1. Hill Sprints: Get outdoors and build strong leg muscles. Find any type of incline and sprint as fast as possible to the top and then walk or jog back to the bottom for recovery. Begin by doing 3 40 yard repeats and work your way up to 10 40 yard repeats. Make sure to warm the body up and perform dynamic stretches before beginning this and any workout.
2. Single Leg Bench/Chair Squats: Strengthens your quads and glutes and helps with balance. Find a bench at a park or use a stable chair at home and place near a wall for added support. Holding your arms out in front of you for balance, bend your left knee and slowly lower your body until your right foot almost touches the floor. Pause and then push your body weight back up and staighten your left leg. Beginners can try this on the floor and just lower their body weight until their gluts brush up against the seat of the bench/chair. Complete 3 sets of 15 on each leg, alternating legs after each set.
3. Power Lunge Steps: Increase your hamstring strength and sculpt great glutes with these moving lunges. Begin by holding your arms in at your side or locking your fingers behind your head and engagin the abdominal muscles. Lift your right knee to your chest and then step forward in an extra long step, touching the left knee to the ground in a lunge motion. Then without stepping the legs together, bring the left knee through and to the chest and then step forward with the left knee touching the right knee to the ground. Repeat for 10 steps in one direction then turn around and return to the original position. Repeat 3 times. |
1. Tricep Hover: This yoga move is great for strengthing the triceps, shoulders, back and core. From an upright pushup position, lower your body down into a pushup with your elbows brushing against the side of your body. However for 5 seconds and then push back up. Repeat for 3 sets of 15.
2. Burpee: Great for upper body strength and cardiovascular endurance. From a standing position, squat down with your head up and your hands placed on the floor. Thrust your feet back to a pushup position with wide feet and then perform a pushup before returning to the standing position and jumping up off the ground. Repeat for 3 sets of 15.
3. Bench/Chair Dip: Work your shoulders and triceps with this great body weight exercise. Begin by sitting on the edge of the bench or chair and placing your hands to the sides of your body on the edge of the bench/chair. Move your hips off the bench/chair so that your body weight is supported by your arms. Bending at the elbow, lower you body down until the elbow is at a 90 degree angle. Keep your legs straight for a greater challenge. Repeat for 3 sets of 15. |
1. Superman Back Extension: a great lower back exercise. Begin by layng on your stomach with your arms extended overhead. Lift your legs and arms off the ground at the same time and hold for a count of 2 and then lower back to the ground. Repeat for 3 sets of 15.
2. Plank/Ab Bridge: this simple core strengther is a great way to flatten the lower abdominal area. Position the body with your elbows bent and directly under your shoulders and your toes tucked under. Keep your torso straight, abs & glutes contracted to protect the lower back from swaying and your head in a neutral position. Hold for 30 seconds and rest. Repeat 3 times. Work up to 3, 1 minute repetitions.
3. Side Plank with hip dip: Lie on your side with your forearm on the floor and your elbow under your shoulder with your feet extended straight and stacked on top of each other. Hold your hips up off the ground for 2 seconds and then slowly lower them to the ground and return to the lifted postion. Great for carving out the six pack!
4. Reverse Crunch: Begin by lying on your back with your legs extended overhead and hands next to your hips. Using your abdominal muscles, raise your hips off the floor and bring your knees into your chest contracting the abs. Lower the legs back to starting position and repeat. Repeat for 3 sets of 25.
5. Bicycle: Work your your entire core with this exercise. Lying on your back, bring you left knee in toward your right shoulder crunching the abdominal muscles and obliques. Twist and bring the right knee in toward the left shoulder for 1 repetition. Perform 3 sets of 25. |
1. Hellraiser: Perform an ab bridge as described in the CORE section and then begin moving from the plank position to the upright pushup position by straightening the left and then right arms. Repeat for 3 sets of 20.
2. Fire Hydrant & Donkey Kick: A great glute toner! Begin on your hands and knees. For the Fire Hydrant, lift the left leg out the side while keeping it bent and then return to the "all fours" position. Repeat on each side for 3 sets of 25. For the Donkey Kick, keeping the left leg bent at a 90 degree angle, squeeze the glutes and press the heel up toward the ceiling before lowing back to the "all fours" position. Repeat on each side of 3 sets of 25.
3. Squat Jack: Begin by squatting and then jump straight up and perform two hops while moving the arms in a jumping jack fashion. Repeat for 3 sets of 15.
4. Banana Roll: This is a great combination of a superman, v-up and oblique cruch. Begin on the stomach and perform a superman by lifting the legs and arms off the ground and hold for 2 seconds. Then, without using your arms, roll onto the right side and hold lifting the arms and legs off the ground in this side oblique superman position and hold for 2 seconds. Then continue rolling into a v-up position by lifting your legs off the floor and lifting your arms toward you legs while contracting your abdominal muscles into a "banana" position. Complete the roll by performing the oblique superman on the left side. Repeat for 3 sets of 15.
5. Single arm side tricep pushup: Lying on the left side, place the left hand on the right shoulder to keep it out of the way. Place the right hand on the floor beside the chest and extend the arm, straightening the elbow of the right arm and flexing the tricep. This will cause the upper body to lift off the floor. Repeat for 3 sets of 15 on each side. |
