Tag Archives: balance

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!

Pushup Side Balance Plank

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Hey there! It’s a new week which means it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This time I have another challenging upper body and core exercise for you to try called the Pushup Side Balance Plank.

The Pushup Side Balance Plank is a compound move meaning it works multiple muscle groups as opposed to an isolation move which focuses on one specific muscle. So with this exercise you will be working your chest, shoulders, triceps, upper and lower abs, obliques, and you will also be working on your balance with the side plank. This exercise is quite challenging so take it 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 which I’ve included in the video demonstration. 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Pushup Side Balance Plank.

  • start by getting in to a full pushup position with your hands wider than your shoulders and 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 keeping your arms at about a 45 degree angle from your body
  • push back up and once you have returned to the starting position, lift your left arm up and reach towards the sky while rotating your body to the right and stacking your feet on top of each other
  • keep your abs tight and engaged and keep your right and left arms fully extended as you balance your weight on your right arm in the side plank position
  • rotate back down and return to the starting pushup position
  • now perform the pushup again but this time lift your right arm up while rotating your body to the left and do the side balance plank on your left side
  • return to the starting position and alternate back and forth for your desired amount of reps or time
  • perform the pushup from your knees for a slightly easier version if you have trouble doing the full pushup

So there you have the Pushup Side Balance Plank. It’s challenging but very effective in targeting your chest and core and it will greatly improve your balance and coordination!

Give it a shot 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!

Reverse Lunge Knee Up Hop

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Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a lower body exercise that will get your legs burning and your heart pumping called the Reverse Lunge Knee Up Hop.

This is an exercise that will take some practice but it is fun to do and the benefits are great. The Reverse Lunge Knee Up Hop works your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, all the little stabilizer muscles of the ankle, your abs, and your balance and coordination. The jump also adds a plyometric component to the exercise that will work on your cardiovascular endurance and those fast twitch muscle fibers. As you can see there are a lot of muscles being activated in this move! If you’re just starting out with these and you can’t do the jump just yet then you can do the lunge knee up without the hop and then work your way up to adding the jump in.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Reverse Lunge Knee Up Hop.

  • stand nice and tall with your abs engaged and take a big step back with your left leg
  • from this position, come straight down by bending both knees until each leg is at a 90 degree angle
  • make sure to stay as upright as possible
  • pushing through your right heel, come up out of the lunge and drive your left knee up in front of you while using that momentum to hop your right foot off the floor
  • land from the hop and immediately go back in to the lunge with your left leg
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps and then repeat the movement with your right leg

So there you have the Reverse Lunge Knee Up Hop. Take some time to practice the technique and start without the hop if you need to. Once you get the hang of it you can also hold on to some weights to make it even more challenging!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Reverse Lunge Kettlebell Pass

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Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week!  This week I have a dynamic lower body exercise for you called the Reverse Lunge Kettlebell Pass.  

The Reverse Lunge Kettlebell Pass will target your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes and will also work on your coordination and balance.  Passing the kettlebell underneath your front leg will keep you in the lunge position longer which will work the muscles more and your coordination and balance will come in to play when passing the weight underneath your leg.  You can also do this exercise with a medicine ball or dumbbell but the kettlebell is the easiest to hold on to.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Reverse Lunge Kettlebell Pass.

  • stand tall with the kettlebell hanging from your left hand at your side
  • take a big step back with your left leg and descend in to a lunge position
  • keep your back straight and remain as upright as possible
  • lower in to the lunge position until your legs are at 90 degree angles
  • from this bottom position, pass the kettlebell underneath your right leg and in to your right hand
  • push up through your right heel and return to the starting position
  • the kettlebell is now in your right hand hanging at your side
  • now take a big step back with your right leg and descend in to the lunge
  • pass the kettlebell underneath your left leg and in to your left hand
  • return to the starting position and repeat from side to side until you complete your desired reps or time
  • one thing to be aware of here is that there is a tendency to lean forward in the lunge position when passing the weight underneath your leg.  It’s important to remain as upright as possible throughout the exercise

So there you have the Reverse Lunge Kettlebell Pass.  It’s a fun variation of the lunge and can add a little extra challenge to your workouts and help build some balance and coordination.

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

See you next week with another new exercise! 

Burpee Medicine Ball Overhead Toss

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Hello, it’s time again for a new Home Exercise of the Week.  This week I have another variation of everyone’s favourite exercise…the burpee!  I call it the Burpee Medicine Ball Overhead Toss.

This variation of the burpee is going to give your core an extra challenge since you will be adding the instability of placing your hands on the ball when you’re in the full plank position.  As with other burpees, you will also be working your legs, shoulders, and arms.  The shoulders will get an extra workout as well with the overhead throw of the medicine ball.  And don’t forget the cardiovascular conditioning you will get when your heart is pumping hard during this exercise!

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Burpee Medicine Ball Overhead Toss.

  • crouch down and place a medicine ball down on the floor in front of you
  • keeping your hands on the ball and under your chest, jump your feet back until you are fully extended in a full plank position
  • keep your abs engaged to maintain your balance on the medicine ball
  • from this full plank position, jump your feet back up and underneath you then pick the ball up and stand up while trying to keep your back as straight as possible (like standing up from a squat)
  • once you are fully upright throw the medicine ball straight up over your head and then catch it on the way back down
  • lower the ball to the floor and repeat the movement for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Burpee Medicine Ball Overhead Toss.  Add this fun variation of the burpee in to your full body routine and let the sweating begin!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!