Tag Archives: core

Side Tricep Pushup

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If laying down on the floor and building some great looking arms sounds appealing to you then you will love this week’s Home Exercise of the Week.  Of course laying down on the floor only won’t magically give you fantastic arms.  There is some work involved and that work goes by the name of the Side Tricep Pushup!

The Side Tricep Pushup is a wonderful exercise that can be done anywhere with no equipment required.  It can even be done in bed if your mattress is firm enough!

The primary muscles being targeted in this exercise are your triceps but you will be working your shoulders and core as well.  People think you need to build huge biceps to have great looking arms but what gives your arms size and the most shape are your tricep muscles.  They make up two thirds of your upper arm so if you want people to take notice of them, you will want to make sure that you are working your triceps regularly.

Ok so on to the key points to doing the Side Tricep Pushup effectively.

  • lay on your side with your feet stacked on top of eachother
  • place the hand of the arm you are laying on onto your opposite shoulder and tuck the hand of the working arm in to your armpit
  • keep your hand flat on the floor throughout the exercise and push up through the palm of your hand
  • you will want to try and get a full extension of the arm to fully activate your tricep muscles but this may be very difficult if you haven’t done this before.  Press up as high as you can while keeping your hand flat and over time your strength will increase to the point that you will be able to get a full extension
  • when coming back down you will want to stop just before your shoulder rests back down on the floor.  This will keep constant tension on your triceps throughout the movement.

So there you have the Side Tricep Pushup.  This is a great exercise to add in at the end of your upper body or arm workout to really burn them out!  Try doing a couple of sets of as many reps as you can and I guarantee it will be hard to wash your hair the next day!

Wall Sit Shoulder Press

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It’s time for another Home Exercise of the Week!  Get your legs and shoulders fired up with the Wall Sit Shoulder Press.

From the video, it may look simple enough but don’t let that fool you…this will burn!  Grown men have almost cried because of the wall sit, curses have been vocalized through clenched teeth, and sweat has poured down grimaced faces.  I know it sounds horrible and you might be thinking “Craig, why would I ever want to put myself through that?”.

Well the answer to your question is you will gain more strength and endurance in your legs, you will increase strength and mobility in your shoulders, and you will strengthen the deep core muscles of your trunk and your spinal muscles.  All that plus if you’re weird like me, you might even think it’s fun! (Ok I’ll be honest…it’s more fun making people do it than actually doing it!)

The wall sit portion of this exercise is isometric which means you are working your muscles without any movement at the joint.  This is great for building strength and endurance.

Some key points to remember when doing the Wall Sit Shoulder Press:

  • make sure your knees are directly over your ankles
  • slide down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor
  • keep your back pressed firmly against the wall
  • press your arms back against the wall as much as you can throughout the movement (you may not be able to maintain contact with the wall throughout the exercise at first but over time your mobility will increase)
  • exhale as your press up and inhale as you lower your arms

So there you have the Wall Sit Shoulder Press.  Start with a couple sets of 12 repetitions or a couple of timed sets of 30 seconds at the end your leg or shoulder workout and feel the burn!

Plank Crawl

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If you live in Canada, the Thanksgiving long weekend just finished and if you are like me, you took advantage of that and indulged in some good food!  Now it’s time to get back to your routine of healthy eating and regular exercise and this week’s Home Exercise of the Week may help you burn off some of those extra calories consumed over the past few days!

This week I will be talking about the Plank Crawl!  From the video demonstration, you might have visions of this being done in army boot camps through dirt and mud and under barbed wire but this exercise can be done in the comfort of your own home.  I say comfort but I wouldn’t say this is a comfortable exercise!  Far from it actually.  The Plank Crawl will challenge you and get your core working in ways that you may not be used to.

The Plank Crawl will work your core like the regular plank but the added movement will add a cardiovascular component to the exercise and you will also be improving your coordination.  Your shoulders, legs, and lower back muscles will be involved as well giving you a full body workout!

Important tips to remember when performing the Plank Crawl:

  • keep your abs contracted throughout the movement (pull your belly button up towards your spine)
  • keep your body as straight as possible
  • go forward and backward in small movements

Start with one to two timed sets of 30 seconds and build your way up to 1 minute sets.  If you need an extra challenge or if you are thinking of enlisting in the army, wear a weighted vest or heavy back pack.  I guarantee your muscles will be burning!

So there you have the Plank Crawl.  Give it a shot and let me know how it feels.  Happy crawling! 🙂

Plank Back Row

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Is it just me or do the weeks fly by faster and faster?  It seems like I just posted a Home Exercise of the Week and now it’s that time again!

This week I would like you to try a Plank Back Row!  I know I named the exercise differently in the video but a One Arm Back Row from a Pushup Position is just way too long and not very catchy!

There are a lot of muscles being used in this exercise so the metabolic effect is very high.  The more muscles you use, the more calories you burn.  The primary muscles targeted are your lattisimus dorsi, teres major, posterior deltoids, and trapezius. (if the latin words are confusing you, you’re not alone…basically they are your back muscles, rear shoulder muscles and your neck muscles)  With the Plank Back Row, you will also be working your core as well!

Some key tips to remember when doing the Plank Back Row:

  • keep your body as straight as possible (no butts sticking up in the air)
  • pull your belly button in towards your spine to keep your abdominals flexed
  • raise your arm forward and pull your elbow back keeping it in line with your upper body
  • if the full plank position is too challenging at first, try performing this exercise from your knees instead of your toes until you get stronger

So there you have the Plank Back Row!  This is a great back and core exercise that requires no equipment whatsoever…just a small amount of room and you’re good to go!

Stability Ball Pushup

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I have a challenging exercise for you today for the Home Exercise of the Week!  If you’re a fan of pushups, the Stability Ball Pushup will add something new to your routine.  If you don’t like pushups, well then you’re probably thinking wow I didn’t know they could get any worse than they already are!

Whether you like pushups or not, the Stability Ball Pushup is a great exercise that will work your chest, shoulders, and triceps.  Since you are doing this exercise on a ball, you will also be working on your balance, core muscles, and all the little stabilizer muscles to keep you from flying off the ball.

If this is your first time trying the exercise, I recommend placing the ball against a wall which will make it easier to balance.  As you get more comfortable with the exercise you can place the ball freely in the room.  Also, you can start with a modified pushup from your knees if needed until you get stronger.

Some tips when performing the Stability Ball Pushup:

  • grab the ball on the sides and squeeze it as you move down to increase the contraction in your pectoral muscles
  • make sure your hands are in line with your chest throughout the movement
  • keep your ab muscles tight at all times by pulling your belly button in towards your spine
  • a wide foot position will increase your stability and if you feel that’s too easy then bring your feet together to work your core and stabilizers even more (at this point you’re probably thinking “yeah right Craig, let’s start with getting on the ball first!”)
  • at the top of the movement, stop just before your arms are fully extended to keep tension on your pectorals throughout

So there you have the Stability Ball Pushup!  Add this great exercise to your routine and you might impress people so much with your acrobatic feats that you get asked to join the circus!