Tag Archives: shoulders

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!

Plank Shoulder Tap

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Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a great core exercise to show you called the Plank Shoulder Tap.

This is a great exercise to work your transverse abdominis which is the deepest layer of your abs that stabilize the entire low back and core muscles. It will also work your glutes, arms, wrists, and shoulders, as well as improving your balance and coordination. 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Plank Shoulder Tap.

  • start in a full pushup position with your hands directly under your shoulders
  • separate your feet a bit to add some extra stability
  • keeping your abs tight and your hips as steady as possible, lift one hand and tap it on your opposite shoulder
  • return your hand to the floor and repeat on the other side
  • make sure to keep your abs as tight as possible to prevent your hips from rotating as you tap your shoulder

So there you have the Plank Shoulder Tap. Add this great core exercise to your routine and get those deep ab muscles fired up! If you find this exercise a little too challenging at first, you can modify it by dropping down to your knees and performing the exercise as described. This will reduce the amount of body weight you are holding.

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!

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!

 

TRX Single Leg Burpee

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The Home Exercise of the Week series is back and new videos are coming! I found a few in my archive that I haven’t posted before so they will be up before the new ones and this week I have a challenging full body exercise to show you called the TRX Single Leg Burpee.
 
The TRX Single Leg Burpee will target a number of muscle groups including chest, shoulders, triceps, core, and the muscles of the legs. You can make this extra challenging by adding a pushup like I did on the third rep in the video.
 
Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the TRX Single Leg Burpee.
 
  • start in the pushup position with one foot in the handle of the TRX. The other foot remains elevated in the air
  • while keeping your abs tight, swing your free foot forward until it is on the ground underneath you
  • stand up from this position and jump as high as you can
  • after landing from the jump, put your hands back down on the ground in line with your chest and extend the free leg back until you are in the starting position
  • from here you can add a pushup to make it extra challenging and really work the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Make sure to keep your abs tight to keep your spine in a neutral position
  • perform your desired reps for that leg and then switch legs in the handle and repeat the same number of reps for that side

So there you have the TRX Single Leg Burpee. This is a very challenging but effective full body exercise. It will take some practice but once you get it down it is a great exercise to add to your full body routine to work multiple muscles and burn more calories!

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!