Tag Archives: coordination

Dumbbell Swing

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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!

Crunchy Frog

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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.

 

Rolling Hip Raise

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It’s Home Exercise of the Week time and this week I would like you to try the Rolling Hip Raise.

The Rolling Hip Raise is a great exercise that targets your hamstrings, calves, and glutes.  Since you will be using a ball for this exercise your core, along with the other stabilizing muscles of the legs, will be working to stabilize you through the movement as well.

A ball is ideal for this exercise to really maximize the stability work but if you don’t have one then that’s ok.  You can just place your feet flat on the floor (this is a great start for a beginner) or on a chair to get even more range of motion.

Let’s take a look at how to do the Rolling Hip Raise properly.

  • lay face up and flat on the floor with your feet up on a stability ball
  • your feet, ankles, and a bit of your calf muscles should be resting on the ball (you don’t want the ball too high up on your leg or you won’t be able to get the proper range of motion)
  • lift your hips off the floor and contract your abdominals and glutes to stabilize yourself
  • roll the ball in towards you while driving your hips up as high as you can at the same time
  • once your legs reach a 90 degree angle, roll the ball back out and return to the starting position making sure that you don’t let your butt touch the floor throughout the entire set
  • if you find yourself rolling all over the place, try placing your arms out to your side on the floor and this will help stabilize you

So there you have the Rolling Hip Raise.  Add 1 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions to your leg or full body workout and feel the hamstrings burn!

Side Plank

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Your core in my opinion is the most important area to train as it will help prevent back problems, improve balance and posture, as well as increase strength and agility for all other areas of your body.  Part of your core muscles are the obliques which are your side abs that allow you to twist and turn your body.  For the Home Exercise of the Week I want to show you the Side Plank which is an isometric abdominal exercise that will effectively target those important oblique muscles.

There are a few different versions of the Side Plank that you can do depending on your fitness level.  The most difficult version is the Side Plank supported by a fully extended arm.  To regress that to a slightly less difficult version is to support your body on your forearm which is what is shown in the video.  To regress that even further, you can support yourself on your forearm then bend one knee and let it rest on the floor which will support more of your body weight.

To properly perform the Side Plank shown in the video, follow the steps outlined below.

  • start by laying on your side with your feet stacked on top of eachother
  • prop yourself up on your forearm and make sure it is directly underneath your shoulder
  • lift your hips off the floor until your body is perfectly straight
  • keep your abs tight and hold this position for 30 seconds (you can hold longer if you’re feeling extra strong!)
  • repeat on the other side

So there you have the Side Plank.  You can increase the difficulty by adding a leg raise, knee crunch, or leg swing.  Demonstrations of these versions will be coming in the future but until then, happy planking!

Side to Side Pushup

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Pump up your upper body with this Home Exercise of the Week!  The Side to Side Pushup is another great body weight exercise that will target your chest, shoulders, and triceps as well as promote shoulder mobility.

There are a few different versions of this exercise that you can do depending on your fitness level.  In the video, I show the basic regressed version that would be ideal for beginner to intermediate levels.  If you are an absolute beginner though, I would recommend just doing a straight up and down pushup from the knees without the side to side movement.

Let’s take a look at the key points to doing the Side to Side Pushup properly.

  • assume the pushup position from your knees or toes but instead of having your hands shoulder width apart, keep them together directly underneath your upper chest
  • make sure your body is perfectly straight (don’t stick your butt up in the air) and pull your belly button in towards your spine to keep your abs tight
  • move one hand to your side while keeping your other hand and feet or knees stationary
  • keep your body straight while performing the pushup and return to the starting position in the middle as you come up
  • repeat on the other side

So there you have the Side to Side Pushup.  Like I said, there are a few different versions and if you want more of a challenge then do the pushup from your toes instead of your knees.  For an even more advanced version, you can move one foot to the side at the same time as your hand.  This does take a good amount of coordination and strength however so make sure you are comfortable with the easier versions first before attempting this one!