Channel your inner badass like WWE Superstar Sasha Banks and take your fitness to the next level with this powerful total-body workout.
Break out of the usual humdrum routine and power up your results with this intense workout that will put you into beast mode. And there’s no better athlete to help you make a “Bank Statement” than WWE Superstar Sasha Banks, who routinely shows her impressive displays of strength and athleticism in the ring.
“Top athletes like Sasha need workouts that challenge them in new ways, but the rest of us can also benefit from moves that take us out of our comfort zone,” says M&F technical adviser Gino Caccavale, who designed this workout.
WORKS: core, low back, glutes
- Sit tall on the floor with legs in a wide V position. Place a barbell across your shoulder blades.
- Slowly lower chest toward floor, keeping eyes forward. Stop when you’ve gone as far as you can without losing form. Push back to starting position, engaging lower back and glutes to drive you back up.
- Do 2 sets of 10 slow reps.
WORKS: shoulders, core, legs
- Balance on left leg, holding dumbbell in right hand, arm extended at side. Slowly squat down, keeping right leg behind you; lower weight toward arch of left foot.
- Explosively draw dumbbell upward close to body, continuing in one smooth motion until right arm is extended overhead.
- Do 2 sets of 12 reps per side.
- Stand holding a barbell with an underhand grip with arms extended down near thighs.
- Perform a biceps curl, drawing bar toward shoulders.
- Extend arms forward until they are parallel to floor, flexing triceps.
- Reverse the movement, bringing bar toward shoulders, and then lower weight to start position.
- Do 2 sets of 10–15 reps.
WORKS: core, legs; improves shoulder stability
- Place a straight bar slightly lower than shoulder height on a squat rack. Bring shoulders under bar and lift it off, then step both feet back, keeping feet shoulder-width apart (or have a partner assist you with a barbell).
- Balancing bar on shoulders with arms extended parallel to floor, descend into a deep squat.
- Do 3 sets of 12 slow reps with moderate weight.
WORKS: back, core, legs
- Tie a battle rope to 1 or 2 heavy kettlebells. Stand back so there’s about 4 feet of slack, and grasp the rope with palms facing inward. Squat down, keeping arms extended.
- Driving legs to the rear, walk slowly backward, keeping core engaged and staying in low squat.
- Do 2 sets of 30 steps up and back.
WORKS: back, chest, legs
- Set the loads on a cable machine with the weight stack in front of you about 20% heavier and three notches below the cable stack behind you. Begin in a split stance, left leg forward and right leg back. Hold low cable in right hand with arm extended and higher cable in left hand, elbow close to side and forearm parallel to the floor.
- Lower your right knee to the floor while simultaneously rowing right arm back, keeping elbow close to side and pressing left arm forward.
- Do 2 sets of 20 reps per side.
Tip: Perform this “pull, push, lunge” as one smooth and cohesive movement.
WORKS: core
- Lie faceup on a flat bench, grasping edges of bench near ears with legs extended above hips and lower back on bench.
- Press legs upward, bringing lower back off bench until only shoulder blades are touching.
- Slowly lower hips back to bench; concentrate on the downward negative and keep core engaged.
- Do 2 sets of 15-20 reps.
- Place a stability ball inside an upside-down 24-inch plyo box underneath a pullup bar. Grasp narrow grip handles of the pullup bar and let entire body hang down.
- Keeping legs together, rotate legs in a circular motion from right to left, moving them in an arc over the ball.
- Keeping abs engaged, reverse the motion to left to right over the ball. (Don’t allow legs to touch the ball.) That’s one rep.
- Do 2 sets of 15 reps.
WORKS: shoulders, chest, core
- Begin in a pushup position, hands shoulder-width apart on a flat bench.
- Lower chest toward the edge of the bench.
- Explosively push yourself off the bench, raising arms until biceps are aligned with your ears.
- Land into a pushup keeping elbows soft and repeat.
- Do 3 sets of 15 reps.
