Barlates: Overload Training

Overload Training contains 4 workouts from Linda @ Barlates. These workouts are not available for free on YouTube. You can purchase them on Amazon, Total Fitness DVDs or as DVDs or downloads from Linda’s website. The idea behind these workouts is that you “overload” whatever muscle group Linda is focusing on, working it to full fatigue before moving on to the next muscle group. I really don’t know what possessed me to purchase this collection of workouts. Linda is already a master at overloading whatever muscle group she is working. Why would I want her kick it into overdrive? But during a moment of dementia I purchased it. Then I previewed it and almost decided to shelve the DVD–it looked too painful. But then I just decided to go for it. I would do one of these a week so I don’t burn out on them (physically and mentally). And that was really sufficient for me. In fact, I really like the schedule I created. I did one Overload workout every Saturday. Every one of these workouts seriously overloaded my lower body so that the muscles felt weak for hours afterward. These are the type of workouts that create a dread factor (for me at least) but relegating them to Saturday mornings somehow removed that dread factor for me. So I think I may assign Linda’s uber painful workouts to Saturday mornings.

These workouts are not huge calorie burners. They are high rep barre and mat strength work. None of these workouts are total body workouts. Every one of them hits your lower body and abdominals hard. Every one of them also works your triceps and shoulders. Three of the four will work your biceps, and 2 of the 4 work your chest. The back isn’t touched in any in any of the workouts. For me, Linda never actually overloaded my upper body in any of the workouts. However, in every single workout she fried (aka overloaded) my lower body and abdominals.

Chisel is 54 minutes; 1 minute intro; no warm up and 4 minute stretch. Here is a trailer for this workout. Equipment: a chair, light dumbbells and a medium to heavy resistance loop (firewalker). This was a tough workout but not as tough as I expected it to be. After previewing this and the other 3 workouts on this DVD, I was feeling some dread about actually doing them. And I did experience muscle burn out multiple times but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected it to be. I did get an excellent workout and by the end my lower body and abs felt weak. My legs continued feeling weak for over an hour afterward. So it definitely “overloaded” my quads and obliques today. The muscle groups Linda hits in this workout are: calves, outer thighs, glutes, quads, abdominals (the entire core but she hits the obliques the hardest), shoulders and triceps. As already mentioned, I did experience “overload” or burn out in my quads and obliques. My calves were starting to protest at one point as were my shoulders, outer thighs and glutes. My triceps not so much, but they did get some nice work. Overall, it was a great workout that wasn’t nearly as dread worthy as I expected it to be.

1. Wide Squat + curtsy lunge w/ bicep curls; changes to side leg raise + curtsy lunge; combine the moves: wide squat + curtsy lunge + side leg lift + curtsy lunge
2. Repeat #1 on other side of body
3. Curtsy lunge + reverse lunge with bicep curls
4. Place ends of DBs on ground and hold other ends with hands, do one knee pull then step foot back to into lunge, do another knee pull then step leg back on a diagonal (curtsy), keeping DBs on floor the entire time
5. Repeat #3 & 4 on other side of body
6. In straight arm plank, tap one knee to the floor
7. Repeat #6 on other leg
8. Combo: start in straight arm plank, push back to child’s pose, return to plank, alternate tapping knees to floor 4x, tap both knees to floor 2x
9. Start in straight arm plank then push hips back on a diagonal/to the side while bending knees (plank squat to the side), return to plank and repeat on other side of body, continue alternating sides
10. Tricep dips while in crab position with one ankle crossed over the opposite knee; after every dip, add extending crossed leg out straight to side of body; it ends with some dynamic stretching
11. Repeat #10 on other side of body
12. Hold wide plie squat isometrically with resistance loop around forearms and holding DBs, arms are held shoulder width apart so loop is pulled taut, do bicep curls in this position, at top of bicep curl do a small plie pulse; hold arms out and do pulsing partial bicep curls + pulsing plie squats
13. With feet in curtsy lunge position, (loop still around forearms and still holding DBs) elbows are bent with DBs in front of you and arms out wide to side, then bring DBs together in front of you; changes to pulsing curtsy lunge while pulsing arms out to sides
14. Feet are in curtsy lunge position but w/ other leg behind you, (loop still around forearms, arms held wide enough so that there is tension on loop and still holding DBs) do overhead presses; changes to pulsing curtsy lunge while pulsing arms overhead
