Tag Archives: core

Superman Back Row Pushup

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Hey there, it’s time again for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This time I have a great core and upper body exercise for you to try called the Superman Back Row Pushup.

The Superman Back Row Pushup works quite a few different muscle groups so there are a lot of benefits to this one. You will be working your upper and lower back, your glutes and hamstrings, your chest, shoulders, and triceps, and also your abdominals. If you suffer from lower back pain from sitting at a desk all day then this is the move to do to strengthen up those muscles. Often times, a little strengthening of the muscles of the lower back goes a long way to giving some back pain relief and prevent back pain in the future.

So let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Superman Back Row Pushup.

  • start by laying face down on your mat with your arms fully extended over your head
  • while keeping your head and neck in line with your spine, squeeze your glutes and lift your head, arms, and legs straight up as high as you can 
  • when you can’t lift any higher, pull your elbows back and squeeze your back muscles
  • after getting a good flex in your upper back muscles, drop your hands down to the floor in line with your chest while lowering your feet back down to the floor at the same time
  • now push your body up on to your hands and toes and stop just before your arms fully lock out
  • lower your body back down to the floor and extend your arms over your head again while lifting up your legs and squeezing your glutes
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps or time
  • if you find it too challenging to do the full pushup, you can do the modified pushup from your knees as seen in the video demonstration

So there you have the Superman Back Row Pushup. This is one of my favourite exercises and it is a great one to add in to your upper body or full body routine.

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Crunch Hold Leg Scissors

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Hello there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a great ab exercise for you to try called Crunch Hold Leg Scissors. This one will work your lower abdominals as well as your hip flexors and for an added bonus the crunch and hold will isometrically work your upper abdominals.  So you know what that means….muscle burn time!

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of Crunch Hold Leg Scissors.

  • lay face up on your mat and raise your legs to a 45 degree angle keeping them as straight as possible
  • reach towards your toes with your hands by crunching up until your shoulders are off the floor.  Avoid going too high, as this can strain your back, and avoid tucking your chin in to your chest
  • while holding the crunch, lower one leg until it is about an inch or two off the floor then return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg
  • ensure that you are pulling your belly button in towards your spine to achieve optimal ab contraction and to avoid straining your lower back
  • if you find that your back is arching or hurting while doing this exercise then don’t lower your legs as far down. For a further modification, you can also just do a crunch while holding your legs up and not doing the scissor movement

So there you have Crunch Hold Leg Scissors. Get those abs burning by adding a couple sets of 20 to 30 repetitions to your ab routine or add it in to a superset to get an even bigger metabolic boost!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Tricep Plank Press

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Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have another very challenging upper body and core exercise for you to try called the Tricep Plank Press. This one is going to fire up your triceps a lot and will also work your core, chest, and shoulders. It will take some practice so take your time doing it and start out with the modified from-the-knees version if you need to.  

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

  • start by getting in to a plank position with your elbows directly under your shoulders and palms on the floor
  • make sure your body is in a straight line from head to toes and engage your core to keep your hips from dropping
  • if needed, drop your knees down to the floor to do the modified version
  • from this plank position, push your body up through the palms of your hands until your arms are fully extended
  • squeeze the triceps at the top of the movement and then slowly lower your elbows back down to the floor
  • keep your abs and glutes tight throughout the exercise
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Tricep Plank Press. It’s a challenging exercise but one that will build a lot of strength and muscle in your triceps and core without having to use any equipment. Start with the modified version and then work your way up to the full pushup. Get those triceps fired up!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Pushup Butt Drop

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Hello, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a very challenging upper body and core exercise for you to try called the Pushup Butt Drop. This exercise is definitely going to take some practice and I’ve included a modified version in the video that you can start with if you’re having trouble doing the full version.

The Pushup Butt Drop will work your chest, shoulders, triceps, and your entire core muscles.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Pushup Butt Drop.

  • start by getting in to a full pushup position with your hands wider than your shoulders and in line with your chest
  • keep your abs tight and lower your body until you are almost touching the floor
  • push yourself back up and at the top of the movement, rotate your left foot and bring your heel down
  • at the same time, lift your left hand off the floor and bring your right leg underneath you
  • reach for your right foot with your left hand while you drop your butt towards the floor but stop just before you touch the floor
  • rotate back to the starting position and then repeat the pushup
  • now rotate your right foot down, lift your right hand off the floor, and bring your left leg underneath you
  • reach for your left foot with your right hand while dropping your butt towards the floor
  • return to the starting position and repeat each side for your desired amount of reps or time
  • you can modify this exercise to make it a bit easier by performing your pushup from your knees. After the pushup, lift your knees off the floor and do the butt drop as described before

So there you have the Pushup Butt Drop. This one is going to take some practice so take your time getting the move down. Once you get it though, it is very effective and fun to do and it will add some variety to your workout. It also looks really cool and you will definitely impress your friends! 

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Knee Through

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Hey there! It’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a challenging core exercise for you to try called the Knee Through.

The Knee Through will work your obliques, lower abs, transverse abdominis (the deep ab muscles that stabilize your core), shoulders, and triceps. 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Knee Through.

  • start on your hands and toes with your knees tucked underneath you (your knees should not be touching the floor)
  • while leaving your right hand and left foot on the floor, lift your right foot and sweep your right knee underneath you towards the left as you rotate your body in the same direction
  • your left hand should lift up as you sweep your right knee underneath you
  • return to all fours with your knees still off the floor and repeat for the other side but lifting your left foot and right hand this time and sweeping your left knee underneath you
  • alternate back and forth for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Knee Through. It’s a bit tricky to get the form down but once you do it is a very effective core exercise and it could also double as a breakdancing move that you can impress your friends with on the dance floor. 😉

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

See you next week with another new exercise!