Tag Archives: cardiovascular

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!

Burpee Jump Lunge

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HOME EXERCISE OF THE WEEK

The Burpee Jump Lunge is a very challenging full body exercise that is going to target your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, core, shoulders, and arms. The plyometric component is also going to work on your balance, coordination, your cardiovascular system and the fast-twitch muscle fibers that are responsible for big explosive movements. 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Burpee Jump Lunge.

  • crouch down and place your hands on the floor as if you were going to do a pushup
  • jump your feet back until you are fully extended in a full plank position
  • from this full plank position, jump your feet back up and underneath you then jump straight up and bring your left leg forward and your right leg back so that you land from the jump in a lunge position
  • make sure both legs are at 90 degree angles at the bottom of the lunge and your weight is placed on your front heel
  • from here, jump straight up and switch your legs in the air so that your right leg is forward and your left leg is back
  • land from the jump in to a lunge position again and repeat the upward jump
  • now land from this jump with both feet together and immediately bring your hands down to the floor and repeat the burpee
  • repeat the entire sequence of moves for your desired amount of reps or time
  • always make sure to keep your abs engaged throughout the movement

So there you have the Burpee Jump Lunge. This is a great exercise to add in to a HIIT session or a full body routine. It won’t be easy but you will be burning a ton of calories while building muscular and cardiovascular strength and endurance. Get ready to sweat!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Compass Jump Squat

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Hello! It’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week and this week I have a great plyometric exercise for you to try called the Compass Jump Squat.

The Compass Jump Squat is going to fire up all the muscles of your lower body including glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf muscles. The jump component will also work your fast-twitch muscle fibers and give you a great cardiovascular workout which means a higher heart rate and more calories burned.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Compass Jump Squat.

  • start by standing tall with your feet shoulder width apart and toes pointed slightly outward
  • squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor while keeping your weight on your heels
  • maintain a straight back and keep your knees in line over your toes (don’t let your knees push forward past your toes)
  • from this squat position jump up as high as you can and turn your body 90 degrees clockwise
  • land from the jump and immediately go back down in to a squat
  • jump and turn another 90 degrees clockwise and repeat the movement until you have come all the way around
  • now repeat the 90 degree jump squats but this time go counterclockwise
  • keep squatting and jumping until you have reached your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Compass Jump Squat. You’ll be sweating, you’ll be huffing and puffing, but you’ll be working all those major leg muscles and burning lots of calories in the process!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Split Squat Jump

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Hello there! It’s a new week and that means it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This time I have a heart pumping plyometric lower body exercise for you to try called the Split Squat Jump.

The Split Squat Jump works your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, all the stabilizer muscles of the ankles, and those fast-twitch muscle fibers which help with the explosive power of the movement. So there are quite a few muscles involved with this one which means more calories burned and you will also get quite a good cardiovascular workout on top of strengthening the muscles of the legs.

So let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Split Squat Jump.

  • start by stepping one foot forward and one foot back until you have a nice wide stance with your toes pointed forward
  • stand nice and tall and flex your abs to provide stability to your upper body
  • now bend at both knees and lower your body straight down until your legs are at 90 degree angles
  • keep your weight on your front heel as you lower your body and don’t let your front knee move forward past your toes (keep it in line with your front toes or slightly behind)
  • from this lunge position, push through both feet and jump straight up as high as you can while maintaining that forward and back leg position
  • land from the jump and go right back in to the lunge while keeping your body as upright as possible
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps or time and then switch legs and repeat the movement for that side
  • you can make this even more challenging by holding on to weights at your sides

So there you have the Split Squat Jump. It’s challenging, you’ll be huffing and puffing, and you’ll be sweating but it will be worth it as you will be building strength, power, endurance, muscle, and burning lots of calories in the process!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Plank Jacks

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Hello and Happy New Year! It’s a brand new year so let’s start 2021 off right with a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a great cardio and core-strengthening exercise to show you called Plank Jacks.

Plank Jacks will help strengthen the muscles of the upper and lower body and will also increase core strength and stability, burn calories, and help reduce fat.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of Plank Jacks.

  • start in a full plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet together. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to your heels
  • while engaging your abs, jump both feet out wide to each side as if you were doing a horizontal jumping jack
  • stay in the plank position with your abs engaged as you quickly jump your feet back together
  • continue to jump back in and out for your desired amount of reps or time while keeping your back flat and don’t let your hips drop too much throughout the movement
  • you can also modify this to a lower impact version by stepping each foot out to the side and back in instead of jumping

So there you have Plank Jacks. Add this exercise to your routine and you will strengthen your core, help prevent back pain, and get the benefits of a cardio exercise!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!