Tag Archives: fitness

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! 🙂

Sea Turtle

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In case you just quickly read the title of this post I’m not actually going to be talking about Sea Turtles!  As cute as they are, this is a fitness website…not a wildlife one. 😉

What I am going to discuss here is the Sea Turtle exercise for the Home Exercise of the Week.

I would say this is an easier exercise compared to some of the exercises I have shown in the past but it is still very effective and will help strengthen your lower back muscles.  Along with the erector spinae muscles, you will be working your glutes, posterior deltoids (rear shoulder), rhomboids (middle back), and trapezius (large muscle that spans the neck, shoulders, and back).

Some key points to remember when doing the Sea Turtle:

  • keep your head up off the floor and in line with your spine
  • laying on your stomach can make it hard to breath but try not to hold your breath
  • squeeze your shoulder blades together when bringing your arms out to the side
  • perform at a nice even pace…not too fast, not too slow.  A good speed would be two seconds out then two seconds in

Try doing a couple sets of 20 repetitions to start off with then as you get comfortable with the movement, try a couple timed sets of as many Sea Turtles as you can do in 20 – 30 seconds.

So there you have the Sea Turtle!  It’s not just a cute animal anymore but an effective back and butt exercise!

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!

Tricep Dip (Chair or Bench)

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Another week has gone by and that means it is time for a new Home Exercise of the Week!

The Tricep Dip is a great exercise that can be done anywhere you can find a chair or bench (that being said, I don’t recommend doing this at random public places unless you want to get some strange looks or draw a crowd to watch your feats of strength).

The primary muscle group being targeted in this exercise are your triceps but you will also be working your anterior deltoids (front shoulders) and chest muscles.

Some tips to remember when doing the Tricep Dip:

  • place your hands close to your body on the chair
  • make sure to keep your elbows pointed back to ensure proper tricep muscle contraction
  • dip down until you feel a good stretch across your chest and in your front shoulders.  Your arms should be at 90 degree angles at this point.
  • when you get to the top of the movement, straighten your arms to get a nice tricep contraction
  • if you want to make this exercise even more challenging, try putting your feet up on a stability ball or rest some weight plates on your thighs!

So there you have the Tricep Dip.  Now Chairs aren’t just for sitting any more!  They are a multi-purpose exercise tool that can be used to build and tone some strong and sexy arms!