LISA KIELY FITNESS · 30-MINUTE STANDING + FLOOR CLASS
LISA KIELY FITNESS · CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER · GERONTOLOGIST · LISAKIELY.COM
Core Strong™ Series 1
The whole cylinder in 30 minutes — standing patterns for the world you live in, floor patterns for the muscles that hold you up in it.
WHY THIS CLASS EXISTS
Standing + Floor.
The Whole Cylinder in 30 Minutes.
Your core is not a six-pack. It's a 360° cylinder — transversus abdominis wrapping the front, multifidus at the back, pelvic floor at the base, diaphragm at the top. And the only way to train the whole cylinder is to work it in both of the positions your body actually lives in.
Standing work is functional work. When you're upright, your core is doing what it will spend the rest of your life doing: resisting force while you move through the world. Every heel lift, every squat, every step-touch, every one-leg balance trains the core in the position it actually uses.
Floor work reaches muscles standing can't fully access. The dead bug, the glute bridge, the clamshell, the side hover — these positions remove the postural noise of standing and let gravity create a very specific challenge for the deepest layer of the abdominal wall and the deepest fibres of the glutes.
The green loop band ties it together. Standing, it creates resistance that dumbbells alone cannot. On the floor, it drives abduction and keeps the deep glutes firing through every inch of every rep. One band, two worlds, one cylinder — from the inside out and the outside in.
That's Core Strong™ Series 1. Thirty minutes. See you Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 am Eastern for our live Zoom class.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
One green loop band · Light weights (3 lb) for Round 2 and floor sequence · Heavier weights (5 lb) for Rounds 3 and 4 · A mat and enough space to step in every direction.
PART 1 · STANDING · THREE ROUNDS
Standing: Build the Functional Core
Six paired movements. Same sequence each round, load and demand climbing. Round 1 warms and grooves. Round 2 adds light weights. Round 3 goes heavier then slows it down: bottom halves + singles, four sets.
ROUND 1
Warm-Up · 16 Counts Each · No Weights
Bodyweight only · Groove the patterns · Wake the whole chain
1. Heel Lifts + Shoulder Press
Rise onto the balls of the feet as you press the arms overhead. Lower heels and arms together. Calves, shoulders, and posture in one movement.
16 counts Bodyweight
Cue: Rise on the press · Lower on the return · Ribs stay stacked over hips
2. Squats + Biceps Curls
Sit the hips back into a squat as you curl. Drive through the heels to stand as you lower the curl. Quads, glutes, and biceps working as one chain.
16 counts Bodyweight
Cue: Weight in the heels · Knees track over the toes · Curl on the way down, extend on the way up
3. Side Arm Raise + Single-Leg Balance (Right)
Stand on the right leg. Lean forward slightly as the opposite leg lifts long behind you. Arms raise out to shoulder height on the way up. Return to centre. Balance, glute medius, and shoulders.
16 counts Bodyweight
Cue: Standing hip stays level · Back leg reaches long · Arms rise on the lean, lower on the return
4. Rows + Single-Leg Balance (Left)
Now stand on the left leg. Same lean-forward pose, opposite leg long behind. This time pull the elbows back into a row, squeezing the shoulder blades. Balance, back, and posture.
16 counts Bodyweight
Cue: Elbows pull to your ribs · Shoulder blades draw together · Standing hip stays level
5. Step-Touch Right · Band Overhead
Green band held taut overhead between both hands. Step-touch to the right, keeping the band lifted and slightly pulling outward the whole time. The band never rests. Anti-extension core, obliques, shoulders — all lit up together.
16 counts 🟢 Green band overhead
Cue: Band stays overhead · Slight outward pull throughout · Ribs down, glutes engaged
6. Step-Touch Left · Band in Front, Open/Close
Bring the band down in front at chest height. Step-touch to the left as the arms open the band wide (out to the sides) and close (return to centre). Back, chest, and anti-rotation core all working with the footwork.
