Focus: Lift Higher

Lift Higher is the first workout in Tracie Long‘s Focus series. From what she says in her intro, it appears she originally created 4 thirty minute workouts in the Focus series and if you use all 4 of them in a week, you will take care of everything. So far I have also done Kickback in her Focus series and that workout hits the lower body, triceps, chest, shoulders and core. This workout is lower body focused. So I assume at least one of the other two Focus workouts will hit the biceps and back, but I really don’t know. My library does not carry all 4 of the original Focus workouts so I will only be trying out one more of them (unless I decide to buy the 4th, which I might–I have already created a Tracie Long wishlist).

As I just mentioned, this workout focuses on the lower body. You start with standing weight work, then you do some more standing lower body work using a sliding device and also some body weight work, then you do lower body mat work. Tracie hits your lower body very well in this workout and I felt the burn several times. There is some balance work in this workout but not a lot and some of it even I, someone who is very balance challenged, was able to do. But some of the balance work I did have to modify slightly. There is no warm up in this workout (or in Kickback) which I find a little odd, but if you need a warm up you will need to do it yourself before hand. The stretch at the end is brief but Tracie stretches out your lower body throughout the workout.

Another great workout from Tracie. Where has she been all my life? Oh yeah–the first time I tried her I hated that workout (Figure 30: Hips) so I avoided her like the plague. Now that I have finally tried her other offerings, I am loving them!

Lift Higher is a 31 minutes; 30 second intro, no warm up and 1:45 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and sliding devices. I do not know the weight of Tracie’s dumbbells but I used 15 pound dumbbells and my Cathe sliding disks. She recommends washcloths if you are on a slick floor or paper plates if you are on carpet.

1. Reverse lunges, done to various slow tempos and pulses (15# DBs)
2. Squats; hold at bottom of squat and tap one leg in and out to side while keeping all your weight in in the other leg; changes to raising knee then stepping out to squat and slowly dragging foot back in to stationary leg (15# DBs)
3. Repeat 1 & 2 on other side of body
4. Single leg deadlift; changes to holding at bottom of deadlift and swinging DBs away while pushing hips back then swinging DBs back in toward legs (15# DBs)
5. Side sliding lunges; changes to 2 side slide lunges then slide leg in a circle; changes to sliding leg to front, to side then to the back while holding the other leg in a squat; changes to sliding foot out to side then squatting then sliding foot back in; changes to slide back curtsy lunge
6. Stand on one leg w/ other knee lifted in front of you and hold (balance move); step forward w/ raised leg and raise back leg straight behind you 4x (glute lift)
7. Small fast squats and when you straighten, lift one leg out to side leading w/ heel
8. Leap to side then step back, leap back then step front
9. Repeater knee pulls
10. Stretches
11. Stand on one leg and extend arms straight to side and other leg is lifted behind you, raise and lower back leg 2x (glute lift) then lower that leg so you are now in a lunge and do fast stationary lunges
12. Repeat 5-11 on other side of body
13. Reverse plank hold; add alternating leg lifts then walk feet in so you are in crab and pulse hips up 4x
14. Lay on one hip and same side elbow, bottom leg extended straight and in line with hip, top leg extended straight in front of you, raise and lower top leg leading w/ heel
15. Still in same position as #14, pull top knee into chest then kick out (in line w/ other leg); changes to pulsing foot out
16. Get on all 4s then extend one leg out straight to side and circle that leg to the front then to the back, keep alternating directions; changes to raising leg in hydrant then kicking leg out straight to side; pizza presses (w/ knee bent, pushing foot up to ceiling)
17. Lay on back, knees bent and a sliding device under each heel, raise hips off ground and alternate sliding feet out and in (keeping hips raised the entire time)
18. Lay on belly on mat, arms crossed so you are resting on forearms, legs open wide, knees bent and insoles of feet pressed together and raised toward ceiling, raise and lower legs; changes to raising legs then opening feet out to side, bring feet back together and lower legs
19. Repeat 14-16 on other leg
20. Repeat 17
21. Still in bridge, raise and lower hips; changes to pulses at top of bridge