See, last month (January 2010 Workout Routine) was different in that every exercise was fair game. But this month, the entire bankroll of exercises is completely different than anything we’ve done before. Why? Why not? It doesn’t hurt to change things up every once in a while. Besides, some of these exercises are pretty darned cool, and I might use them in upcoming monthly workouts.

But the real truth of the matter is that my particular fitness goals are a little different this month. As many of you know, I make a (very, very, very) small living as an entertainer – mostly acting these days. And I’m working on a theater show that’s going to require plenty of core strength, so I’m stepping up the Lazy Bum Fitness routine to reflect it.

I can already hear some of you grumbling a little (seriously I can… oh wait, that’s my stomach, guess I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast and lunch – dang my acting salary). But the fact is that YOU actually benefit from this little change up in THREE ways:

1. You’ll learn some cool new exercises.
2. A complete change is good every once in a while for meeting fitness goals.
3. You’re actually working out the exact same way an actor does to get ready for a role.

Woohoo! See, once you look at it like that, it’s a pretty cool deal, huh?

Exercises

I’m throwing an entire new batch of exercises at you this month, and truth be told, I don’t know the names of any of  them – actually, I’m not even sure if any of them ARE real gym exercises or not. The moral of the story is that I’m making up the names.

The commonality this month is that you’ll need two dumbbells, not just one. And most of the time you’ll be holding them together (you don’t need super crazy pressure, just enough to keep tension on them), so when you do this, “Press” your palms together. You want the tops and bottoms of each dumbbell to touch each other, not side-to-side.

Front Dumbbell Side Twists: Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and your legs slightly bent, then raise both dumbbells directly in front of you and slightly squeeze them together. Keep your arms mostly straight and your hips as stationary as possible, lead with your arms and slowly turn your upper torso either left or right until you feel the stretch, then slowly return to the starting position.

Two-Handed Dumbbell Arm Circles: Slight press the two dumbbells together as you make a giant two-handed circle around the front of your upper body. It’s okay to rotate the hips a little bit. One whole circle is one rotation.

Squeezing Dumbbell Bench Press: Lay on a bench or the floor, and slightly squeeze the two dumbbells together slightly above your chest. Keep pressure on them as you slowly push them up and away from your body. Pause briefly at the top, then return to the starting position slowly.

Step Ups: Stand in front of a bench or sturdy chair, and press the dumbbells together an inch or two in front of your chest. Step on to the bench or chair with the designated leg and climb up as if it were a single stair step. Lower yourself back down to the  ground leading with the same leg.

Full Body Axe Chopper: Stand in an athletic stance and bend forward slightly, keeping your back and abs tight. Let your arms (with dumbbells in them) hand straight down between your legs. Slightly press the dumbbells together, then, keeping your arms straight, raise up with your legs and arms as if you were getting ready to bash the floor with the dumbbells, do this until the weights are above your head. (If you were to watch from the side, this would make an arching motion). Then slowly return to the starting position.

Modified Arm Curls: Try to use your chest as a backstop for your elbows as you do this exercise. Start by holding the weights away from you, and then pressing them together. Try to make your elbows touch (only go as far as you can – don’t hurt yourself). Bring your elbows to your chest. Keeping your arms and hands in this position, do arm curls using both hands together. This is kind of like a preacher curl, if you’re familiar with them.

Squeezing Dumbbell Half Row: Stand in an athletic stance and bend forward (keep your torso tight!) until your upper body is as close as possible to parallel with the floor. With a dumbbell in each hand, let your arms hang straight down. Slightly press the dumbbells together and keep tension on them throughout this exercise. Keeping your elbows straight, pull your shoulders back as far as they will go, and envision squeezing your shoulder blades together. Slowly return to the starting position.

Instructions

We’re following the standard Lazy Bum Fitness instructions as outlined in the How-To page, so be sure to check it out if you’re new – or if you’ve got a short attention span like me and need constant reminders.

And my monthly “Don’t Sue Me” clause: Check with your doctor before starting this or any exercise routine. And stop immediately if you feel uncomfortable.

No Jokers this month, so you can take them out of the deck if you’d like.

Cards: Draw 20 cards per workout

Goals: 300 total reps per exercise.

The Workout

• Ace: Front Dumbbell Side Twists – twist to the right
• Two: Front Dumbbell Side Twists – twist to the left
• Three: Two Handed Arm Circles – clockwise
• Four: Two Handed Arm Circles – counter clockwise
• Five: Squeezing Dumbbell Bench Press
• Six: Step Ups: lead with right leg
• Seven: Step Ups: lead with left leg
• Eight: Full Body Axe Choppers
• Nine: Modified Arm Curls
• Ten: Squeezing Dumbbell Half Rows
• Jack: Supermans (aka “reverse crunches” or “lower back extensions”)
• Queen: Bicycles
• King: Crunches