(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.
Before any of our suggested workouts or building your own from our library of exercises, do this quick whole-body 5 minute warm-up!
Note: This counts as part of your total exercise minutes for the week!
Difficulty: Advanced
The acronym RDL is a common term for any form of Romanian Deadlift. A key component to this exercise is the hinge, or bending at the hips, while the knees stay relatively straight. Keep the back flat, head looking forward.
Start with one foot slightly in front of the other, with the back foot elevated and toes in the ground.
As you hinge at the hips, keep the back leg extended behind you. Your back leg should raise in the air as your chest leans forward.
The front foot, or working leg, should feel this in the hamstrings (back of legs) and glutes (booty)!
(Difficulty: Beginner)
Description:
The tricep is located on the back of your upper arm, and plays a big roll in any “pushing” motion of every day activities, such as pushing a stroller or closing a door.
Sit on the edge of a chair, hands gripping the seat’s front edge. Slide your hips forward off the chair, knees bent at 90 degrees. Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping the elbow tight to your sides.
Push down to straighten the elbows and return to the starting position.
to increase difficulty: straighten the legs out in front.
(Difficulty: Intermediate)
Description:
Also referred to as a “Scap” Pushup, this movement is a great exercise to activate and mobilize the upper back and trap muscles.
Start in a tall plank position, with the back flat and hands underneath shoulders. Keeping the elbows locked, try to pinch your shoulder blades together, as if you are trying to “puff out” your chest. Then, pull your shoulders back towards the ground. Think about trying to rip the back of your shirt as you round your upper back.