KAATSU At Home Workouts – Zooming In On Strength On April 6th
For who? Work-at-home employees, student-athletes, competitive athletes
For what? Functional movement, strength, flexibility, mobility, KAATSU At Home, recovery
Retired Navy SEAL captain John Doolittle led 2 strength-focused KAATSU At Home workouts on Monday, April 6th.
The first workout was geared for aging Baby Boomers (i.e., those over 50 years old) and the second workout was geared for younger competitive athletes on the Zoom platform (see above).
• Mondays: KAATSU At Home Zoom Workouts – Focus on Strength
• Tuesdays: KAATSU At Home Zoom Workouts – Focus on Speed
• Wednesdays: KAATSU At Home Zoom Workouts – Focus on Stamina
• Thursdays: KAATSU At Home Zoom Workouts – Focus on Flexibility
• Friday: KAATSU At Home Zoom Workouts – Focus on Core Strength & Balance
KAATSU At Home Monday Workout – Focus on Strength
Warm-up:
• Stretch and drink an entire water bottle before the workout begins
• Put on KAATSU Arm Bands snugly. Be able to put one finger between your arms and the bands but not two fingers between your arms and the bands (this would be too loose).
Exercise #1:
• 3 sets of Hand Clenches working on the forearms.
Set 1: 30 slow Hand Clenches; open and close hand while squeezing your closed fist hard. Then 5 fast Hand Clenches. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 2: 15 slow Hand Clenches; open and close hand while squeezing your closed fist hard. Then 5 fast Hand Clenches. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 3: 10 slow Hand Clenches open and close hand while squeezing your closed fist hard. Then 5 fast Hand Clenches. Rest 20 seconds.
Exercise #2:
• 3 sets of Biceps Curls working on the upper arm.
Set 1: Slow Biceps Curls while contracting biceps – both in the positive (up) and negative (down) direction for 30 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 2: Slow Biceps Curls while contracting biceps – both in the positive (up) and negative (down) direction for 20 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 3: Slow Biceps Curls while contracting the biceps – both in the positive (up) and negative (down) direction for 10 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Exercise #3:
• 3 sets of Triceps Extensions (or Triceps Dips) working on the upper arm.
Set 1: Slow Triceps Extensions while contracting the triceps – both in the positive (up) and negative (down) direction for 30 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 2: Slow Triceps Extensions while contracting the triceps – both in the positive (up) and negative (down) direction for 20 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 3: Slow Triceps Extensions while contracting the triceps – both in the positive (up) and negative (down) direction for 10 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Note: Alternative is Triceps Dips with hands on a chair or sofa.
Exercise #4:
• 3 sets of push-ups working on the chest.
Set 1: Slow push-ups (3-second count going down and 3-second count going up) for 20 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 2: Slow push-ups (3-second count going down and 3-second count going up) for 10 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 3: Slow push-ups (3-second count going down and 3-second count going up) for 5 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Exercise #5:
• 3 sets of push-ups working on the chest.
Set 1: Fast push-ups for 15 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 2: Fast push-ups for 10 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 3: Fast push-ups for 5 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Exercise #6:
• Take off KAATSU Arm Bands and hydrate during 3-minute rest.
• Then, put on KAATSU Leg Bands snugly. Be able to put one finger between your legs and the bands, but not two fingers between your legs and the bands (this would be too loose).
Exercise #7:
• 3 sets of Heel Raises working on the calves.
Set 1: Do Heel Raises for 20 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 2: Do Heel Raises for 15 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 3: Do Heel Raises for 5 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Exercise #8:
• 3 sets of Standing Leg Curls. Stand on one leg and bring the other leg up to your butt. Balance by yourself – do not hold onto chair, table or wall.
Set 1: Do Standing Leg Curls for 20 seconds on one leg. Then switch legs. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 2: Do Standing Leg Curls for 15 seconds on one leg. Then switch legs. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 3: Do Standing Leg Curls for 5 seconds on one leg. Then switch legs. Rest 20 seconds.
Exercise #9:
• 5-8 sets of Non-lock Quarter Squats, non-stop for 30 seconds. Then hold a Quarter Squat position for 10 seconds. Rest 20 seconds between each set.
Note 1: 30 seconds of squats + 10 seconds holding a Quarter Squat position + 20 seconds rest for 5-8 rounds.
Note 2: This is the key exercise of this workout where you can build up the maximum amount of lactate and Growth Hormone, VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) and nitric oxide.
Note 2: Do not lock your knees or stop during any part of this exercise; keep constant movement.
Note 3: Leg exercise generate higher levels of lactate that leads to higher hormonal and metabolite production.
Exercise #10:
• Remove KAATSU Leg Bands and hydrate. Rest for up to 5 minutes.
Extra Exercise #11:
• Re-apply the KAATSU Leg Bands and do 3 sets of Burpees.
Set 1: Do Burpees for 20 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 2: Do Burpees for 15 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.
Set 3: Do Burpees for 5 seconds. Rest 20 seconds.