“First, stand up alongside a pole or something you can lean on, says Brewer. Lean one half of your body against the pole and then lift your opposite leg up as high as you can and bend at the knee. If you can balance comfortably in this position, try performing hip circles with your elevated leg. “This is a good way to start opening up your hips,” says Brewer.”
by Jenny McCoy
"That’s where this alternating suitcase deadlift comes in. First and foremost, it is 'a good beginner’s move' that can help people become comfortable with the technique for proper deadlifting, James Brewer, NYC-based certified personal trainer and certified Spin and TRX instructor, tells SELF. In a regular deadlift, you typically lift much more weight (think 45 pounds or more), which makes the OG move a great glute and hamstring strengthening exercise—but also ups your chances of inadvertently straining your back. These alternating suitcases deadlifts, on the other hand, involve much lighter weights, which reduces the strength demand on your lower half and diminishes your risk of hurting your back."
by Jenny McCoy
"The below instructions explain how to do the moves with a box and weight, though as mentioned, you can ditch the weight and do a regressed version of these moves as on-the-ground reverse lunges, suggests Brewer.
If you are using a box, start with one around 6 inches in height, recommends Brewer. The taller the box, the more difficult the moves will be. If you don’t have a box, you could use a stair or even a thick book, Brewer adds. When picking a weight, start light. “Because it’s a core exercise and involves balance, you don’t want to jump in with a heavy weight and throw off [your form],” he explains. De La Rue uses a 10-pound kettlebell, though you may want to go lighter or heavier based on your fitness level.
by Jenny McCoy
"In terms of the pace at which you roll out and in, “the slower the better,” says Brewer, because it will keep your abs under tension for a longer period of time. As you get stronger, you can amp up the difficulty of the move by increasing both the time and the distance of each rep. If you’re a beginner, roll out and in for two counts each. If you’re more advanced, roll out and in for three to four counts each. Ideally, you want to roll out and back in for the same amount of time, says Brewer, but because the inward portion is more challenging, it might initially be shorter than the outward portion, and that’s OK."
by Jenny McCoy
“Though Campbell does this move with the band just below her knees, you could also place it around your ankles, James Brewer, NYC-based certified personal trainer and certified Spin and TRX instructor, tells SELF. ‘This would target the glutes even more,’ he says.”
by Jenny McCoy
“You can also add weight to the movement, says Brewer—simply hold kettlebells or dumbbells by your sides as you step. You can also slow down the pace of your step-ups—particularly on the descent—to up the strength challenge. “One of my favorite step-up modifications is to descend over five counts and then as soon as your heel touches the ground, you explode back up,” says Brewer. It’s almost like a mini reverse lunge, he explains, and the slower you descend, the more strength you’ll build, especially in your glutes. He suggests trying 12-15 of these slo-mo descending step-ups on each leg.
With step-ups, you can change which lower-body muscles you work depending on exactly how you place your feet. If you place the majority of your weight on your heels, you’ll primarily target your hamstrings and glutes, says Brewer. If you do this move on tip toes, you’ll hit more of your quads and calves.”
by Jenny McCoy
"Though sliding leg curls are a hamstring-dominant move, “as your hamstrings fatigue, you will feel it in your glutes too," James Brewer, NYC-based certified personal trainer and certified Spin and TRX instructor, tells SELF.
That’s because the glutes—specifically the gluteus maximus (the biggest muscle in your butt) and gluteus medius (a smaller butt muscle that muscle supports the hip and rotational movement of the thigh)—serve as stabilizers during the move, says Brewer. “If your butt drops as your legs extend forward, that defeats the whole movement,” he adds.”
by Jenny McCoy
"T"This core, hamstring, and glute-oriented move will really work your obliques, says Brewer. As you perform the jumps, 'take your time,' he adds. 'Start off slow and make sure that you are stable in your back leg, and then bring the ball up.'
by Jenny McCoy
"“'Adding a band on top of this move provides an extra progression through added resistance,' James Brewer, NYC-based certified personal trainer and certified Spin and TRX instructor, tells SELF.
If you feel your hips raising up as you move your arms, slow your pace and think about bracing your core to stabilize your lower half, says Brewer. If you cannot keep your hips relatively still while moving your arms, regress to a standard plank to build up the needed core strength to master this more advanced variation. Also: Go easy on the pace. 'Take your time to suck in your abs, press your belly button straight down, and perform these move with slow control,' says Brewer."
by ASHLEY LYDDANE BEBERUS
Exceed is an athlete’s playground. They cater to private clients in addition to offering group fitness classes. The Workout, their signature class, is hard, so be prepared to grind. Small group training at Exceed is just that: small. So there is no hiding from your instructor. James Brewer’s class will test your inner athlete and your physical limits, but the personal attention, coaching and motivation will get you through the workout.
WORKOUT
James started out with a “warmup” which was arguably the hardest part of class. It was a pyramid starting with cardio (700 meters on the rower and 200 jumps on the jump rope), moving to strength moves (20 each of KB swings, KB squats, burpees and pushups), and then repeating the cardio segment in reverse order (jump rope then rowing). The onus was on each of us to complete the workout within the 15 minute time limit. It was just enough time if you moved at a good pace and didn’t take breaks.
After the warmup, James led the class through exercises as a team. During this part of the workout, no body part was spared. We used resistance bands, either around the ankles or around the knees depending on the exercise, and heavy kettlebells. James structured it so that we were doing two minutes of work with barely any rest before moving on to the next thing. It was true test of muscular endurance and mental strength.
The last thing on James’s agenda was a circuit of five exercises. We used heavy kettlebells, body weight, the battle ropes, the rower (500 meters was our goal distance) and the slide board, which is a “fun” fitness toy. Again, we were at each station for two minutes. The workout was exhausting mentally and physically – you may need a nap to fully recover.
INSTRUCTOR
It’s apparent that James enjoys what he does: he was genuinely pumped to teach our class. His positive energy, encouragement and personable nature were constants throughout the 50 minutes. He knew he tasked us with a challenging workout and he brought his A game as a coach to get us through it. James demo’d everything throughout class, making it clear what his expectations were. During the circuit, he was constantly circulating to support us and to clarify moves or comment on/correct form. At the end of class, he reiterated how hard we worked and that he was proud of us. James’s class will push you beyond your comfort zone and it is most definitely worth your time and energy.
by Robin Hilmantel
"James Brewer, a trainer at Exceed, is a basketball player himself (all of the trainers at the studio are athletes, in fact). He says music is crucial to pushing yourself to the limit during Exceed's workouts. "It puts you in the zone," he says. Usually he'll hear a song that strikes him and use that as inspiration. "That'll be the first song, and I'll create a playlist from that point on," he says. "That's how the magic usually happens." Brewer shared a mix from one of his recent classes that's perfect for any interval training you're doing on your own. Check it out:"
