Hello there, it’s time for another Home Exercise of the Week! This time I have a fun leg and cardio move for you to try called the Speed Skater.
The Speed Skater is a plyometric exercise that is going to work your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and obliques as well as give you a great cardiovascular workout.
Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Speed Skater.
from a standing position, hop to the right and land on your right foot
descend in to a half lunge while crossing your left leg behind your right leg
from this position, explode up and hop to the left landing on your left foot
descend in to a half lunge again while crossing your right leg behind your left leg
repeat back and forth for the desired amount of reps or time
keep your abs tight and flexed throughout the movement
So there you have the Speed Skater. Add this in to your cardio or leg routine and you will get your heart pumping and your legs burning!
Let me know how you do with this one in the comments below or let me know if you have any questions. I’m here to help!
Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have an advanced exercise that is quite challenging called the Equalizer Bar Bulgarian Split Squat Jump.
The Equalizer Bar Bulgarian Split Squat Jump is an awesome lower body exercise that will tone and build muscle in your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. It will build significant single leg strength and stability and offers a variety of coordination, mobility, and flexibility benefits. You will also be working your fast-twitch muscle fibres in the jumping portion of this exercise which will build power and strength as well adding a cardiovascular component to the movement.
If you don’t have an equalizer bar then you can use a bench if you have one or a sturdy chair.
Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the exercise.
get in to a lunge position with the top of your back foot elevated and resting on top of the bar, bench, or chair
make sure your lunge isn’t too wide so you aren’t arching your back or leaning forward too much
lower your body straight down until your front leg is at a 90 degree angle while keeping your upper body as upright as possible
keep your weight on your front heel as you lower your body
make sure your front knee is in line with your front foot and don’t let it shoot forward past your toes
from this bottom position of the lunge, push up through your front heel and jump up in the air as high as you can while maintaining your balance with your other foot on the bar (it is very hard to maintain your balance so as a beginner modification you can do this exercise close to a wall or counter at home…this will give you something to grab a hold of to steady yourself)
try to land back down from the jump in to the same foot position to maintain proper form (you may need to adjust your foot position before jumping again)
repeat the movement for your desired amount of reps or time and then switch legs and repeat
So there you have the Equalizer Bar Bulgarian Split Squat Jump. You’re going to feel your legs burning, your heart will be pumping, and the sweat will be pouring! Start slowly with this one and with something to hold on to if needed. You can also regress this exercise by taking the jump out of it and just doing a lunge. As you get used to the exercise and more comfortable with it then you can add the jump to get a more intense cardiovascular component and to work those fast-twitch muscle fibres.
Let me know how you do with this one or if you have any questions. Or if you just want to curse me for giving you another crazy exercise to do, that’s ok too! 😉
Have fun and I’ll see you next week with another new exercise!
Hello, it’s a new week which means it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This time I have a great full body exercise for you called the Reverse Lunge Dumbbell Bicep Curl.
The Reverse Lunge Dumbbell Bicep Curl requires a bit of coordination but with some practice it will get easier. With this exercise you will primarily be working on your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, biceps, and forearms. You will also be working on the stabilizer muscles of your ankles as well as your core when progressing through the movement.
If you don’t have a set of dumbbells that’s okay. You can use any object around the house like soup cans or water bottles. Ideally you would want something a little heavier but if nothing else you will still benefit from the curling motion of the arms.
Here are the key performance points:
stand tall with shoulders back, chest held high, and a dumbbell in each hand at your side with your palms facing forward
take a big step back with your right leg and bend at both knees until your legs are at 90 degree angles
while lunging in to this bottom position you want to curl the weights up at the same time while maintaining that palm forward hand position and squeezing your bicep muscles
stay as upright as possible throughout the movement and keep your shoulders back and chest held high
from this bottom lunge position, press through the heel of your left foot to drive yourself back up to the starting position
on your way back up to the starting position, slowly lower the dumbbells back down to your sides with that same palm forward position
from this starting position, repeat the movement for your other leg and keep alternating legs until the desired number of reps are complete
So there you have the Reverse Lunge Dumbbell Bicep Curl. As with any full body movement, your heart and lungs will work harder, you will burn more calories, and you will be sweating more. It’s a tough one but the benefits are great!
If you like this exercise please leave a comment below or if you have any questions please ask.
Hey everyone! I have a new Home Workout of the Week for you to do. This time we are going to blast your legs. Prepare yourself for this intense Leg Tabata Workout! Your legs will be on fire but it’s definitely worth it.
Do what you can in the allotted time and build up your intensity. Form is very important here to protect your knees and back and for the best results so make sure you practice the moves first before attempting the routine.
Have fun and let me know how you do!
Leg Tabata Workout
Tabata Protocol – 20 seconds of as many reps as you can do followed by 10 seconds of rest; 4 rounds of each pair of exercises followed by a 1 minute rest before moving on to the next pair of exercises
Hey everyone! Summer is fast approaching and that means less clothing and more of your body showing. Here is a new Home Workout of the Week for you to do that will help you shed some unwanted pounds and tone your legs, shoulders, and abdominals!
This Leg, Shoulder, and Core Workout is part of a split routine and the rest of the workouts to go along with this one will be coming in the weeks ahead. Do this workout at a minimum of once a week along with the other routines and you’ll be well on your way to a fit and toned summer body!
Note: There are a lot of plyometric moves in this routine which means high impact, jumping moves. If you are a beginner or have knee problems then I suggest you do not do any jumping and just do standard moves. For example, in the Cross Body Punch Jump Squat you would just do the punches then squat but not jump.