15. (get rid of loop but keep DBs) In plie stance with heels together, hinge torso forward and do tricep kickbacks; changes to pulsing plie squats + pulsing tricep kickbacks
16. In plie stance with heels together, pulse straight arms/DBs behind you while also doing plie pulses
17. (set DBs aside and get chair) With loop around thighs just above knees, stand beside chair with one hand on chair back, feet in plie with heels together, raise up onto toes, do partial squats in this position while keeping spine straight; hold partial squat isometrically and alternate pressing one knee out to side; changes to shifting hips side to side (still remaining in isometric partial plie squat); lower deeper into squat as you continue shifting hips then raise back up; still in same partial plie squat position (heels together), open knees out wide then close knees
18. Still raise onto toes but feet are straight forward, still lowered into a partial squat with spine straight, arm not holding chair back is raised overhead, pulse squat
19. (set chair aside, loop is still around thighs, just above knees) In double kneeling position with knees wide and heels pressed together, lower glutes to heels then raise back up, tucking hips and keeping spine straight; stay at top of move with hips tucked and pulse hips forward; lower glutes toward heels and raise back up again, but this time you are rotating your hips to the side at the top of the move, alternate sides; raise arms overhead and lower glutes to heels and pulse down 2x before raising back up
20. (remove the loop and get the chair) Holding the chair back for balance, lift one leg to side at hip height and slightly behind with knee bent, and pulse leg up, keeping knee and ankle level (hydrant pulses); changes to keeping leg raised at hip height and pushing leg behind you (still in hydrant position)
21. Leg is in same starting position as #20, bring bent leg forward in front of you then extend leg straight, bend leg back to hydrant and bring it behind you, keeping ankle and knee level and leg at hip height; keep leg extended straight in front of you w/ outer thigh facing ceiling, raise and lower straight leg; bend leg into hydrant again beside you, push bent leg behind you then lift bent leg
22. (turn chair so seat of chair is facing you) Sit on floor in front of chair seat with legs in pretzel position (leg you just worked is in the hydrant position but on the floor now), place both palms on chair seat in front of you, keeping knee pressed into floor, lift and lower foot/calf; changes to lifting and lowering the entire leg; keep leg lifted and push leg behind you, keeping knee and ankle level; changes to bringing bent leg forward in front of you then extending leg straight, bend leg back to hydrant and bring it behind you; with leg still bent into hydrant, push bent leg behind you then lift leg
23. Repeat #20-22 on other leg
24. (Set chair aside and get loop) Put loop around feet, sitting on bottom, knees bent and heels on floor, lean back with spine in C curve and arms extended out straight in front of you, in this position, push one leg out straight then bend it, pulling it back in; extend leg straight with heel pressed into floor (other leg is still bent), twist torso and chop straight arms down to floor (toward straight leg side); raise leg off floor and hold it isometrically, do small pulsing twists toward side
25. Repeat #24 on other side of body
26. Move loop up so it is just above knees, lay on back, raise legs straight to ceiling with feet turned out and heels together, bend knees then push legs out straight, do this 4x, lowering legs each time until they are a few inches off the floor the 4th time, reverse this as you raise your legs; scissor straight legs (feet are still in turned out position); keep one leg raised to ceiling and other leg a few inches off the floor, pulse lower leg

Define is 54:30 minutes; 45 second intro, 3:30 minute warm up (you use the resistance loop during the warm up) and 4 minute stretch. Here is the trailer for this workout. Equipment: a chair, a resistance loop and a set of light dumbbells (Linda is using 1kg or 2 pounds). Whew! This one was tough. I had some serious muscle burn out going on in this one and lots of crying. This workout hits the triceps, biceps, shoulders, quads, glutes, calves and abs. I am seeing a pattern form here. We’ll see once I do the other two workouts on this DVD, but she seems to hit the same muscle groups in these workouts. They are very lower body, core and tricep intensive. This one hit my triceps a little harder than Chisel did but I never did quite get to burn out on any upper body muscle group–they were burning but no muscle failure. The burn out (and muscle failure) for me was all lower body and core–my calves felt bruised afterwards! Compared to Chisel, I would say this workout does have some dread factor.

