Tag Archives: physical fitness

TRX Mountain Climber

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Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week!  This week I have a TRX suspension trainer exercise for you to try called the TRX Mountain Climber.

The TRX Mountain Climber is a great ab exercise that primarily works your abdominals and to a lesser degree, your hip flexors and quadriceps.  You will also be working your shoulders and triceps as they help to stabilize and hold you up throughout the movement.  If you do this exercise at a quick pace you will get a cardio workout as well.

If you don’t have a suspension trainer then I highly recommend getting one.  They are very handy to have as you can use it anywhere.  You can hook it on to a door in your home or attach it to a tree in a park.  As you can see in the video, I attached mine to a soccer net.  You can still do mountain climbers effectively though if you don’t have a suspension trainer.  The TRX just makes it a bit more fun and challenging!

Here are the key performance points for the TRX Mountain Climber.

  • hang the TRX straps so they are about 6 inches off the floor
  • place your feet in the stirrups so the tops of your feet are facing the floor
  • place your hands on the floor in line with your chest and take your knees off the floor so that you are now in a full suspended plank position and in a straight line
  • engage your abs, keep your body straight, and don’t let your hips sag down
  • drive your right knee forward towards your chest while squeezing your abs
  • as you bring your right knee back out, drive your left knee forward towards your chest
  • alternate back and forth for the desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the TRX Mountain Climber.  You might think I’m strange for saying this but this is one of my favourite TRX exercises and I find it a lot of fun even though it’s kicking my butt! 

Give this ab exercise a shot and let me know how you do in the comments below or if you find this as fun as I do! 😉

 See you next week with another new exercise.

Medicine Ball V Up

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Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week!  This week I have an excellent core exercise for you to try called the Medicine Ball V Up. 

The Medicine Ball V Up targets your upper and lower abdominal muscles as well as your hip flexors.  The advantage of doing this exercise with a medicine ball is the added resistance you will get throughout the movement.  This will work your abs harder and make the exercise more challenging.  If you don’t have a medicine ball you can do this exercise with any object around the house that is easy to hold and has some weight to it. 

Let’s take at look at the key performance points of the exercise. 

  • lay down on your mat in a face up position
  • place the medicine ball on the floor behind your head and fully extend your legs and arms 
  • grab the medicine ball, flex your abs, and crunch up keeping your head in line with your spine (try not to tuck your chin in to your chest)
  • at the same time raise your legs up and move them towards the medicine ball in your hands (you’re now in a V type position)
  • engage your abs and hold this V position for a second and then lower your arms and legs back down towards the floor
  • stop lowering your arms and legs right before they touch the floor – this will keep tension on your abs throughout the exercise 
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps

So there you have the Medicine Ball V Up.  Add this challenging core exercise to your ab routine or at the end of your workout.

Let me know how you do with this exercise in the comment section below or if you have any questions. 

I will see you next week with another new exercise!

Reverse Lunge Dumbbell Bicep Curl

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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.

See you next week with another new exercise!

Two Arm Bent Over Dumbbell Row

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Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week!  This time I have a dumbbell exercise for you called the Two Arm Bent Over Dumbbell Row.  This is a great compound exercise to work your lats, rhomboids, rear delts, traps, and biceps.

If you don’t have a set of dumbbells that’s ok, you can use any two objects that are equally balanced like a couple of water jugs.

Let’s take a look at how to do the Two Arm Bent Over Dumbbell Row properly.

  • hold a dumbbell or heavy object in each hand and stand with your feet about shoulder width apart
  • bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward by bending at the waist
  • keep bending forward while keeping your back as straight as possible until your torso is almost parallel to the floor
  • from this bent over position, exhale and pull the dumbbells up and towards you while keeping your elbows tucked in to your sides
  • squeeze your back muscles and your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement
  • pause for a second and then inhale and lower the weights to the starting position
  • repeat for your desired repetitions

So there you have the Two Arm Bent Over Dumbbell Row.  This is one of the best compound exercises for you back and you will build a lot of strength and help prevent a lot of back injuries with this exercise.

Let me know how you do with this one in the comment section 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!