Prep 2026: Build your power base in total fitness
Maria Sollon, MS, CSCS, PES
Preparation is everything. Before the New Year rolls around, lay a foundation of strength, control and confidence with this Total Gym Prep workout. Each movement activates your muscles, builds endurance, and creates a solid foundation of strength and stability that will give you the foundation to reach your 2026 fitness goals.
Get ready to move purposefully with movements that challenge your body and prepare your muscles to enter the new year strong, fit and ready for what’s to come!
Preparation with a purpose
This Total Gym routine isn’t about exhausting yourself. It’s all about smart preparation. By conditioning your muscles through full range of motion and maintaining consistency in your training, you develop muscular endurance, control and functional strength. This routine supports overall fitness, prepares your muscles for more advanced movements, and keeps your body active during the busiest time before the New Year!
The best part about this routine is that it adapts to your schedule and fitness level. Perform these moves as a stand-alone workout or integrated into an existing program.
You can also adjust the intensity to match your fitness level:
- Tilt settings based on exercise
- Rhythm variations (slow for control, faster for endurance or tempo mixing)
- Range of motion modifications (full range, pulses or smaller movements)
- Rep and set modifications (based on your training schedule and how you feel)
- Incorporate additional exercises to challenge specific areas (exercises you love)
No matter how you adjust it, the goal remains the same: smooth, purposeful movement that feels as good as it works.
Instructions:
- Warm up before you start your workout to make sure your muscles are ready to go.
- Aim to perform each exercise for 10-20 reps and 1-3 sets based on training time.
- Option: time each exercise for 1 minute, then move on to the next exercise with minimal rest.
- Finish with a set of stretches to help recover the muscles worked and prevent injury.
- Check out the video to see a demonstration of these Total Gym exercises.
Set up: Crunch AB attachment, low-mid incline level (adjust accordingly)
Key: GB = Sliding Table
The movements
This quick Total Gym workout is designed to do a lot in a short amount of time. The sequence mainly focuses on core strength and movementsbut is performed in a unstoppable pace. It challenges your stamina and muscular endurance… so much so that it can feel like a cardio session. With just a few deliberate movements, your body will build strength, core and cardiovascular endurance, all at the same time! This builds a solid foundation for your New Year’s goals.
BODY WEIGHT + GLIDEBOARD (GB)
- Burpee Slide Out
A low impact Total Gym with the classic burpee. Stand on the bottom of the GB to perform each step move. (1) squat, (2a) place hands on GB and slide out into a plank, (2b) hold for a moment or opt for a push-up, (3) slide back to close GB, and (4) stand up. Repeat!
- Targets: muscular endurance, core, shoulders and lower body
- Tip: Focus on keeping the fluid moving.
- Saw (forearm board)
From a forearm plank, open and close the slide plank with your forearms (“sawing” motion) while maintaining the plank. straight line from head to heels.
- Targets: core, shoulders, lower body strength and spinal stabilizers.
- Tip: Keep the movements deliberate. Accuracy is more important than speed.
- Lateral Lunge + Repetitive
Stand at the bottom of the glide board facing to one side. Place one foot on the GB (foot position will depend on individual leg length). Perform a side push (support leg in floor squats while GB leg remains straight). Perform Repeaters to challenge endurance, balance and mobility while building lower body strength. Run from both sides!
- Targets: glutes, quadriceps and adductors
- Tip: Focus on performing correct lateral volley form by keeping the nose, knee and toes in the SAME line on the volley.
AB CRUNCH ACCESSORIES
4. Knee stiffness
Keeping the shoulders stacked over the elbows, pull the knees in and out toward your chest.
- Targets: abs, hip flexors, shoulder stability and muscle strength.
- Tip: Adjust the incline and explore different ranges of motion to match your fitness level.
- Bias pleats (right / left)
Using the same set-up as Knee Pegs (#4), bend the knees to one side, perform the same curling motion to the chest to target the obliques. Repeat on both sides.
- Targets: obliques, hip flexors, shoulder stability and muscular endurance.
- Tip: Keep steady, controlled movement for maximum benefit. When switching sides, keep the knees tight to the chest and then switch knees to the other side, or rest for a while and rest completely.
Conditioning is all about setting standards, not just for how you train, but also for how your body performs. This Total Gym routine builds strength, endurance and control through purposeful movement, creating a solid foundation on which to build your future workouts.
Use this workout as a stand-alone session or work it into your existing routine as you plan your daily movement and start planning your 2026 fitness goals. A strong foundation now allows you to confidently progress later.
If you try this workout, tag me on social media. I would love to cheer you on as you move into the New Year feeling strong, prepared and ready!
I wish you a healthy, active holiday season,
Mary
@groovysweat
