Tag Archives: pectorals

Spiderman Pushups

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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!

Gator Pushup Mountain Climber

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Hello, it’s Home Exercise of the Week time again! This week I have a great combo exercise for you to try called the Gator Pushup Mountain Climber.

This is a tough one that will take some practice but the benefits are great and you will look pretty bad ass doing them! The Gator Pushup Mountain Climber works your chest, shoulders, triceps, core, hip flexors, and it builds endurance. If you can’t do the full pushup right away you can drop down to your knees and do a modified pushup then come back up on your toes to do the mountain climber. This modified pushup position will take some of the weight off your chest, shoulders, and triceps and make the exercise a bit easier.

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

  • start in a full pushup position (or modified if needed) with one hand in line with your chest and the other hand slightly forward
  • while keeping your abs and glutes flexed, lower your body towards the floor until you’re almost touching then push back up and stop just before your arms lock out
  • now lift one foot off the floor and drive one knee forward while squeezing your abs
  • return your foot to the starting position and then repeat for the other leg
  • now you’re going to walk the hand that is in line with your chest forward until your other hand is in line with your chest. You’ve now switched the offset hand position
  • perform the pushup and mountain climber as previously described and repeat for your desired amount of reps. The pushup combined with the mountain climber is one full rep
  • you can walk forward for the whole set or you can add an extra challenge by walking backward for the last half of your set 

So there you have the Gator Pushup Mountain Climber. It’s a fun variation of the regular pushup and mountain climber but it is quite challenging so take your time getting the technique down and start from your knees if needed!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Medicine Ball Side to Side Pushup

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Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week. This week I have an upper body exercise to show you called the Medicine Ball Side to Side Pushup.

This is a great exercise to work your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. I’m using a weighted medicine ball for this exercise but if you don’t have one you can use any medium sized ball like a soccer or volleyball. The uneven position targets the muscles from different angles, challenges the core, and increases the intensity for one side. If you find this exercise a little too challenging from the full pushup position, you can drop down to your knees to complete your reps.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Medicine Ball Side to Side Pushup.

  • start in a full pushup position with your hands wider than your shoulders and in line with your chest with one hand on the ball and one on the floor
  • descend towards the floor while engaging your abs and glutes (this will keep your back nice and straight)
  • try to get as close to the floor as you can and once you feel a good stretch in your chest muscles, push back up to the starting position without locking your elbows
  • from this top position push the ball underneath and across your body to the other hand and now you will repeat the movement for that side while keeping your abs and glutes engaged
  • if this is too challenging from the full pushup position drop down to your knees to complete your reps but just make sure to keep your hips down

So there you have the Medicine Ball Side to Side Pushup. Try adding this exercise to your upper body or full body routine to add an extra challenge and to hit those muscles a little differently. 

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!

 

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!

Iron Cross

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Hey there, it’s time for another new Home Exercise of the Week!  This week I have a variation of a plank called the Iron Cross. 

The Iron Cross looks like it would be fairly easy but it is quite challenging.  With this isometric exercise you’re going to be mainly working your core, chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Here’s how to do the Iron Cross:

  • starting from your knees, position your hands as far out to your sides as you can while keeping them in line with your chest
  • rotate your hands so your fingers are pointing away from your body
  • lift your knees off the floor so that you are now on your toes and in a full push-up starting position
  • engage your abs and lower your body as if you were doing a push-up until you are as close to the floor as you can get
  • from this low position hold the plank while keeping your abs tight and flexed (this will help keep your hips from dropping and your back from arching)
  • if you notice your back arching up and your hips lowering then drop your knees to the floor and continue the hold until the desired time is up
  • hold the Iron Cross as long as you can to complete the set

So there you have the Iron Cross!  It’s harder than it looks and it will get you sweating.  Add this in to your upper or full body routine as a finishing move or incorporate it in to an ab workout.

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!