(Difficulty: Beginner/Intermediate)
Description:
– Lie flat on your back with your legs straight, and your head and neck lifted slightly off the ground
– Place both hands behind your head or near the base of your neck
– Raise your right knee up, and rotate your left elbow to reach towards this leg.
– Switch sides by straightening the right leg, and then reaching towards the left side and bending your left knee up
– Repeat 10 reps on each side.
Starting in a tabletop position, alternate between completing one donkey kick and one fire hydrant. Do 10 reps of each on one side before switching to the opposite side.
(Difficulty: Beginner)
Donkey Kick: Start on your hands and knees, with your hands directly under your shoulders and back flat. Keeping your core tight, lift one foot off the ground and reach straight backwards. Reach as far as you can, squeezing your glutes at the top, and keep your knee bent throughout the movement. Lower it back down, bringing your knee all the way back underneath your hips
(Difficulty: Beginner)
Fire hydrant: From the same starting position, lift your knee out to the side, keeping your knee bent. Squeeze your glute at the top, and then return to the starting position. Similar to a dog peeing on a fire hydrant, this exercise is great for your hip and glute muscles!
Difficulty: Beginner
Description: Stand with feet shoulder width apart, and hold a light wieght such as a soup can or dumbell in each hand.
Keeping your arms straight, lift your hands away from your body. Make a T shape with your arms, and then lower back to your sides in a controlled motion.
Complete 10 reps
(Difficulty: Intermediate)
Description:
This exercise is best done with your hands on the edge of a counter top.
Step back with one leg to do a reverse lunge, dropping the back knee almost to the ground. Bring the back leg back to the starting position and stand all the way up.
Repeat on the opposite leg, completing a reverse lunge on each leg.
With the hands still on the counter top, do one Incline Pushup. Bend the elbows to lower your chest to the counter, and then press up.
Lung-Lunge-Pushup. This is one rep. Great total body exercise!
(Difficulty: Beginner)
Description:
Start by sitting in a chair with your feet shoulder-width apart and your core engaged.
Hold a small weight in each hand at shoulder level, with your palms facing forward and your elbows bent. Push one arm up, while keeping your palms facing forward.
Slowly lower the weight back down to the starting position by bending your elbow and bringing the weights back to shoulder level.
Alternate completing reps on your right and left sides.
(Difficulty: Beginner)
Description:
Stand straight up with your feet together and arms at your sides.
Jump up, spreading your legs to the sides while simultaneously raising your arms out to the sies and overhead.
Jump again, this time bringing your feet back together and lowering your arms.
Repeat for 10 reps in a fluid motion.
(Difficulty: Intermediate)
Description:
Start on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
Press through your heels to raise your hips, performing a glute bridge.
From here, lift one foot off the ground, bringing your knee towards your chest. Lower the foot, and do the same on the opposite side, just like a march.
Squeeze your glutes to keep your hips in the air for the entirety of the reps. Complete 10 reps on each side.
Modification: If you get dizzy while lying flat on your back, place a few pillows behind your head, neck and upper back so that you are lying on an incline.
(Difficulty: Beginner)
Description:
Sit on the ground with legs straight out in front of you.
Lift one foot off the ground as far as you can using your quads and hip flexor muscles. Return it back to the ground, and repeat on the opposite side.
To make the exercise easier, Support your back on a wall or bottom of the couch.
Modification: Sitting in a chair, lift one thigh up while keeping the knee bent, and opposite foot on the floor. Lower it back to the ground, and then lift the opposite leg up. Complete for 10 reps on reach side.
(Difficulty: Beginner)
Description:
This exercise will use a weight such as a dumbell, or milk jug.
Start on your hands and knees in a table top position. Hold a weight in one hand, with the opposite hand and both knees on the ground.
Pull the weight up with one arm to your hip, keeping your elbow tight and back flat. Lower the weight in a controlled motion, completing all 10 reps on one side before switching to the next side.
Difficulty: Advanced
Holding a plank position with hands under shoulders, keep the core tight and drive one knee towards the same side elbow.
Instead of rapidly switching foot position like a traditional mountain climber, this should be a controlled movement to target the core and hip flexor muscles.
