Split Squat Jump

Hey everyone!  It’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week and this week I have a plyometric lower body exercise for you to try.  It’s called the Split Squat Jump and I won’t lie…this one is going to burn!  Don’t let that scare you away though because the benefits outweigh the temporary discomfort.

The Split Squat Jump is going to target your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. This will also help to improve your balance and the plyometric component of the exercise will burn more calories and help improve your cardiovascular conditioning.

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

  • start in a lunge position with one foot in front of you and one behind
  • maintain an upright position throughout the movement with your head up and shoulders back
  • lunge down until both legs are at 90 degree angles
  • from the bottom position, explode up quickly jumping in the air while maintaining your leg position
  • land from the jump and immediately lunge down again and repeat
  • do 10 to 12 reps on one side or for the desired amount of time then switch to the other side

So there you have the Split Squat Jump!  Give it a try and let me know how you do.  Work hard, stay healthy and I’ll see you next week with another new exercise!

Plank Jumping Jack

Hey everyone!  It’s time for the Home Exercise of the Week and this week I have a plyometric core exercise for you to try.  It’s called the Plank Jumping Jack and the plank part of the exercise will isometrically work your core and the jumping jack part of the exercise will add the plyometric component to increase your heart rate and burn more calories.

Let’s take a look at the key points to doing the Plank Jumping Jack properly.

  • get in to the plank position on your forearms and toes with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders, hips down, and head in a neutral position
  • contract your abdominals throughout the movement
  • jump your feet out wide and then jump them back to the starting position
  • repeat at a quick pace for the desired amount of reps or time
  • to modify the exercise for a slightly easier version you can step one foot out at a time instead of jumping

So there you have the Plank Jumping Jack.  Give it a try and let me know how you do.  See you next week with another new exercise!

Full Body Workout with Weights

Hey everyone!  The holidays are fast approaching and during this time of year there is an abundance of food and goodies to tempt you so to help you stay on track and keep your metabolism revved up, I have a Full Body Workout with Weights for you to try for the Home Workout of the Week!

For this workout you will need a stability ball and some dumbbells.  If you don’t have either then you can use some objects around the house that provide resistance like water bottles or soup cans.  A stability ball and a couple of weights are fairly inexpensive though and I definitely recommend picking some up to have at home so you can get a workout in anytime.

Give this Full Body Workout with Weights a shot and let me know how you do!

Full Body Workout with Weights

Warm-Up

  • 12 Bodyweight Squats
  • 10 Pushups
  • 12 Spiderman Climbs
  • 10 Spinal Rotations for each side
  • 10 Shoulder Circles for each arm

Superset 1

Rest for 30 to 60 seconds then repeat the superset 1 more time

Superset 2

Rest for 30 to 60 seconds then repeat the superset 1 more time

Superset 3

Rest for 30 to 60 seconds then repeat the superset 1 more time

Superset 4

Rest for 30 to 60 seconds then repeat the superset 1 more time

Cardio Tabata Workout

Hello, it’s time for another Home Workout of the Week!  With all the previous workouts I’ve posted the main focus has been on resistance training using just your body weight.  The following routine though is more focused on the cardiovascular component of a workout.

There are many ways to achieve a good cardiovascular workout without having to use a treadmill, bike, or elliptical.  You can go for a walk, jog, bike ride, or swim for example.  By far, the best type of cardiovascular training for boosting your metabolism, fat loss, and strengthening your heart and lungs, is interval training.  Interval training has been shown to cause your body to burn more fat and calories for 24 hours after the workout than it would if you did a steady pace cardio workout.

A very effective type of interval training is the Tabata so this week I would like you to try my Cardio Tabata Workout.  It’s intense and will also work your legs too but the focus is on the cardiovascular component.  This workout has 4 rounds of 4 different Tabata’s and should take you approximately 20 minutes to complete.  This is a great workout to do between your strength training sessions.

Get ready to sweat and let me know how you do!

Cardio Tabata Workout

Tabata Protocol – 20 seconds of work 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 Tabata

Tabata 1

  • Burpee
  • Spider Jump (like a spider man climb but jumping to each side instead)

Tabata 2

Tabata 3

  • Cross Country Skier
  • Seal Jack

Tabata 4

  • Speed Skater
  • High Knee Running

Lower Body/Core Circuit Workout

Hey there!  I hope you’ve been working hard with these Home Workouts of the Week.  I have a new one for you this week and this time you are going to be doing a Lower Body/Core Circuit Workout!

Legs are always challenging and the least favorite for most people to work on.  The reason for this is because the legs consist of some of the biggest muscles in your body and thus require more oxygen and blood to be pumped to them while exercising.  This means a higher heart rate and more rapid breathing.  So basically working your legs is going to really tire you out.  That being said, the benefits far outweigh the temporary discomfort.  Working your legs will increase your metabolism, burn more calories, excrete more growth hormone in the body helping them to recover as well as helping the rest of your muscles to grow, and also give you shapely toned legs over time.

So work your legs hard and enjoy the benefits!  Let me know how you do with the workout or if you have any questions.

Happy leg training!

Lower Body/Core Workout

Warm-Up

  • 30 seconds of Jumping Jacks
  • 10 Spinal Rotations for each side
  • 10 Shoulder Circles for each arm
  • 12 Body Weight Squats
  • 12 Spiderman Climbs

Circuit

Rest for 60 to 90 seconds then repeat the circuit 2 more times.

Core