16 counts 🟢 Green band in front
Cue: Elbows soft · Open on the step, close on the return · Shoulders relaxed away from the ears
ROUND 2
Add Light Weights · 24 Counts Each · 3 lbs
Same six moves · Same order · 3 lb weights in the hands · Band held for step-touches
THE SEQUENCE — SAME SIX, NOW LOADED
1. Heel Lifts + Shoulder Press · 3 lbs — the added load asks the shoulders to press more deliberately as the calves lift.
2. Squats + Biceps Curls · 3 lbs — real curl load through 24 reps · glutes and biceps both under continuous work.
3. Side Arm Raise + Balance (R) · 3 lbs — the weight makes the balance leg work noticeably harder as the arms rise.
4. Rows + Balance (L) · 3 lbs — the row becomes a genuine pulling exercise; shoulder blades really squeeze.
5. Step-Touch R · Band Overhead — no weights in the hands · the band is the resistance · 24 counts.
6. Step-Touch L · Band Open/Close — no weights in the hands · band opens and closes with every step · 24 counts.
ROUND 3
Heavier · 32 Counts Each · 5 lbs
Same six moves · Same order · 5 lb weights for moves 1–4 · Band only for step-touches
THE SEQUENCE — FULL LOAD, MORE REPS
Same six moves, same order. 5 lb weights in the hands for the first four moves (heel lifts + press, squats + curls, side arm raise + balance, rows + balance). Step-touches stay band-only — no weights in the hands, the band is the resistance.
32 counts each — the highest volume of the standing block. By the second half of every move, the muscle group is being asked to sustain, not just move. Breathe through it. Watch your form on the curl and the row — don't let the shoulders creep up as the weight gets meaningful.
Then…
Bottom Halves + Singles · 4 Sets
Squats + biceps and both step-touches · 3-count bottom halves then 4 full singles · Repeat 4 sets
THE SEQUENCE — WHERE THE CYLINDER LEARNS TO HOLD
Squats + Biceps Curls · 5 lbs: lower into the squat halfway (halfway curl) — hold 3 counts — rise all the way and lower again — hold 3 counts at the halfway point. Then 4 full squat+curl singles. Repeat 4 sets.
Step-Touch R · Band Overhead: step-touch to the halfway point — hold 3 counts with the band lifted and pulled — complete the step, return halfway — hold 3 counts. Then 4 full step-touches. Repeat 4 sets.
Step-Touch L · Band Open/Close: step and open the band halfway — hold 3 counts at half-open — complete the open, return halfway — hold 3 counts. Then 4 full step-and-opens. Repeat 4 sets.
The bottom halves are where the muscles finally have to hold what they've been moving through. Three counts at the hardest position, four full singles to reset — that's the whole architecture of this round.
PART 2 · FLOOR · TWO SETS EACH MOVE
Floor: Reach the Deep Cylinder
Now down to the mat. Band above the knees for the bridge sequence, 3 lb weights in the hands. Two sets of each move — the second set slower and deeper for more time under tension. This is where standing work cannot reach.
ROUND A
On Your Back · Bridge Sequence · Band Above Knees
Three paired moves at the top of the bridge · 2 sets each · 3 lb weights
1. Glute Bridge + Chest Press
On your back, feet flat, band above the knees. Drive hips high into a bridge — hold there. From the bridge top, press 3 lb weights from chest to ceiling. Glutes sustain isometrically while chest and triceps work above.
2 sets 🏋️ 3 lbs 🟢 Band above knees
Cue: Bridge stays high the whole time · Knees push out on the band · Press slow and steady
2. Open/Close Knees + Chest Fly
Still in the bridge. Now the knees open outward against the band and close together at the same tempo as a chest fly opens and closes above. Arms wide as knees wide; arms in as knees in. Coordinated glute medius and chest work.
2 sets 🏋️ 3 lbs 🟢 Band above knees
Cue: Slight elbow bend on the fly · Knees push wide, resist coming back · Bridge stays lifted
3. Knee Pulses + Triceps Extensions
Still in bridge. Small pulses out against the band with the knees, matched with overhead triceps extensions — weights bend behind the head, extend straight up. Glute medius pulses while triceps extend, all with the bridge held high.
