Tag Archives: quadriceps

Lateral Lunge Medicine Ball Extension

Posted on by
Reply

Hello, it’s Home Exercise of the Week time again and this week I have a full body exercise for you to try called the Lateral Lunge Medicine Ball Extension.

The Lateral Lunge Medicine Ball Extension works your gluteus medius (the sides of the glutes), quadriceps, hamstrings, and your adductor muscles which are the muscles of the inner thigh.  The medicine ball extension works your shoulders and to a lesser degree your biceps and triceps.  So as you can see you are working a lot of muscles here which means you’ll be burning more calories and making your heart work more creating a cardiovascular component to the exercise.

If you don’t have a medicine ball that’s ok.  You can use any heavy object you have around the house.  You can even hold your baby or pet for this one!

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Lateral Lunge Medicine Ball Extension.

  • stand tall with your feet together and holding the medicine ball close to your chest
  • take a big step to the right while keeping your toes pointed forward
  • bend your right leg so you are descending in to a lunge
  • keep your weight on your right heel and drive your hips back as you lunge
  • keep your back straight as well as your left leg
  • make sure your right knee stays in line with your right toes (you don’t want your knee going forward past the toes)
  • hold this lunge position and push the medicine ball forward away from your chest
  • pull the ball back to your chest and push up through your right heel to the starting position
  • repeat the movement for your left leg
  • lunge side to side for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Lateral Lunge Medicine Ball Extension!  Add this in to your full body routine to spice things up and hit your legs in a different way.

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Speed Skater

Posted on by
Reply

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!

See you next week with another new exercise.

Equalizer Bar Bulgarian Split Squat Jump

Posted on by
Reply

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!

TRX Mountain Climber

Posted on by
Reply

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.

Reverse Lunge Dumbbell Bicep Curl

Posted on by
Reply

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!