1. In straight arm plank with resistance loop around ankles, march straight legs (alternate lifting legs); add stepping feet out then back in + marching straight legs
2. In elbow plank, alternate bringing knee out to side of body toward shoulder
3. Still in elbow plank, pushing with toes, shift body forward and back
4. (remove loop and get the chair) Place feet on edge of chair seat, hands are on ground, raise torso so you are in crab with legs elevated and knees bent, do tricep dips in this position; changes to hands on chair seat and feet on floor–do tricep dips in this position; changes to tricep push ups on the floor
5. (grab the hand weights) Stand with heels together and toes facing out, knees bent, hold arms close to sides with elbows bent, scoop DBs from waist to above head, keeping elbows bent; changes to opening arms/DBs out to sides so arms are straight with palms facing ceiling then bringing elbows back close to waist with elbows bent; changes to raising your arms out to the side and overhead, fingers touching then arc arms back down, bringing elbows into waist (you are also now doing a small narrow plie squat); changes to alternating all 3 arm movements, 4 reps of each then 2 reps of each then 1 rep of each
6. Balance on one leg with other leg extended straight in front of you about a foot off the floor, extend arms/DBs straight in front of you and do alternating bicep curls, bringing DBs to shoulders but with arms held in front of you shoulder level; changes to pulsing the raised leg while also pulsing the arms in partial bicep curl
7. Repeat #6 on other leg but this time do elevated hammer curls (arms still raised to shoulder level)
8. In wide pulsing plie squat, scoop partially bent arms (still holding DBs) in front of you then pull elbows back behind you; hold wide plie squat isometrically and, keeping partially bent arms raised, alternate crossing forearms/DBs in front of you
9. (set DBs aside and get chair and loop) Place loop around thighs, just above knees, heels are together, toes turned out, raise onto toes holding on to chair back for balance and bend knees with spine straight, bring one foot in front of the other and do barre plie squats in this position; changes to tempo squats–3 down (lowering deeper each count) and 1 up; shift all of the weight into the back leg and raise and lower the front leg, keeping it partially bent with insole facing ceiling; with all the weight still on back leg, wrap other foot around calf and do single leg pulsing plie squats; place feet back in starting position (with both feet on the floor, one in front of the other, heels raised so you are on your toes) and circle the hips
10. Repeat #9 with other leg in front
11. (set chair aside) Sit on the floor, lower loop to just below knees, hands are on floor behind you, torso leaned back, both legs are extended straight but one stays on the floor, raise and lower other straight leg with insole facing the ceiling; continue raising straight leg but at a tempo of 3 counts, holding briefly at top before lowering; changes to bending knee then extending leg straight while also pushing leg out to side against loop
12. Still in same position as #11 but working leg is now turned so knee faces the ceiling, raise and lower straight leg; circle straight leg
13. Repeat #11 & 12 on other leg
14. Get chair and move the loop above your knees, face the chair back and place your hands on the chair back, move far enough away from the chair so you are hinged forward, lift one leg with knee bent and push foot back behind you; keep leg raised behind you with knee bent and slowly lower/straighten leg to count of 3 then raise to count of 1; changes to pushing foot up to ceiling (leg bent) then straightening knee (while keeping leg raised behind you); keeping leg straight and lowering it slightly, bend knee slightly then push leg out straight behind you; extend leg straight behind you and extend leg across other leg then return to start
15. Lower band so it is just below knees and lay on belly on mat/floor, lift one knee/quad off floor and keep it raised while bending knee, bringing heel toward glute, and straightening knee; start with knee bent and straighten knee to count of 3 then return to start to count of 1; changes to bringing heel toward glute then pushing foot up to ceiling; lift and lower partially bent leg, pressing hips into floor as you lift; keep leg raised and bring it sideways across other leg then out to side (FYI–throughout this entire series you are keeping thigh raised off floor)
16. Repeat #14 & 15 on other leg
17. (remove loop and set aside) Sit on bottom on floor, knees bent, feet on floor, torso leaned back with spine in C curve, arms are extended in front of you as if you are holding a beach ball, twist arms/torso side to side; hold arms in front of you (still as if you are holding a beach ball) and “march” legs (alternate raising legs and tapping toes on floor); changes to raising and lowering both legs at the same time, tapping toes to floor when lowered
18. With spine still in C curve, extend one leg straight and elevated a few inches off the floor, other knee is bent and raised, lower torso to floor reaching arms overhead then sit up and reach hands to tap ankle of bent raised leg (legs remain stationary the entire time)
