Good morning! Before we get into this post honoring summer’s finest, let me hit you with a dose of fall. Here’s your Fall Foliage Predictor Map! Check out when leaves will hit peak color where you live, and if you’re in western Montana, keep your eyes out very soon!

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💃🕺 Songs of Summer 2024 Workout

Time for another fun one. It’s been a heck of a year for music. I wanted to get this special edition out before summer ends. This week, I’ve taken a dozen of the songs at the top of every “songs of summer” list and created exercises out of them. I present to you: The Songs of Summer 2024 Workout. 

A couple notes: I’ll hyperlink the songs in the song title and link an exercise demonstration video after it. This is also a very full body workout, so be prepared and fresh!

1. TEXAS HOLD ‘EM WALL SITS

   1. Back up against a wall until your back is touching it. Slide down, bending at the knees, aiming to get your thighs parallel to the floor. Hold for as long as you can (ideally 30–60 seconds). Come up, rest for 1–2 min, and repeat for a few sets.

2. RIIVERDANCE TWISTS

   1. Have you ever gotten a workout from a classic dance? Do “the twist” for the entire duration of the song (The Twist or RIIVERDANCE, your choice) and I promise your core will be burning by the end!

3. Espresso Chest Presso

   1. Now that you’re warmed up, pick a bench at any angle and load a barbell or find some dumbbells (or use a machine if you’ve got that). Aim for 2–4 sets of 5–15 reps where you’ve got only 0–2 reps left in the tank at the end of each set. Rest 2–3 minutes between sets.

4. A Bar Song (Lifty) deadlifts

   1. Wouldn’t be a complete workout without at least a little date at the bar(bell). Deadlift form is both simple and complex, so just watch a video and practice if you don’t have it down yet. Otherwise, pick it up and set it back down. Repeat for 5–12 reps for a few sets.

5. 360 around the world plate halo

   1. Grab a weight plate that you can comfortably lift overhead. Standing or kneeling straight up, slowly rotate the plate 360 degrees around your head. Then repeat, circling in the opposite direction. Feel the burn in your shoulders and keep your core engaged! Keep going until you can’t safely execute the movement longer.

6. BIRDS OF A FEATHER wing maker lat pull-downs

   1. If you want wings, you gotta work those lats at some point. Find a cable machine with a wide bar. With a wide overhand grip, pull the bar to your chest, flexing your back (and spreading those wings) at the bottom, then return to the top, making sure you get a good stretch. Complete 6–15 reps for 3–4 sets.

7. Apple picking cross body delt raises

   1. Holding a fairly light dumbbell in one hand, start with it in front of your opposite hip. Keeping your arm straight, raise it diagonally up and out then follow the same path to lower the weight. Aim for 8–15 reps on each side for 3 or so sets.

8. Good Tuck, Babe! Hanging knee tucks

   1. Hang from a bar and draw your knees up as high as you can, engaging your abs. Lower and repeat for as many reps as you can stomach! Repeat for a few sets.

9. L’AMOUR DE MA VIE UPS

   1. Lie on the ground on your back with arms stretched overhead. Engaging your core and keeping arms and legs straight with your tailbone on the ground, fold your body up into a V shape, bringing your hands toward your feet. Lower and repeat until you hate the letter V.

10. Pour me a Drink pint hammer curls

    1. No better way to practice bringing that drink to your mouth than with hammer curls. Grab dumbbells and hold them in a neutral grip (with your palms both facing inward toward each other). Curl all the way up, squeeze at the top, and lower slowly. 3–4 sets of 8–15 reps and you’ll be tossing pints back like they’re nothing (please drink responsibly).

11. Please Please Please planks

    1. You know what planks are! Lie face down, then prop yourself up on your elbows and toes, forearms pointed forward, and be sure to make fists (to help you get a better contraction). Engage your core, keep your body in a straight line, and hold. Be sure to breathe! Hold as long as you can for a few sets. Each chorus of Please Please Please is about 36 seconds if you wanna start there!

12. HIIT TO GO! Cardio

    1. If you leave the gym not sweating, did you even workout?? (Yes, but this is fun.) Pick your favorite cardio exercise (running, cycling, rowing, etc.) and perform some high intensity intervals for 10–20 minutes. I recommend a work:rest ratio of ~1:1 or 1:2 (i.e. 30 sec on, 30 sec off), but experiment for yourself. Keep the intensity up and sweat off the rest of summer!

Finish your summer strong!

Hope you enjoyed this week’s special edition of Move to Improve. Y’all have responded positively to these themed workouts in the past, so let me know if you want more! And certainly reply and let me know if you give any or all of it a try. I want to hear how it went!

✅ Take Action

Every newsletter's Take Action section will invite you to take small steps to improve your health. Recognizing that we all have different capabilities, I'll offer three different levels of action you can choose to take.

Level 1: Try one!

Level 2: Try a few!

Level 3: Try the entire dozen!

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✍️ Drew's Picks:

• Learn it all in 81 minutes: If you want a brain dump from Andrew Huberman, this is one of the best summaries I’ve heard on his stances on light, exercise, nutrition, & more. Check this podcast out!

• Getting older: Your health doesn’t have to decline in your 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond. You can improve!

Have a lovely rest of your week! If you enjoyed this week’s article, click the link below to share Move to Improve with loved ones and invite them into this community!

Keep moving,

Drew

The content in Move to Improve is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. It is always a good idea to consult with a trusted health professional before making any major lifestyle changes that could have a significant impact on your health. This is not a medical resource, and any opinions and articles are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional. Please think critically and take what I say with a grain of salt (aka don’t sue me).