CORE TEAM PHYSICAL TRAINING
HOLIDAYS & SPECIAL EVENTS
Holidays and special events are a great excuse to do something out of the ordinary. Plus, it is extra fun when an activity becomes an annual tradition.
January
New Years Day 1st day of the year
- Out With The Old, In With The New: Group arranges in a circle. First round: each person chooses or leads an exercise and says what they are thankful for or shares a memory from the prior year. Second round: each person chooses or leads an exercise and says what they are looking forward to in the new year.
February
Valentine’s Day 14th
- Cross Country Speed Dating: Each COREmate pairs up by choosing a "date". While running to a designated stop location, chat & learn 3 interesting things about your “date" along the way. For the “Choose a Valentine” evolution (see next activity), COREmates can share what they learned on their “date". After every stop, pick a new “date”.
- “Be My Valentine": Arrange group in a cirlcle. Leader picks a COREmate and a different COREmate volunteers to be their “Valentine” and tell 3 facts about the person that they learned on their “date” (see above activity). Hold in plank or squat position while COREmate shares what they learned about their “date". If the items shared are correct, they get to lead 20 of an exercise of their choice. Otherwise the whole group does 5 Burpees!
- “Love Your Buddy” Push-ups: Get in push-up position across from a partner, do a push up then reach out and touch partner's extended hand (like you’re on a sinking Titanic barely reaching your buddy’s finger tip), repeat. Pair with an acronym, such as HEART - 20 Hip thrusters then 10 LYB push-ups, 20 back Extensions then 10 LYB push-ups, 20 Alternating knee sit-ups then 10 LYB push-ups, 20 Russian twists then 10 LYB push-ups, 20 hand-to-Toe sit-ups then 10 LYB push-ups
- “Love Your Buddy” Sit-ups: Get in sit-up position across from a partner, do a sit-up then reach out and high-five partner's extended hand, repeat. Can also be done with a large group on an inclined hill: have 10 people sit hip-to-hip and put arms around shoulders. Have a partner sit on their feet. Downhill team tries to do 10 sit-ups together as a group. Funny!
March
Pi Day 14th
- Pi Day Abs: Lead 3.14159265359 exercises, such as: 3 Burpees, 14 squats, 15 star jumps, 92 calf raises, 65 flutters, 35 jumping jacks and 9 Bridges. Afterwards, ask them to guess what you were leading!
- Favorite Pie: Arrange group in a cirlcle. Go around the circle. Each COREmate describes their favorite pie and leads an exercise.
St. Patrick's Day 17th
- Holiday Themed Acronyms: Lead a series of exercises and have COREmates guess the word, such as 1) SHAMROCK: Superman, Half-sit ups, Atomics, Marvin hagglers, Russian twist, Open close, Crunches, flutter Kicks; 2) PUBCRAWL: Push-ups, sit-Ups, Back extensions, Crunches, Russian twist, Atomics, Wide grip push-ups, Leg levers; 3) IRELAND: Incline sit-ups, Reach push-ups, Eight count body builders, Leg levers, Atomics, jack kNives, Decline push-ups
April - October
Will be adding more Holiday workout ideas in the months ahead. Feel free to check back later!
November
Thanksgiving 4th Thursday
- Thanksgiving Memory Game: Establish an order (such as oldest to youngest). First person says, "For Thanksgiving, I had [name Thanksgiving food, for example, turkey], so I'll do 10 [name exercise, for example, sit ups] to work it off." Next person says, "For Thanksgiving I had turkey and [name new food] so I'll do 10 sit ups and 10 [name new exercise] to work it off." Keep adding on one new food and one new exercise until everyone has had a turn. Repeat if in a small group.
- "I'm Thankful For..." Dice Game: Print PDF, Each person keeps taking a turn rolling one die and answering what they are thankful for! They also get to choose an exercise and number of repetitions. This game works well on a long, loop run preferable where there are beautiful autumn views. If you roll: (1) describe a PLACE you're thankful for; (2) describe a FOOD you're thankful for; (3) describe a THING you're thankful for; (4) describe a QUOTE you're thankful for; (5) describe a MEMORY you're thankful for; (6) describe a PERSON you're thankful for.
- Leftover Food Pyramid: For the first workout after the Thanksgiving holiday, utilize the Thanksgiving foods and exercises from the Thanksgiving Memory Game (see above). Divide into teams for a race. If you had 12 foods & corresponding exercises, designate 12 locations (such as trees or poles in a row, soccer field corners, etc). Eliminate one food and corresponding exercise from the list at each location. So at first location, do all 12. Next location, eliminate (for example the apple pie & atomics) and do the remaining 11 foods & exercises. Next, eliminate the apple pie & atomics and acorn squash & alternating knee crunches. At the last location, it'll just be one food & exercise. Maybe do 10 of each (but adjust if an exercise is extra difficult). It is a challenging race and also a great mental exercise. Being in teams helps with remembering as well as one teammate might do 8 reps and the other 12 per exercise to move the team along together.
December
Christmas 25th
- Twelve Days of Christmas: Print PDF, cut into 12 squares, shuffle and distribute all 12 squares randomly to group formed in a circle. Sing it to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas". Cardholders should keep their cards a secret, then announce & lead exercise on card when it is their turn. Stay in same place in the circle for the whole song. Afterwards, let members guess the acronym for the 12 cards.
- Tacky Light Tour: Research and map a route with the locations of houses known for their holiday decorations (go when it is darker). For fun, give everyone a large jingle bell on a string to wear around their neck, possibly as a gift, for the team to jingle all the way!
- Yuletide Cheer: Incorporate into a long run, HOHOHO (choose six locations and alternate marvin Hagglers and Open/close at each location); HEHEHE (choose three locations and do Hip thrusters and back Extensions both at each location); HAHAHA (choose three locations and do Half sit-ups and Alternating-knee sit-ups both at each location). Consider adding a holiday Word Guess acronym along the way, such as HOLLY: marvin Hagglers, Oblique sit-ups, Leg levers, Lateral lunges, and Y’d grip push-ups.
- Share New Toys: After Christmas, invite teammates to bring something to share that they received for Christmas, and make up & lead an evolution with it!