19. Lay on back with head/shoulders raised and scissor straight legs, grasping thigh that is extended to ceiling and pulsing it 2x before switching legs
20. Still laying on back with head/shoulders raised, one hand behind head, same side leg is raised toward ceiling with knee bent, other leg is extended straight a few inches off the floor, reach other arm across body and tap outside of ankle of bent leg; keep arm extended up near opposite ankle and pulse crunch in this position
21. Repeat #20 on other side of body
22. Lay on one hip and elbow, legs extended straight in front of you on a diagonal, raise top arm straight overhead, raise top straight leg to ceiling while chopping top straight arm down behind leg as it raises; changes to raising and lowering both straight legs; keep both legs raised to ceiling, reaching hand toward feet and pulse hand and feet together
23. Repeat #22 on other side of body

Sculpt is 54 minutes; 2 minute intro, 3 minute warm up and 5 minute stretch. Here is a trailer for this workout. Equipment: chair, a fitness mat, a light set of hand weights (Linda is using 1kg or 2 pounds) and a pilates band. Before the workout begins (during the intro) Linda has you tie to pilates band into a large loop. You use the loop in a figure 8 with one leg in each hole. OMG. This workout was brutal. BurnBurnBurn! Linda is definitely focusing on the same muscle groups in all of these workouts. This workout hits the triceps, biceps, shoulders, chest, abs and the entire lower body (quads, hamstrings, inner thighs, glutes and calves). All of these muscle groups are worked well. I did not experience burn out of my triceps or chest but I was getting close. Everything else I experienced muscle failure with at some point. Lots of crying. Linda, of course, is a machine who feels no pain and can execute every single painful rep with perfect form. Like Define, there is some dread factor to the thought of doing this workout again. But I felt it! My legs felt weak for an hour or so afterwards. So Linda did what she promised–overloaded my muscles!

1. In straight arm plank, walk legs out wide then back in narrow then lower to elbows and back to hands, alternate between the legs and the arms, while also alternating the lead leg/arm you use
2. One tricep push up on your knees then at top of push up, lift one arm straight behind you, heel of hand facing upward, then lift the other arm straight behind you
3. Still in knee plank with hands close together, lower torso nearly to floor then push halfway up, lower torso again then raise to top of knee plank
4. Still in knee plank but arms are wide with fingers facing the side wall, lower torso toward one hand then rotate torso over to other hand and straighten arms, alternate sides
5. Sit on bottom, knees bent and feet on floor, palms on floor behind you, raise hips off ground and extend one leg straight, do 4 tricep dips then shift body forward and back 2x
6. Lay on back, legs extended straight on floor and arms extended straight overhead, roll torso and feet up to count of 3 until you are in half boat pose then roll back down to starting position; half boat changes to full boat pose
7. Repeat #5 with other leg extended
8. (place resistance loop around legs just under knees so that is is crossed and is actually a figure 8) Stand beside chair, with hand on chair back for balance, and do wide plie squats; hold wide plie squat isometrically and pulse/press knees back; combine the two moves–2 wide plie squats then hold in squat isometrically and push knees back 4x
9. In same starting position as #8, hold wide plie squat isometrically and raise and lower heels while also pulsing in plie squat; changes to alternating heel raises; remain in wide plie squat isometrically, pulse with both heels raised; hold plie squat isometrically with heels raised and pulse/press knees behind you
10. (move chair so the chair back is in front of you) Legs are still in wide plie squat, fold arms on chair back so you are leaning forward, pulse down in wide pile squat; hold wide plie squat isometrically and pulse/press knees back; hold wide plie squat isometrically while alternating heel raises; changes to raising and lowering both heels at the same time while pulsing in wide plie squat; continue holding wide plie squat isometrically with heels raised and pulse; hold plie squat isometrically with heels raised and pulse/press knees behind you
11. (grab light DBs) Stand with heels together and toes turned out, raise onto toes with heels still pressed together, palms holding DBs facing the ceiling and arms open to sides with elbows close to waist, keeping elbows bent, alternate reaching arms overhead; changes to both arms raising overhead at same time
12. Change leg position so you are in a static/stationary curtsy lunge position and press DBs together in front of chest, keeping DBs pressed together, raise them overhead then return them to chest level; changes to pulsing stationary curtsy lunges while pressing the DBs together in front chest
