Bicycle Claps

Hey there! It’s time for another new Home Exercise of the Week and this week I have a great exercise for you to try called Bicycle Claps.

Bicycle Claps are going to get your abs burning and you will also be working your hip flexors (hip flexors are the muscles that help raise your legs up). The move is fairly straight forward but it does take a bit of co-ordination and balance so it may take a bit of practice to get good at it. 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of Bicycle Claps.

  • start by sitting up on your mat and leaning back at a 45 degree angle
  • bend your legs and raise both feet off the floor
  • engage your abs by squeezing your stomach throughout the movement
  • from this starting position, extend your right leg while keeping your left leg bent
  • while you are extending your right leg, reach underneath your bent left leg and clap both hands together
  • return your right leg to the starting position and at the same time extend your left leg
  • now clap your hands together under your bent right leg
  • alternate back and forth for your desired amount of reps or time
  • remember to keep your abs engaged, upper body at a 45 degree angle, and your feet off the floor throughout the entire exercise

So there you have Bicycle Claps. You’ll be well on your way to a strong core if you add this move to your exercise 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!

Glute Bridge Walkout

Hello! It’s a new week which means it’s time for another new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a great lower body and posterior chain exercise for you to try called the Glute Bridge Walkout.

The Glute Bridge Walkout will really fire up your glutes and hamstrings. The move is simple but don’t let that fool you…these are tough! I’m demonstrating the bodyweight version in the video but you can make this even more challenging by placing a weight plate on your stomach throughout the movement. 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Glute Bridge Walkout.

  • start by lying face up on your mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
  • from this position, drive your hips up as high as you can and squeeze your glutes
  • now take small steps forward on your heels while keeping your glutes up
  • maintain your weight on your heels throughout the movement
  • once your legs are almost straight, reverse the movement and take small steps back to the starting position, again while keeping your hips up throughout
  • always remember to keep your hips up, your glutes engaged, and walk on your heels
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Glute Bridge Walkout. If you want to get buns of steel then definitely add this exercise to your routine. It’s going to burn but it’ll 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!

Spiderman Pushups

Hey there! It’s a new week which means it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This time I have a challenging upper body exercise for you to try called Spiderman Pushups.

Spiderman Pushups will work your chest, shoulders, and triceps, and the knee driving up towards your elbow will give your core a really good workout. If you have trouble doing the full pushup, you can start with the modified from-the-knees version which you can see in the video demonstration. 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of Spiderman Pushups.

  • 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
  • as you are lowering your body down towards the floor, lift your left foot off the floor and drive your left knee towards your left elbow
  • your knee should reach or almost reach your elbow at the bottom portion of the pushup
  • push your body back up while returning your left leg to the starting position
  • now repeat the pushup but this time drive your right knee towards your right elbow
  • return to the starting position and then keep alternating sides until you have completed your desired amount of reps or time
  • for a slightly easier modified version, drop down to your knees and perform the exercise from your knees throughout the set

So there you have Spiderman Pushups. It’s a tough one but once you get the move down it looks pretty cool and you will get those upper body muscles and core 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!

Split Squat Jump

Hello there! It’s a new week and that means it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This time I have a heart pumping plyometric lower body exercise for you to try called the Split Squat Jump.

The Split Squat Jump works your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, all the stabilizer muscles of the ankles, and those fast-twitch muscle fibers which help with the explosive power of the movement. So there are quite a few muscles involved with this one which means more calories burned and you will also get quite a good cardiovascular workout on top of strengthening the muscles of the legs.

So let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Split Squat Jump.

  • start by stepping one foot forward and one foot back until you have a nice wide stance with your toes pointed forward
  • stand nice and tall and flex your abs to provide stability to your upper body
  • now bend at both knees and lower your body straight down until your legs are at 90 degree angles
  • keep your weight on your front heel as you lower your body and don’t let your front knee move forward past your toes (keep it in line with your front toes or slightly behind)
  • from this lunge position, push through both feet and jump straight up as high as you can while maintaining that forward and back leg position
  • land from the jump and go right back in to the lunge while keeping your body as upright as possible
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps or time and then switch legs and repeat the movement for that side
  • you can make this even more challenging by holding on to weights at your sides

So there you have the Split Squat Jump. It’s challenging, you’ll be huffing and puffing, and you’ll be sweating but it will be worth it as you will be building strength, power, endurance, muscle, and burning lots of calories in the process!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Pike Pushup

Hello and happy Wednesday! It’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week and this week I have a challenging variation of the pushup for you to try called the Pike Pushup.

The Pike Pushup primarily works your shoulders and triceps but it also works your upper pecs, upper back, and serratus muscles. I won’t sugarcoat it, the Pike Pushup is tough! It requires a fair amount of shoulder strength so start with regular pushups and other shoulder strengthening exercises and work your way up to this move.

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

  • start in a full plank position with your feet shoulder width apart and hands a little wider than your shoulders
  • while keeping your legs straight, walk your hands back towards your feet as far as you can without rounding your back and stopping just before your knees start to bend
  • keep your abs tight and bend your arms at the elbow to slowly lower your head towards the floor
  • stop just before your head touches the floor and then push back up to the starting position 
  • keep a slight bend in the arms and don’t lock them out at the top of the movement to keep tension on the muscles throughout the exercise
  • make sure to keep your head and neck in line with your spine throughout the movement as well
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Pike Pushup. This one will take some practice but it is a great exercise to build strength and muscle in your shoulders especially if you are working out at home and don’t have any weights. And if eventually doing handstand pushups is a goal of yours then this is the exercise to start with!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!