Tag Archives: home fitness

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!

 

Plank Jacks

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Hello and Happy New Year! It’s a brand new year so let’s start 2021 off right with a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a great cardio and core-strengthening exercise to show you called Plank Jacks.

Plank Jacks will help strengthen the muscles of the upper and lower body and will also increase core strength and stability, burn calories, and help reduce fat.

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

  • start in a full plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet together. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to your heels
  • while engaging your abs, jump both feet out wide to each side as if you were doing a horizontal jumping jack
  • stay in the plank position with your abs engaged as you quickly jump your feet back together
  • continue to jump back in and out for your desired amount of reps or time while keeping your back flat and don’t let your hips drop too much throughout the movement
  • you can also modify this to a lower impact version by stepping each foot out to the side and back in instead of jumping

So there you have Plank Jacks. Add this exercise to your routine and you will strengthen your core, help prevent back pain, and get the benefits of a cardio exercise!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Jumping Jack Squat

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Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a heart pumping lower body and plyometric exercise for you to try called the Jumping Jack Squat.

The Jumping Jack Squat will work all the muscles of the legs including quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves and the jumping jack part of the exercise will give you a great cardiovascular exercise and will also work the arms and shoulders.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Jumping Jack Squat.

  • start by standing nice and tall with your feet together and your arms at your side
  • lower your body like you are going to sit in a chair while keeping your weight on your heels and your back straight
  • make sure to drive your hips back to prevent your knees from going past your toes
  • once your thighs are parallel to the floor, explode up from the squat position and jump your feet out to the side while raising both arms over your head
  • jump your feet back together while lowering your arms down to your sides and descend back in to a squat
  • repeat the movement for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Jumping Jack Squat. Your heart will be pumping, your legs will be burning, and you’ll be sweating. That probably doesn’t sound very pleasant but it will be worth it! 😉

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Equalizer Bar Pushup Mountain Climber Twist

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Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week. This week I have an upper body and core exercise to show you called the Equalizer Bar Pushup Mountain Climber Twist.

This is a great exercise to work your chest, shoulders, triceps, upper and lower abdominals, and obliques. I’m using an Equalizer Bar for this video demonstration but if you don’t have one, you can also do this exercise without it or use a step or bench to elevate your upper body. The elevation of the upper body gives your knee a little more clearance to raise up and twist and the Equalizer Bar allows you to go a little deeper in the pushup.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Equalizer Bar Pushup Mountain Climber Twist.

  • place the Equalizer Bar on it’s side on the floor
  • place your hands on the bar at the highest elevation and get in to a full plank position
  • keep your hands in line with your chest and keep your abs tight
  • lower your body until you feel a deep stretch in your chest while keeping your elbows flared out at about a 45 degree angle
  • push back up until your arms are almost straight but don’t lock them out at the top
  • from this top position, drive your right knee forward and then twist it underneath you towards your left side
  • return to the middle and then bring your right foot back to the starting position
  • perform another pushup and then drive your left knee forward and twist it underneath you towards your right side
  • return to the middle and bring your left foot back to the starting position
  • repeat the movements for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Equalizer Bar Pushup Mountain Climber Twist. Multi-joint movements are always great for building overall strength, conditioning, and for calorie burning so try adding this exercise to your upper body or full body routine. If you have trouble doing a full pushup, you can also do a modified pushup from your knees and then just raise your body up on your toes to perform the mountain climber twist.

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

See you next week with another new exercise!