13. Still in static/stationary curtsy lunge position, but swap leg position from #12, DBs are still pressed together but raise them to forehead level, bring elbows together then open elbows and lower DBs to chest level and raise them back to forehead level; separate DBs, hold bent arms at shoulder level isometrically so DBs are at about forehead level, pulse in stationary curtsy lunge while also pulsing DBs up
14. Stand with legs about hip width apart, extend arms out on an angle, arms raised away from body and hold that way, do bicep curls in this position; bicep curls change to pulses
15. (set DBs aside and grab resistance loop and chair) Place loop around one ankle and around the foot of the other foot (still figuring 8ing the band), face chair seat with hands on chair back, separate legs in wide split stance, do stationary lunges in this position; hinge forward so all of the weight is on the front leg, raise and lower back leg but bending the knee and bringing heel toward glutes; changes to keeping leg raised (knee still bent) and push foot out toward wall behind you; straighten back leg and point toe, raise and lower straight leg; keep straight leg raised and make small circles with leg
16. (move chair aside) Loop is still in same position as #14, lower to hands and knees so knee is now pinning one end of the loop to the ground, extend the leg that has the loop around foot straight behind you, bend and straighten leg, bringing heel to glutes when knee is bent; changes to bending and extending knee, pushing foot to wall behind you; keep leg extended straight with toes pointed, raise and lower straight leg; keep straight leg extended behind you and make small circles with leg
17. Repeat #15 & 16 on other leg
18. (get rid of resistance loop and grab DBs) Sit on bottom, knees bent, feet on ground, torso leaned back with spine in C curve, hold hands/DBs just under knees and tuck and release pelvis while in this position; press DBs together with arms extended in front of you, raise and lower torso; add chest flies; hold DBs together at chest level with elbows bent and raised, twist torso/arms/DBs to one side and pulse twist one elbow toward the ground; changes to keeping arms stationary while raising and lowering torso (still twisted to side with DBs pressed together at chest level and elbows raised)
19. (set DBs aside) Lay on back, raise legs to ceiling, toes and heels touching with knees open, knees slightly bent, do reverse crunches in this position, pushing feet to ceiling; changes to lowering legs and tapping toes to floor 2x then doing 4 reverse crunches (heels and toes remain pressed together and knees slightly bent)

Tone is 53 minutes; 1 minute intro, 2:30 minute warm up and 4 minute stretch. Here is a trailer for this workout. Equipment: chair, pilates ball (or playground ball) and light dumbbells (Linda is using 1kg or 2 pound handweights). You use the pilates ball for the warm up. This was yet another excruciatingly painful workout. I had severe lower body burn out many times and hours later my legs and calves are still feeling weak. Like the others, this is not a total body workout. She doesn’t hit your upper body hard at all in this workout but she really fries your lower body and core. The muscle groups worked are–everything in the lower body (calves, quads, inner and outer thighs, glutes and hamstrings), abs, biceps, triceps, shoulders and chest. No back work. Even tho the upper body isn’t hit very hard, this is probably the most comprehensive of the 4 workouts since it hits more muscle groups. I never had any upper body burnout but with the lower body and core work I hit muscle failure several times.

1. In a straight arm plank, bend knees and tap them to floor then straighten legs
2. In elbow plank, bend one knee, bring toward shoulder on outside of body and, while keeping leg bent, raise leg higher, lower leg bringing it toward shoulder again then return leg to start, alternate sides
3. In straight arm side plank, with top arm raised straight to ceiling, raise and lower hips
4. In straight arm plank, bend one knee, bringing it under body, then bring bent leg toward opposite elbow then open bent leg out to side, then return leg to start, alternate sides
5. Repeat #3 on other side of body
6. Start in straight arm plank, push hips back into child’s pose then explode forward back to plank
7. (get chair and pilates ball) Place one hand on chair back for balance and place pilates ball between thighs, turn heels out and knees/toes inward, raise onto toes and lower into a straight back barre squat, press thighs into ball, squeezing it; raise one arm overhead, squeeze ball and hold the squeeze while doing a side bend; remain in side bend and pulse the side bend while also pulse-pressing thighs against ball; squeeze ball between thighs and hold the squeeze isometrically while doing small squats; continue squeezing the ball isometrically while in partial squat and press hips forward side to side; hip presses change to a single-single-double pattern; keep squeezing ball isometrically, barre squat and tuck hips at bottom of squat then tuck hips again at top of squat; continue squeezing ball isometrically while circling hips
