Hey everyone! The Home Exercise of the Week series is back and I have a bunch of new exercises to show you over the next few months to take your training to the next level. Some of these exercises will be very challenging but as always I will show you some modifications to make them more manageable.
So for this weeks exercise, I would like you to try the Spiderman Pushup Knee Tuck! This is a great exercise for your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. It will also add a plyometric component to the exercise to increase your heart rate, burn more calories, and make you sweat!
As always, make sure your form is good and keep your core tight! If you have any questions at all please leave a comment.
See you next week with another Home Exercise of the Week!
I have a lower body exercise I would like you to try for the Home Exercise of the Week. It’s called the Squat and Hold.
The Squat and Hold is an isometric exercise that targets all the major muscles of the lower body – quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. The isometric aspect of this exercise will build strength and endurance. The muscles of the back will be working as well and If you raise your arms out in front of you then you will also be working your shoulders.
Let’s take a look at the key points to doing the Squat and Hold properly.
squat down pushing your hips back and arching your back up slightly until your thighs are parallel to the floor
sit your weight on your heels and keep your knees directly over your ankles
raise your arms out in front of you to shoulder height and retract your shoulder blades
keep your head up and maintain this position for 30 to 60 seconds
There will be a great amount of lactic acid buildup in the muscles so this will burn! Make sure you are taking in deep even breaths to get the most amount of oxygen to your muscles. This will help flush out the lactic acid and help you get through the entire set.
Oftentimes the simplest move can bring the greatest results so make sure you add this great isometric strength and endurance building exercise to your routine!
It’s Home Exercise of the Week time and I would like you to try this fantastic abdominal exercise called the Pulse Up.
The Pulse Up strengthens the abdominal muscles, specifically the rectus abdominis, which is a long paired muscle that runs vertically down the stomach and inserts into the pubic crest.
This ab exercise requires only a small amount of movement but don’t think that it will be easy. The Pulse Up requires some abdominal strength and you may not be able to lift your hips off the floor very much in the beginning but with time and practice you will build the strength needed to perform this exercise.
Let’s take a look at the key points to doing the Pulse Up properly.
lay flat on your back with your arms to your sides
keeping your legs straight, raise them up until they are perpendicular to the floor (this is the starting position)
pull your belly button in towards your spine and push your feet towards the ceiling until your hips come off the floor
slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position and repeat
make sure you keep your head on the floor throughout the movement
So there you have the Pulse Up. A simple but challenging move that will really get your lower abs working. Aim for 2 to 3 sets of 15 – 20 repetitions.
Get your legs and shoulders fired up with this Home Exercise of the Week. It’s called the Dumbbell Swing and it’s a great full body exercise that will get your heart rate and metabolic rate up. Full body exercises burn more calories and strengthen your cardiovascular system.
The Dumbbell Swing targets your quadriceps, inner thighs, hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and deltoids so there are many muscles working together with this exercise. More neurons are firing and more oxygen is needed so stay focused, breath deeply, and get ready to sweat!
If you don’t have a dumbbell at home that’s ok. You can use any object that provides resistance and is easy to hold on to like a jug of water for instance or if you’re a new mom you can even use your child! They will think it’s great fun!
Let’s take a look at how to do the Dumbbell Swing properly.
start by standing up tall with your feet in a wide stance, toes pointed slightly outward
let your weight hang down in front of you
squat down with your body weight on your heels, pushing your hips back, and keeping your head up and shoulders back
push up through your heels and at the same time swing the weight up to shoulder height while keeping your arms fairly straight
immediately squat down again dropping the weight between your legs and repeat
it’s ok to use momentum on this exercise but don’t get sloppy on the form
So there you have the Dumbbell Swing. If you want a challenging full body exercise that will boost your metabolic rate and get that liquid awesome flowing then you’ll want to make sure that you are adding this exercise in to your routine!
If you have ever done the P90X abdominal routine then you will recognize this Home Exercise of the Week! It’s called the Crunchy Frog and I really don’t know how the name came to be but it is memorable. Whenever I say it’s Crunchy Frog time I’m guaranteed to get a few groans and eye rolls but that’s because it’s a challenging exercise.
This may be a tough exercise but it is effective in working your core and hip flexors as well as your balance and coordination. It just takes a bit of practice and strength development to get the move down perfectly.
Let’s take a look at how to do the Crunchy Frog properly.
start by sitting in a V-like position with your arms extended out to your side and your upper body at about a 45 degree angle
your legs will remain off the floor throughout the movement
next, pull your knees in towards your chest while wrapping your arms around your legs
squeeze the abs then extend your legs back out and your arms out to your side. You’re now in the starting position again
repeat and aim for 15 to 20 repetitions
So there you have the Crunchy Frog. The movement itself is fairly straight forward but it does take some strength to execute it properly. If you find that your lower back is hurting on this one then you can place your hands on the floor behind you and just kick in and out with your legs. As your abs get stronger you will be able to add in the arm movement.
