That’s one rep.
Courtesy of Erik Bartell
Trap-Bar Deadlift
Works: Full body
How To Do It: Stand in the middle of a loaded hex bar and squat down to grab the handles. In the start position, your thighs should be just above parallel to the floor with your torso bent forward at about a 45-degree angle. Drive your heels through the floor as you extend at the knees and hips to reach a fully upright position, then slow
