Tag Archives: hamstrings

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!

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!

Jump Squat and Hold

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Hey there HomeBody followers!  If you find your leg workouts getting boring or too easy (ok, too easy is probably not possible) and you want to shake things up a bit then give this Home Exercise of the Week a try.

Jump Squat and Hold – There are a few different aspects to this exercise that will challenge your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves in ways that standard squats just can’t do.  Regular squats are awesome and you will get great results and strength from doing them but with the Jump Squat and Hold you get the benefit of plyometric and isometric training.

Plyometric exercises will build explosive power, increase your metabolic rate, burn more calories, and strengthen your cardiovascular system.  Isometric exercises burn fat and build muscle and don’t place a lot of stress on your joints.

Before you jump right to the exercise (pun intended) and start feeling that lactic acid buildup, let’s take a look at how to do this exercise properly.

  • start with feet shoulder width apart and toes pointed out slightly
  • squat deep down keeping your head and chest up with shoulders back
  • keep your knees in line with your toes
  • from the deep squat position, jump up in the air as high as you can and with as much force as you can muster
  • land back down and immediately go back in to the squat position but this time hold the squat for 5 to 10 seconds
  • while holding the squat, extend arms out and raise them up to shoulder height.  This will give you a bonus isometric anterior deltoid (front shoulder) exercise
  • after holding the squat, jump back up and repeat

So there you have the Jump Squat and Hold.  Kick your metabolism in to high gear with this one and even try changing up the exercise a little to keep your body guessing.  For example, you can do this by doing 5 jump squats before the hold or extending the hold for longer than 10 seconds.  There are many combinations you can do but whatever you choose, have fun and work hard!

Sumo Squat

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Happy new year everyone!  It’s a brand new year and I’m sure many of you have set some resolutions or revisited some previous years resolutions but regardless it’s time to get your butt in gear!

What better way to get your butt in gear than doing a leg exercise.  The first Home Exercise of the Week for the new year is the Sumo Squat.

The Sumo Squat is a safe and effective leg exercise that really targets your inner thighs along with your glutes and hamstrings.  It will really help too if you plan on doing some sumo wrestling! 🙂

Let’s take a look at the key points to doing the Sumo Squat effectively.

  • start with your feet wider than your shoulders with your toes pointed out slightly
  • keep your back straight, head up, and shoulders back
  • squat down keeping your knees in line with your toes (don’t let them shoot past your toes)
  • once your thighs are parallel to the floor or below, push yourself back up through your heels
  • don’t lock your knees at the top
  • inhale as you go down and exhale on the way back up

So there you have the Sumo Squat!  Add this to your leg routine and in no time you will have strong, toned legs and will be ready to take on any sumo wrestler who comes your way! 😉

In and Out Squat Jump

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The holidays are fast approaching so get a jump start (no pun intended) and burn some calories with this plyometric Home Exercise of the Week!

The In and Out Squat Jump…talk about a leg burn!  You’ll be sweating, your heart will be pumping, and your legs will be on fire with this one.  Sounds fun doesn’t it? 🙂

Aside from all the uncomfortable side effects of this exercise you will really build some explosive strength and endurance since the In and Out Squat Jump is a plyometric exercise.  When your feet are together you will be working your outer thighs and when your feet are wide you’ll be working your inner thighs.  Your glutes and hamstrings will also be working hard too.  So overall this is a great exercise to add in to your leg or full body routine and the cardiovascular aspect to it will really rev up your metabolism and burn calories…much needed before the surplus of calories that usually come with the holidays!

Let’s take a look at the key points to doing the In and Out Squat Jump properly.

  • whether your feet are close together or apart, when you come down in to the squat make sure that your head and chest is up, back is straight, and your weight is on your heels.  Always make sure your knees are over your toes and not shooting out past them.
  • start with your feet together and explode up in to the air spreading your feet apart and landing softly in the wide stance
  • explode up again but this time bring your feet together and land softly in the close stance
  • with each squat try to get your thighs below or at least parallel to the floor

So there you have the In and Out Squat Jump.  A 12 to 15 repetition set is a good starting point and if you want an extra challenge hold on to some dumbbells!

Keep working hard and don’t forget to treat yourself over the holidays.  That being said, stay active and it will be that much easier to get right back on to your routine in the new year! 🙂