How to Outrun a Hippo

Outrun 🏃 a hippo? Seriously?

When you think hippo 🦛, you probably think the huge, gray mammal that seems to slowly put one gigantic foot in front of the other, meandering over to its next meal. Oh no, no, no, my friend…

Hippos can move, and they can move really fast when they want to! You can probably easily pass a tortoise 🐢, but perhaps outrunning a cheetah is currently out of reach. So let’s set our sights 🔭 on the hippo!

So… what’s it gonna take for you to be able to outrun a hippo? Although you might equate running 🏃 with working your legs 🦵, we know that the best runners develop their core and upper bodies as well as their legs 🍗.

In fact, that’s precisely what we want you to concentrate on: your legs 🦵, your core, and your upper body (essentially your entire body). We’ve made it easy for you by coming up with a few things you can do almost every day ✌.

Leg Power – Lunge and Squat 🔥🔥🔥

Let’s start with working out the foundation of every compound movement – legs. Without strongly developed legs, all other movements suffer 😩!

Lunge 🦵💯🔥

The lunge helps us build strength in a uniform fashion and work to identify any weaknesses we may have. While you may have completed the lunge many times, let’s take a few moments to review the makings of the PERFECT 💯💯💯 lunge. To execute a picture perfect lunge, make sure that your knee does not drift in front of your toe and make sure your knees are at 90-degree angles when you are in the bottom position. Simple!

Squat 🍑

Remember that as you descend into your squat, you’ll want to push your hips back first, and keep three points of contact in your foot (big toe, little toe, and heel). A little too easy for you? Try pausing in the bottom for 3-5 seconds, then exploding 🤯 upwards!

Tight Core – Plank and Superman 🦸🦸🦸

The core of our bodies can often be overlooked when training, but remember that without a strong core, your arms and legs can never reach their full potential!

Plank ⌛⌚⏰

The plank hold will certainly work to strengthen those abdominal muscles. In the push-up position, focus on maintaining a straight line from your shoulders to your heels. Give yourself a goal time ⏲ (30, 60, 90 seconds) and work to keep the position until your time is up! If you get tired of your long hold, think about those stampeding hippos 🦛!

Superman 🦸🦸🦸

If you work one side of your body, you’ve got to work 👷 the opposite side as well! While the plank works on your stomach muscles, the superman will work on your back muscles. While lying on your stomach, raise your chest and thighs off the ground and pause in this “flying” 🥏 position. Be sure not to flop, which occurs when you fling your arms and legs into the air and let them fall back down. Your Superman should be a controlled movement!

Beach Body – Push-Up and Inverted Row 👙🏖👒

Who doesn’t want a beach body? Of course, our arms and backs do a lot of pushing and pulling, and therefore it is in our best interest to build a rock solid foundation for these parts of our bodies!

Push-Up 💪

The push-up is very similar to the plank hold. Again, you need to make sure your body is keeping a straight line – no flopping around like a seal! Your butt and hips should not be any higher or any lower than your shoulders. If you need to make the push-up more difficult, try moving your hands closer together or completing hand-release push-ups, which relieves the tension in the bottom of the push-up.

Inverted Row 🚣

Out of all of these movements, the inverted row might be the most difficult to set up at home, but put your thinking cap on and figure out a bar that will be steady. The inverted row is just the opposite of the push-up, so instead of pushing, you’re pulling yourself up in the same type of movement. Be careful with this one – look at your set-up and think about the worst-case scenario. Safety first!

If you’re on board with these movements, check out this workout and see what you can do!

“The Hippo 🦛 Workout”

3 Rounds:

🦛 Air Squat – 1×10

🦛 Lunge – 1×10

🦛 Plank – 1×30 Seconds

🦸 Superman – 1×10

🦛 Push-Up – 1×10

🦛 Inverted Row – 1×10

Let us know if you have any questions!

A collaboration with Uplaunch and P6 CrossFit