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Fitness

The five most efficient exercises for a total-body workout

Olympic silver medalist Kelsey Serwa shows us her five favourite exercises that will get you maximum results in no time!
By Robyn Shanks
The five most efficient exercises for a total-body workout

Silver medalist Kelsey Serwa of Canada celebrates during the medal ceremony for the Women's Ski Cross on day fourteen of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Medals Plaza on February 21, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo, Streeter Lecka/Getty Images.)

Kelsey Serwa

Kelsey Serwa

She hit the slopes for the first time at age two, and ever since, skiing has been a major part of Kelsey Serwa's life. Her grandfather co-founded Big White in Kelowna, and it was there that Serwa began a journey that would lead her to a silver ski-cross medal in Sochi.

We recently spent a few days with Kelsey (in her second home, Whistler), to get the scoop on how she trains, what keeps her hydrated and what we can take away from her extensive fitness knowledge.

Read on for more.

Silver medalist Kelsey Serwa of Canada celebrates during the medal ceremony for the Women's Ski Cross on day fourteen of the Sochi 2014 Winter OlympicsSilver medalist Kelsey Serwa of Canada celebrates during the medal ceremony for the Women's Ski Cross on day fourteen of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Medals Plaza on February 21, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo, Streeter Lecka/Getty Images.)

Q: What's your go-to workout when you're training?

A: I like to do circuits, and I superset all of them.

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Pick exercises that target every part of your body. Take five exercises, pick the number of reps (typically 10) you're going to do, and then do them all in a row without taking a break. Have a two minute rest in between and do the whole circuit all over again. It's power endurance, which is my favourite.

The five most efficient exercises for a total-body workout

Q: When it comes to nutrition, what's the most important factor to you?

A: Hydration.

I chug a Zico [coconut] every morning. You have to go into your workouts hydrated, and then sip afterwards to rehydrate. 

Kelsey's go-to smoothie
2 cups Zico coconut water
1 cup blueberries
1 tbsp greek yogurt (for protein)
Mint

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The five most efficient exercises for a total-body workout

Q: What have you found most-effective when recovering from your knee injury?

A: I incorporated yoga into my training. I love it, because for me, yoga is yoga time. I love The Hot Box Yoga in Kelowna. It uses infrared heating, which is very healing. I love the mat work in yoga...and the breathing.

The five most efficient exercises for a total-body workout

Q: What are the most-efficient exercises any woman can do at home/in her hotel room to tone the whole body?

1. Goblet squats (3 sets of 10 reps. Tempo: down 2, hold 1, up 2)
- Hold your weight close to chest in prayer position (Start with a 25 pound dumbbell. If that’s too easy, bump up the weight!)
- Feet should be hip-distance apart, option to slightly turn your toes outwards
- Tighten your core, keep chin up and your spine in a neutral position
- Keeping your weight on your heels, squat down until thighs are parallel with the floor
- Evenly push through your heels and focus on glute recruitment to return to standing position

The five most efficient exercises for a total-body workout

2. Rotator cuff

(3 sets of 15 reps each arm. Tempo: down 2, hold 1, up 2)
- Start with a small weight (5 pounds)
- Keep one arm either by your side or place on your hip (if in standing position)
- Hold your other arm out to the side so there is a 90 degree angle between arm and armpit. Bend at the elbow so there is a 90 degree angle between the upper and lower arm
- Elbow should be inline with your shoulder. You can even do this exercise leaning against a wall to feel the proper alignment of your arm, shoulder and back. 
- Keep the humerus (upper arm) in the same line. Only the forearm will move forwards. 
- Move forearm down until it's horizontal with the ground. 
- Return to starting position

The five most efficient exercises for a total-body workout

3. Rock-climber pushups

(3 sets of max reps. Goal: 10+)
- Wide pushup position (hands placed outside of shoulders)
- Keep core tight so the body is in a strong planked position. Tuck your pelvis down and forwards to engage abdominals
- Simultaneously bend one leg towards the same elbow as you move down into the pushup position
- Return leg to plank position as you move up and out from the pushup
- Alternate legs 
Note: If your form weakens, return to normal pushups without leg movements until you reach your maximum reps

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The five most efficient exercises for a total-body workout

4. Hamstring bridge

(3 sets of 10 reps each. 20 total. Tempo out for 1, hold for 1, back in for 1)
- Lying on your back, bend your knees so your hands can brush your heels
- Push through your heels to lift hips towards the celling
- Contract your glutes and focus on keeping your pelvis level
- Step one leg out at a time into extension, keeping hips level and elevated off the ground, extend the other foot so both meet in extension. Like walking, alternate legs into extension and flexion: left, right, left, right
- Arms may be used to either brace your body (easy) or can be extended above your body (difficult)

The five most efficient exercises for a total-body workout

5. Lunges

(3 sets of 10 reps each leg. Tempo down for 2 counts, hold for 0 counts, up for 2 counts)
- Start with your back foot on a bench (or something else that is sturdy), making sure the hips, knee and back foot are in line
- Bend the front knee, making sure the knee does not track past the toes on the standing foot. In flexion (90 degrees), knee and ankle should be vertically in line
- Keep chest upright and shoulders back
- You should feel a stretch in the hip flexor of the raised foot
Note: To make this more difficult, hold dumbbells in each hand (10 pounds each to start. If that’s too easy, bump up the weight.)

For more on Kelsey click here. For more 10-minute workouts click here.

The five most efficient exercises for a total-body workout

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