Medicine Ball Pop Up

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HOME EXERCISE OF THE WEEK

The Medicine Ball Pop Up is a challenging plyometric pushup variation that’s going to work your chest, shoulders, triceps, core, balance, and coordination. This exercise is going to take some practice so take your time and start with a modified from-the-knees version if needed. You will need a medicine ball for this move but if you don’t have one you can also use a soccer or volleyball instead.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Medicine Ball Pop Up.

  • start by getting in to a full plank position with your hands on the medicine ball and the ball directly underneath your chest
  • make sure your feet are wider than your shoulders to provide stability throughout the movement
  • squeeze your abs and your glutes to keep your body nice and straight and to prevent your hips from dropping
  • in one move, quickly remove your hands from the ball and out to the side so that you’re now in a pushup position
  • lower your body down towards the ball until your chest is almost touching
  • now pushup as hard and as fast as you can while bringing your hands back on top of the medicine ball
  • pause for a moment to get your balance and then repeat the move
  • make sure your abs and glutes are engaged throughout
  • perform this move from your knees if you need to start with an easier version

So there you have the Medicine Ball Pop Up. Give it a shot and let me know how you do in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you soon with another new exercise!

Lying Windshield Wiper

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HOME EXERCISE OF THE WEEK

The Lying Windshield Wiper is a great ab exercise that is going to activate your core stabilizing muscles, specifically the obliques and the rectus abdominus muscle. The exercise also causes muscle activation of the gluteal muscles to help stabilize the hip and it is also beneficial for those with low back pain as the core activation component helps stabilize the spine.

The straight leg version as seen in the video is challenging so if you are having trouble maintaining proper form then you can bend your legs at the knees for an easier version.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Lying Windshield Wiper.

  • start by laying on the floor with your arms extended out to your sides and both legs raised up 90 degrees
  • pull your belly button in towards your spine to keep your abs engaged throughout the movement
  • slowly lower both legs to one side stopping short of touching the floor
  • return to the center and then lower both legs slowly to the other side
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps or time
  • as these get easier to do, try bringing your arms closer to your body so they offer less stability
  • bend your legs at the knees for an easier version if the straight leg version is too challenging

So there you have the Lying Windshield Wiper. You will be well on your way to a strong core with this one! Let me know how you do in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!

Starfish Crunch

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HOME EXERCISE OF THE WEEK

The Starfish Crunch is a challenging but fantastic ab exercise that is going to work all your ab muscles as well as your hip flexors. This is more of an advanced move so make sure you take it slow at first and if you have lower back issues then I wouldn’t recommend this move until you have built up some good strength in your core with other ab and core exercises.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Starfish Crunch.

  • start by laying on the ground with your arms and legs extended so that you’re creating an X position
  • pull your belly button in towards your spine to keep your abs engaged throughout the movement
  • in one move, lift your shoulders, arms, and legs off the ground and hug your knees to your chest
  • slowly lower your body back down to the ground and back in to the starting X position
  • make sure to keep your arms and legs slightly off the ground throughout the movement to keep tension in the abs
  • repeat the exercise for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Starfish Crunch. Add this in to your ab routine and get those abs fired up! Let me know how you do in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!

Hitchhiker Pushup

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HOME EXERCISE OF THE WEEK

The Hitchhiker Pushup is a great variation of the pushup that’s going to work your chest, shoulders, triceps, core, and upper back. This exercise is much more challenging than a regular pushup so start off slow until you get the move down and if you have trouble doing the full pushup, you can start with the modified from-the-knees version. 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Hitchhiker Pushup.

  • start by getting in to a full pushup position with your hands and feet wider than your shoulders and keep your hands in line with your chest
  • squeeze your abs and your glutes to keep your body nice and straight and to prevent your hips from dropping
  • now lower your body down towards the floor until you’re almost touching while keeping your arms at about a 45 degree angle from your body
  • push back up and once you have returned to the starting position, extend your right arm and thumb up while bracing your abs until you feel a nice squeeze on your upper back and rear shoulders
  • lower your arm back down to the floor and repeat your pushup
  • now you will extend your left arm and thumb up once you have returned back to the starting position after the pushup
  • keep alternating arms after each pushup for your desired amount of reps or time
  • to perform the slightly easier version, do your pushup from your knees and then lift your knees off the floor and come up on your toes to do the arm raise

So there you have the Hitchhiker Pushup. Try this variation of the traditional pushup and let me know how you do in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!

Donkey Kick

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HOME EXERCISE OF THE WEEK

The Donkey Kick is a great plyometric exercise that is going to target your glutes primarily but will also work your shoulders and core muscles. The jump adds a cardiovascular component to the exercise which will strengthen your cardiovascular system and burn more calories in the process. It’s a fairly simple move but it does take some coordination and you have to be quick with the kick in order to land back on your feet.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Donkey Kick.

  • get in to a full plank position with your feet together
  • engage your abs and glutes and jump both feet straight up in the air
  • as soon as you jump, bend both legs and try to kick your butt with both feet before falling back down to the floor
  • after the kick, extend both legs back out and land from the jump in to the starting position
  • repeat the move for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Donkey Kick. It’s a bit of a funny looking exercise but it will give you great glutes and get you sweating and burning calories!

Let me know how you do in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!