Tag Archives: workout

Medicine Ball Cross Body Mountain Climber

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Hey there, it’s a new week and that means it’s time for a new exercise!  The Home Exercise of the Week this time is another core exercise called Medicine Ball Cross Body Mountain Climber.

With this exercise you will be targeting your abdominal muscles, especially your obliques, as well as your chest, shoulders, triceps, hip flexors, and lower back.  The added instability of planking on the medicine ball while doing the mountain climber further engages your core muscles and stabilizers, making it quite challenging.

Here are the key points to doing the Medicine Ball Cross Body Mountain Climber properly:

  • start in a plank position with your hands on the medicine ball
  • make sure the ball is directly underneath your chest
  • engage your abdominals and keep tight throughout the movement
  • from the full plank position, drive your right knee towards your left elbow giving your abs a really good flex
  • return to the starting position and then drive your left knee towards your right elbow
  • repeat until you have finished your set

So there you have the Medicine Ball Cross Body Mountain Climber.  Take it slow at first until you feel comfortable balancing yourself on the ball.  Once you get the hang of it you can try increasing your rep speed to add a cardiovascular component.

If you like this exercise leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear what you think.

Happy climbing!

Moguls

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Hey everyone, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week!  The exercise this week is one that is challenging and honestly not a favourite of many but it is a very effective core and cardiovascular exercise!  They are Moguls!

Moguls target your abdominals, especially your obliques, but they also work your chest, shoulders, and triceps from holding yourself in the plank position.  Your legs and glutes will also get a good workout from this exercise.

Let’s take a look at the key points to doing Moguls properly:

  • start in a full plank position with your knees off the ground and tucked in underneath you
  • while flexing your core, jump your feet out to the side while keeping your knees tucked in and dropping your hip close to the ground
  • from this side position, jump all the way to the other side and drop your hip down again close to the ground
  • keep jumping from side to side at a fairly quick pace while keeping your core flexed and your knees tucked in underneath you

So there you have Moguls.  It’s challenging, your heart rate will be up, your abs will be burning, you’ll be sweating, but in the end you’ll be glad you did them and they will get easier the more you do them!

Leave a comment below and let me know how you do.  You can even curse me for presenting this crazy exercise to you!

See you next week with another new exercise!

Dumbbell Burpee Shoulder Press

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Hey there!  It has been a while since I’ve posted a new Home Exercise of the Week but the series is back and I have a whole bunch of new exercises to show you over the next few months.

This week I have the Dumbbell Burpee Shoulder Press.  This is a fantastic full body exercise that will target your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, core, shoulders, and triceps.  You will also get a really good cardiovascular workout from this exercise!  If you don’t have dumbbells that’s ok, you can use any substitute like a medicine ball, sandbag, or just put your hands up in the air.

Let’s take a look at the key points to doing the Dumbbell Burpee Shoulder Press properly.

  • have a pair of dumbbells (or substitute) in front of you at your feet
  • squat down and grab the handles of the dumbbells
  • from this position jump both feet back until you are in a full plank position while keeping your core flexed and tight
  • jump your feet back up to your hands and stand up with the dumbbells in your hands
  • press the weights up over your head to do the shoulder press
  • lower the weights back down to the floor and repeat

So there you have the Dumbbell Burpee Shoulder Press.  It’s a challenging exercise that will get you sweating and your heart pumping!

I’ll be back next week with another new exercise so stay tuned and feel free to leave a comment below about how you did with the exercise or if you have any questions.

Quick Tabata Workout

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Tabata Protocol – 20 seconds of as many reps as you can do followed by 10 seconds of rest; 4 rounds of each pair of exercises followed by a 30 to 60 second rest before moving on to the next pair of exercises.

This 30 minute bodyweight Tabata is an intermediate level workout that you can do at home.  Great if you don’t have a lot of time or equipment!

Frequent Travelling and Health/Nutrition Goals

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If you travel quite often chances are you are eating out for most of your meals and not exercising as much as you normally would. Here are a few ways to stay on track with your exercise and nutrition plan so you don’t lose the momentum you have gained:

  • at your travel destination, try to choose a location to stay that is close to a gym and grocery store so you can get your workouts in and pick up some healthy food. If your hotel has a gym that is even better
  • choose a hotel room with a kitchenette so you can prepare your own meals
  • look at restaurant menus beforehand so you can pick the healthiest options
  • bring protein supplements, powdered vegetables, and homemade bars with you so you have healthy options no matter where you go

Staying on track while travelling can be challenging but some prep work before hand will help keep you focused and motivated!

To see 8 reasons why traveling is good for your health, check out this great article over at positivehealthwellness.com.