No one can ever forget how quickly Nkateko “Takkies” Dinwiddy got back into form so soon after having her baby. It’s been a while since then, and she’s still in the greatest shape you can imagine. We decided to catch up with her to see how she’s keeping fit and to share her top four combo moves for a total-body workout.
“You have to make sure that your body is warm enough to take on a total-body workout to avoid injuries,” Takkies warns. She outlines four more things to remember during your workout:
- Ensure that you are breathing during your workout.
- Inhale when you release and exhale when you do the work.
- Stick to a controlled tempo to avoid compromising your body.
- Cool down by stretching for five minutes.
And if you’re feeling a little demotivated, particularly during the workout when something feels too difficult to do, make sure you have the right tools to help you get through.
“Work out to music you enjoy to help you get through a tough session,” Takkies advises. “Think about how good it will feel when you finish working out and don’t focus on how much you have to do, focus on what it’s going to do for you.”
Now, it’s time to get sweaty! Here are Takkies’ top four total-body workouts.
Shoulder tap push-ups with mountain climbers
The shoulder tap push-up is a full-body strength move with a particular focus on your arms, chest and core. And mountain climbers are also a total body sweat-session, focusing particularly on your shoulders, quads and core. They build great cardio endurance and agility. Couple these two together and you’ve done the ultimate total-body workout.
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HERE’S HOW: SHOULDER TAPS
With your hands shoulder-width apart on the ground, get into a plank position with your feet hip-width apart. Slowly lower your chest towards the ground. As you go down, keep your core tight, your back straight and make sure your elbows bend towards your body. Remember, it’s not about quantity, but quality – so make sure your movement is controlled. Slowly move back up into a plank position and then lift your right arm to tap your left shoulder, do the same with your left arm. Repeat.
HERE’S HOW: MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
Start in a plank position and make sure your weight is evenly distributed between your hands and your toes. Also, make sure your hands are shoulder-width apart, your back is straight and your core is tight. In the plank position, pull your right knee into your chest, push it back into position and then pull your left knee into your chest and repeat. Do this motion as fast as you can and make sure your hips stay down.
You can decide how you bring the two workouts together. You can either do a full set of shoulder tap push-ups and follow it with a full set of mountain climbers, or you can combine the two into one workout (mountain climbers in-between the push-up and the shoulder tap).
Burpees with weights
It’s no secret that a lot people of don’t like burpees, now add weights to it and it sounds like plain insanity. But this combination adds a whole other dimension to the regular burpee and offers an unmatched total body workout experience.
HERE’S HOW: BURPEES WITH WEIGHTS
Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart with a dumbbell (whatever weight you feel comfortable with) on each hand.
Lowering your body into a squat, push your hips back and bend your knees. While you’re in the squat position, place the dumbbells on the floor in front of you while still holding on to them and make sure to move your weight onto your hands.
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Use your feet to jump into a high plank position (make sure your back is straight), then jump back into your initial squat position. Get back into your original standing position, bring the dumbbells above your head and repeat.
Jump squats with battle ropes
Jump squats with alternating waves on battle ropes make for an intense total-body workout that your future-self will thank your today-self for.
HERE’S HOW: JUMP SQUATS WITH WEIGHTS
Before you start with your jump squat, start doing alternating waves with the battle rope to get them going nicely. As soon as your waves are smooth and in sync, jump, and land in a squat position. When you land, make sure your feet are hip-width apart; that your knees don’t go over your feet; keep your core tight and keep your back straight. Keep the waves going as your repeat your jump squats.
Wall sit with weights (or baby!)
Wall sits target your quads, glutes, and hamstrings while weights (or the baby) will work your upper body making for a seemingly easy, but extremely challenging, total body workout.
HERE’S HOW: WALL SIT WITH WEIGHTS
Slide down against a solid wall into a wall sit position (make sure your legs are bent at 90 degrees) with a dumbbell in each hand (whatever weight you’re most comfortable with). With your palms facing the ceiling, lift both hands (with dumbbells) towards your shoulders with your elbows against the sides of your body. Bring your hands back down slowly to 90 degrees for a good burn and repeat.
Takkies’ Latest Fitness Adventure?
Takkies will be taking part in the upcoming Toyota Fortuner 4×4 Challenge 2019 alongside Olympic rower Kirsten McCann.
You reckon you can keep up with Takkies? She needs a partner to take on the Toyota Fortuner Challenge… and it could be you! There are some serious prizes up for grabs (the four finalists each win a Specialized Epic Comp mountain bike valued at R49 000, a Garmin Fenix 5 Multisport GPS watch worth over R14 000, plus Salomon active gear). Go on, enter here. We dare you!