8. (set chair aside but keep ball) Lay on back, knees bent and feet on floor keeping ball between thighs, raise hips off floor, feet are wide and knees close together, pulse hips up in bridge; changes to shifting hips side to side while continuing to pulse up in bridge; hip shifts change to a single-single-double pattern; with hips still raised in bridge and ball squeezed between thighs, raise onto toes and circle your hips; still raised on toes, tuck hips up
9. Standard push ups on knees with ball under one hand
10. Tricep push ups on knees with ball under one hand
11. (set pilates ball aside and get light dumbbells) In double kneeling with knees wide and feet together, lean torso back slightly and hold DBs with bent arms, elbows close to side, alternate scooping DBs up keeping arms bent; keep elbows raised away from sides, and straighten and bend elbows doing partial elevated bicep curls; keep arms extended straight away from body and do alternating elevated hammer curls by bending elbow and bringing DB to shoulder; changes to pulsing DBs in partial elevated hammer curls
12. In kneeling lunge, lean torso forward over front leg, with elbows bent and kept close to sides, DBs/hands opened out to side, pulse DBs out behind you, pulling shoulder blades together; keep arms held out to sides and push DBs out, straightening arms then bring elbows back into side
13. Still in kneeling lunge but swap which leg is forward and lean torso forward over front leg, do tricep kickback pulses; rotate hands so palms face the ceiling and arms are straight and continue pulsing DBs upward
14. Stand up, press DBs together in front of chest with elbows bent, lower DBs to crotch level then raise back to chest level; changes to raising DBs from chest level to overhead (keeping DBs pressed together the entire time); keep DBs raised (and pressed together) just above head, elbows still bent, close and open elbows
15. (set DBs aside and get chair) Stand behind chair back, hands on chair back, lift one leg behind you bent slightly in attitude and pulse leg up; changes to small circles
16. Move further away from chair so you can fold forearms on chair back, raise leg higher behind you with leg bent in hydrant, bring knee toward same side shoulder then press leg straight behind you; changes to keeping leg to side, still bent in hydrant, lower leg bringing knees together then raise leg back out to the side of the body; raise leg straight behind you and press straight leg across to other side of body; keep leg raised straight behind you and pulse leg up
17. Turn chair around so seat of chair is facing you, kneel beside chair seat with one hand on chair seat, raise other leg out to side with knee bent and pulse bent leg up; changes to circling bent leg; lower onto one elbow on the chair seat, leg still raised and bent, bring bent leg forward then push leg behind you; changes to keeping leg to side, still bent in hydrant, lower leg bringing knees together then raise leg back out to the side of the body; extend leg straight behind you but on a diagonal and do small circles; circles change to pulses
18. Repeat #15-17 on other side of body
19. (get the pilates ball) Turn chair so the back is facing you, hold onto chair back for balance and place the ball between your thighs, legs/feet are hip width apart, raise onto toes and lower into barre squat with spine straight and squeeze thighs against ball every time you squat; raise one arm overhead and do a side bend then squeeze ball; squeeze faster while also pulsing in side bend
20. In same starting position as #19, hinge torso forward then lean torso back while tucking hips forward; remained leaned back with hips tucked forward and do a pulsing squat in this position
21. (set chair aside but keep ball) Lay on back, one leg is extended straight to ceiling and the other is extended straight a few inches off the floor, place ball behind knee of raised leg, holding it there with both hands, raise head/shoulders and do a crunch then squeeze ball; do this movement faster–fast crunches while squeezing the ball
22. Lay on back, holding the ball in both hands at the chest, scissor straight legs while pressing palms into ball
23. Repeat #21 on other leg
24. Lay on back, holding the ball in both hands at the chest, legs are raised off ground with knees bent, raise and lower legs so toes tap the ground while pressing palms into the ball
25. Sit on bottom, knees bent, feet on floor and ball between knees, roll spine back into C curve, turn torso to one side, holding the outside of one knee with both hands, do hip tucks in this position; extend both arms straight in front of you, turn torso to one side while bringing same side arm to floor then bring other arm to meet that arm, return both arms to start one at a time; both arms are extended straight, torso twisted to side, pulse arms/torso down toward floor
26. Repeat #25 on other side of body
27. Lay on back, hands behind head and head/neck raised, legs are raised, knees slightly bent and ankles crossed, ball is still between thighs, separate feet then bring them back together while keeping ball pressed between thighs; keep ankles crossed and do reverse crunches while squeezing the ball
28. Still laying on back, but with head on floor, arms extended out to sides on floor, legs are straight with feet flexed out to sides and ball still between thighs, pulse squeeze the ball between thighs so that heels tap together