Tag Archives: exercise

Donkey Kick

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HOME EXERCISE OF THE WEEK

The Donkey Kick is a great plyometric exercise that is going to target your glutes primarily but will also work your shoulders and core muscles. The jump adds a cardiovascular component to the exercise which will strengthen your cardiovascular system and burn more calories in the process. It’s a fairly simple move but it does take some coordination and you have to be quick with the kick in order to land back on your feet.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Donkey Kick.

  • get in to a full plank position with your feet together
  • engage your abs and glutes and jump both feet straight up in the air
  • as soon as you jump, bend both legs and try to kick your butt with both feet before falling back down to the floor
  • after the kick, extend both legs back out and land from the jump in to the starting position
  • repeat the move for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Donkey Kick. It’s a bit of a funny looking exercise but it will give you great glutes and get you sweating and burning calories!

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 Bird Dog

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Hello! Here’s another new Home Exercise of the Week for you to try! This week I have another very challenging upper body and core exercise for you called the Pushup Bird Dog.

The Pushup Bird Dog is a compound move that’s going to work your chest, shoulders, triceps, abs, upper and lower back, and glutes. You will also be working on your balance and all the little stabilizer muscles as you perform the bird dog. This exercise will take some practice so start off 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 Bird Dog.

  • start by getting in to a full pushup position with your hands and feet wider than your shoulders and keep your hands 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 until you’re almost touching while keeping your arms at about a 45 degree angle from your body
  • push back up and once you have returned to the starting position, extend your right arm and left leg up while bracing your abs until you feel a nice squeeze on your back and glutes
  • lower your arm and leg back down to the floor and repeat your pushup
  • now you will extend your left arm and right leg up once you have returned back to the starting position after the pushup
  • keep alternating arms and legs after each pushup 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 Bird Dog. It’s a tough one but it’s very effective in targeting your chest and core and it will greatly improve your balance and coordination. You will also look pretty bad ass while doing it!

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!

Bridge Hold Leg Raise

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Hey there! It’s a new week and time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have another great lower body and ab exercise for you to try called the Bridge Hold Leg Raise.

The Bridge Hold Leg Raise is going to target your hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, and abs. The glutes and hamstrings will be worked isometrically while the hip flexors will be worked through concentric and eccentric contraction. 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Bridge Hold Leg Raise.

  • start by lying face up on your mat with your right knee bent and your left leg fully extended
  • from this position, drive your hips up as high as you can by pushing through your right heel and squeezing your glutes
  • now raise your extended left leg straight up in to the air while squeezing your abs
  • lower your left leg slowly back down until it is almost touching the floor 
  • keep raising and lowering your left leg while maintaining your weight on your right heel for your desired amount of reps or time
  • now bend your left knee and extend your right leg and repeat the movement on your right side for your desired amount of reps or time to finish off the set

So there you have the Bridge Hold Leg Raise. Add this in to your lower or full body routine and you’ll be on your way to stronger glutes and abs in no time!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

In and Out Jump Squat

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

The In and Out Jump Squat is going to work 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. Another benefit of this exercise is that the positioning of your feet during the squat will emphasize different muscles of your legs. When your feet are together, the focus will be put on your outer thighs and when your feet are wide, the focus will be on your inner thighs. So this is a great exercise to target different areas of the legs.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the In and Out Jump Squat.

  • start by standing tall with your feet together
  • 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 when you are in the air, separate your feet and land from the jump in a wide stance
  • immediately go back down in to a squat with the wide stance
  • jump up as high as you can again and this time when you are in the air, bring your feet back together and land in the close stance and perform your squat
  • keep alternating between the close and wide stance jump squats for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the In and Out Jump Squat. This is a tough one but you will be building strength and endurance as well as burning a ton of calories!

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 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!