2 sets 🏋️ 3 lbs 🟢 Band above knees
Cue: Elbows point at the ceiling · Small controlled pulses · Bridge never drops
ROUND B
On Your Side · Clamshell + Side Hover
Two moves each side · 2 sets · Clamshell can angle the torso for more core
4. Clamshells + Top Arm Raised to Ceiling
On your side, hips stacked, knees bent, band above the knees, heels together. Rotate the top knee open toward the ceiling against the band. Top arm holds a 3 lb weight extended straight up toward the ceiling — angle the torso slightly back for a deeper oblique challenge. Glute medius plus oblique in one move.
2 sets each side 🏋️ 3 lbs (top hand) 🟢 Band above knees
Cue: Top knee opens high, then rounds up toward the ceiling · Weight stays over the shoulder · Angle back for more core
5. Side Hover / Hip Lifts
Roll to a side-plank on the forearm — knees can stay bent for support, or extend legs long for more challenge. Lower the hip toward the floor, lift it high toward the ceiling. Direct QL, oblique, and glute medius work.
2 sets each side Bodyweight
Cue: Elbow directly under shoulder · Hip drives high, not forward · Modify by bending knees
ROUND C
On Your Tummy · Band Around Feet
Three-part sequence · 2 sets · Set 2 is slower with longer holds
6. Right Leg to Bottom, Left Leg to Bottom, Both Up + Open/Close
Lie face down, band around both feet. Lift the right leg — heel drawing toward your bottom, glute squeezing. Lower. Lift the left. Lower. Then lift both legs together and hold up — open and close the feet against the band. Glute max, hamstring curl, and outer hip in one sustained sequence.
2 sets 🟢 Band around feet
Cue: Forehead on the mat or a rolled towel · Legs lift from the glute, not the low back · Squeeze the seat
SET 2 — SLOWER & DEEPER
Repeat the whole tummy sequence — right lift, left lift, both up with open/close — with slower tempo, longer holds at the top of each lift, and more deliberate open/close against the band. The glute max under sustained work in full extension is the hardest position to reach any other way.
ROUND D
On Your Back · Band Around Feet · Leg Extension to 45°
Deep-core anti-extension close-out · 2 sets
7. Alternating Leg Extension to 45°
Roll to your back. Band around both feet. Bring both knees over the hips, band taut. Extend the right leg long and low toward 45° — the band resists — return. Extend the left. Alternate. Lower back stays pressed into the mat throughout. Deep core anti-extension work, the closing move of the class.
2 sets 🟢 Band around feet
Cue: Low back stays flat · Extend only as low as you can hold that flat · Slow is the whole exercise
PART 3 · COOL DOWN · 2–3 MINUTES
Cool Down: Return the Body
A short close — the class isn't over until the breath comes back and the body settles. Simple, slow, deliberate.
COOL DOWN SEQUENCE
1. Supine figure-4 stretch — one ankle crossed over the opposite knee, gentle pull toward the chest · 30 seconds each side · releases the glutes.
2. Knees to chest — both knees drawn in, small rocks side to side · 30 seconds · releases the low back.
3. Reclined spinal twist — knees drop to one side, opposite arm extends · 30 seconds each side · unwinds the obliques.
4. Child's pose — sit back onto the heels, arms extend forward · 45 seconds · resets the whole system and slows the breath.
5. Three deep breaths sitting up — hand on belly, hand on chest · inhale to fill the belly, exhale to empty it completely.
A FINAL WORD
"Standing patterns for the world you live in. Floor patterns for the muscles that hold you up in it. That's the whole cylinder."
That is Core Strong™ Series 1. Thirty minutes, one green band, two sets of weights. Standing patterns that pair the strongest muscles in your body — glutes and shoulders, quads and biceps, back and balance. Floor patterns that reach the deep glute fibres, the transversus abdominis, and the side stabilisers that quietly keep you upright every day of your life.
The cylinder is complete. Carry it into your next walk, your next trip, your next stair climb. That's what a strong core is for.
See you at 8:30.
— Lisa 🌿
LISA KIELY FITNESS · LISAKIELY.COM · LIVE ZOOM MWF 8:30 AM EST
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