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 | | IMAGES: JENNY SATHNGAM FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | | |
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| Congratulations! You've made it to the final week of the Workout Challenge. Our Week Five workout kicks things up a notch and is guaranteed to get your heart pumping. Cardiovascular exercise is anything that increases the heart rate, from structured gym sessions to shoveling snow in your driveway. Making time for cardio is a true investment in your health and longevity. The benefits include improved heart and lung health and reduced risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. It also boosts your mood. (Hello, endorphins!) Intensity can be broken down into five training zones. Moderate intensity falls into Zone 2, working your heart between 60% to 70% of its max rate. If you don't have a heart-rate monitor, consider this an effort you can sustain for a period of time while still being able to hold a conversation. Think of it as a workout you could do on a date. If the date is going poorly, you might want to ramp up into Zone 5, or vigorous intensity. This level of cardio is performed at 90% to 100% of your maximum heart rate. Trust me, you won't be talking. You will feel discomfort, but this zone is maintained for short intervals. And those big pushes will make real-life scenarios, like sprinting through the airport to catch your plane, way easier. The key to learning to love cardio is finding something you enjoy. The exercises in our Challenge should have you primed to try new aerobic activities like jumping rope (a breeze after those line drills) or turn an exercise like mountain climbers into a daily workout snack. You have one week left before you retest. Make these your strongest workouts yet. I hope you are feeling proud of yourself for sticking to this weekly commitment. —Jen Murphy | |
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| 🤸🏾 Get ready for action with a warm-up. Start with a dynamic warm-up of five to six exercises for one-minute each to raise your heart rate, increase blood flow and range of motion. Here's an example. | |
| 🎵 Get in the mood to sweat. Women's Tennis Association phenom and 2023 U.S. Open champ Coco Gauff blasts "Wurli" by Dominic Fike to get in her flow state. Find it on the Workout Challenge playlist. | |
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| Ben Suek, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, demonstrates this week's workout. He was 27 when this Challenge was created. Do two to three rounds of the circuit with little rest between sets. Aim to train two to three days and attempt three rounds for your final workout this week. Week Five should be the most challenging yet, so don't get discouraged if an exercise feels hard. 1. Kneeling wrist mobilization—four ways
10 pulses each way | |
 | | Ben demonstrates kneeling wrist mobilization in four directions. | | |
| All of the wrist-mobility drills you have learned throughout the Challenge come into play this week. Start on your hands and knees, fingers facing forward. Maintain straight arms and a flat back as you slowly shift your weight forward over the fingers. Spread your fingers wide and press palms into the ground. Shift the weight forward so your hips are over your knees and your shoulders move toward fingers. When you find a tight spot, slowly pulse forward. Now turn your fingers outward. Rotate your wrists so your right fingers point right and left fingers point left. Shift your weight to the right, out over the right fingertips and pulse, then reverse and shift the weight out and over the left fingertips and pulse. Rotate your wrists until your fingers point toward you, palms down. Slowly shift your weight backward over the fingers and pulse. Now flip your palms to face up and pulse. 2. Breakdancers
10 to 20 reps | |
 | | Ben demonstrates the breakdancer. | | |
| This exercise is a true test of coordination, so start slowly. Begin on your hands and knees, wrists under shoulders, knees under hips. Lift your knees a few inches off the floor. Hover your left hand and right foot off the floor. Rotate your hips to the left, place your left heel on the floor, and kick your right leg under the body out to the left. Hold for a count of two, then rotate your hips to the right to return to the starting position. Switch sides and repeat. If this is too challenging, go back to the crab-toe touches from last week and try to master the advanced level. | |
| 3. Step double switch
20 seconds, two times | |
 | | Ben shows off his step double switch. | | |
| Stand with your right foot on the ground and left foot on top of a step the same height of the one you used for your test-in. Switch feet as quickly as possible without losing your balance. Increase speed. | |
| 4. Line drill double-leg hops forward and back
20 seconds, 2 times Time for another new line drill. Stand behind a line. You can put a belt across the floor or use the line of a parking space outside. Hop forward and back over the line with both feet. Work down the line and up again. You can keep your feet together, or a few inches apart, and your knees soft. Make the hops quick. Make sure you are completely clearing the line. Increase speed. Check out this video for extra guidance on the line drill. | |
| 5. Wall square push-up
10 to 20 reps Beginner: Place your hands on a wall. Walk your feet backward on the floor and hands down the wall until you have a 90-degree angle in your hips. Try to keep the knees and elbows as straight as possible so your body makes an L-shape. Bend your elbows to bring your head toward the wall.
Advanced: With your hands on the floor and your feet on a wall, walk your feet down and hands in until you have a 90-degree angle in your hips. Try to keep your knees and elbows as straight as possible so your body makes an L-shape. Bend your elbows to lower your head toward the floor. Keep your core engaged. 6. Dead-bug overhead reach
10 to 20 reps We did a version of this in Week One. Beginner: Lie on your back. Lift your right and left arms straight in the air and right and left legs until your knees are over your hips. Keep your back pressed into the floor. Reach overhead and tap thumbs to the floor. Think about scooping your bellybutton so your low back is flush to the ground. The straighter your arms are, the more you should feel your core working. If you experience discomfort in your neck, rest your head on a pillow.
Advanced: Hold a dumbbell, jug of water or pillow in your hands. Reach overhead and tap the weight to the floor. If your low back begins to arch during the movement, bend your elbows or use a lighter weight. | |
| ❄️ Cool down Slow down your heart rate and stretch your muscles with these exercises. | |
| ❓ Your questions answered Need some extra guidance for this workout? Check out this page of FAQs. | |
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| Celebrate completing the Challenge! 🥳 Awesome job! You made it to the final week. How does your body feel? Are you sore? Feeling stronger? Has your coordination improved? | | |
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| Next week: It is time to retest and measure your gains! | |
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| By participating in this workout challenge, you acknowledge that the workout could be strenuous. You should consult a physician before proceeding. By submitting photographs, video, text, or other material ("Content") to Dow Jones & Company, publisher of The Wall Street Journal, you agree that Dow Jones has the perpetual right to use, publish, and modify the Content in any medium now known or hereinafter developed and that Dow Jones can credit you by name if it publishes your Content. You represent and warrant that (a) you own the rights to the Content you submit, (b) the Content does not infringe any third party's rights, (c) the Content has not been altered and does not convey a false impression, and (d) any information you submit about the Content is accurate. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Subscriber Agreement and Terms of Use. | |
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