Tag: Aerobics

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Exercises

Wall Sit

(Difficulty: Beginner)

Like sitting in a chair that isn’t there! Find a sturdy, flat wall to serve as the back of your (non-existent) chair.

Bend the knees to lower your hips to the ground, until knees are bent at approx. 90 degrees, thighs parallel to the floor.

Keep the chest up tall, and avoid putting your hands on your legs for support.

  • to increase difficulty: raise the heels off the ground and hold the same squat position, pressing into the ground with only the ball of the foot.
  • to decrease difficulty: straighten the knees slightly so that the shoulders are higher against the wall.
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Exercises

Stroller Calf Raises

Standing Calf Raises with Upper Body Balance Support (Intensity level: beginner) 

Equipment: Stroller, or something to hold onto for support

  • Start standing next to something you can rest your hands on will not move (wall, tree, back of a couch)
  • Keeping your trunk stacked (no extra arch in your low back), raise up onto both toes as you lift your heels off the ground as high as you can.
  • Without holding, lower back down.
  • Repeat for 20 repetitions. You may need to break this down into 2 sets of 10 repetitions. 
  • Consider performing a calf stretch (see other video) after performing this exercise. 

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Exercises

Standing March with Overhead Weight

Standing Marching with Unilateral Weight Overhead (Intensity: Beginner/ Intermediate) 

Equipment: Kettlebell

*If you do not have a kettlebell, don’t worry! You can use a standard weight, a milk jug full of water, or anything that weighs ~5-10 pounds that can be safely held in your hands. You can also modify by doing the exercise without any weight.

  • Use a weight that you can lift overhead with mild to moderate difficulty
  • Push the weight towards the ceiling as you alternate legs and march in place.
  • Remember to breath as you do this
  • Perform for 1 minute with the weight in 1 arm. Rest for 1 minute. Perform another 1 with the weight in the other arm. 
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Exercises

Raised Back Leg Raises

Difficulty: Intermediate

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Exercises

Standing Push Press

(Difficulty: Beginner)

Description:

  • stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a small weight in each hand.
  • bring the weights up to shoulder level, elbows bent in front of your body
  • Push the weights straight up above your head
  • modification: add in a slight knee bend, and then stand back up as you push the weights above your head. This helps the exercise use your legs to push the weights rather than strictly your arms.
Categories
Aerobics Exercises

Heel Lifts Plyo

Dip and Turn (Exercise Classification: Intermediate)

Equipment: none 

-Begin with hands on your hips in a standing position, legs approximately shoulder width apart. 

-Transfer your weight from left to right foot while kicking your heel to your backside every time it leaves the ground.

-Alternate back and forth continuously like jogging in place, but with emphasis on bringing your heel to your backside. 

 

Categories
Aerobics Exercises

Cardio Squat with Hop

Cardio squat with Hop (Exercise Classification: Advanced)

Equipment: none 

-Begin standing legs slightly wider than shoulder width apart. 

-When ready, bend your knees and squat downward, bringing your bottomtowards the ground. 

-Once your legs are parallel to the ground,push up off the ground letting your feet leave the surface allowing jump to occur. 

-When you land, bend your knees, squat again and repeat the process. 

-You may find yourself bringing your arms to your chest on the squat and using them to swing down during the jump for an extra push. 

-Repeat 10 times

Categories
Aerobics Exercises

Pallof Press with Step

Pallof Press with Step (Exercise Classification: Intermediate)

Equipment: Band-If you do not have a band, try this with a jump rope, scarf, or even a tied up blanket. 

Stand with legs shoulder width apart and grab the exercise band with two hands clasped together. 

-Hold the band at your chest with bent arms

-Slowly extend your arms straight in front of you while keeping hands together and around the band

 -While extending your arm step the leg opposite to the band side out to the front, side, and behind you. Alternate each time.

 -Bend your arms back to your chest slowly and with control

-Repeat 10 times 

Categories
Aerobics

Step-Ups Lateral

Exercise Classification: Intermediate

Description:
Stand beside the step you will be stepping up onto. Instead of facing the step stand beside it and take a step up onto the step horizontally with the foot closest.

Categories
Aerobics

Bridging Variations

Exercise Classification: Intermediate

Frog Bridge
  • Start laying on your back with your feet together, knees apart, and arms resting at your sides.
  • Take a normal breathe in through your nose then, as you exhale normally through your nose or pursed lip, press your hips up towards the ceiling and the bottoms of your feet together. You can hold at the top for 3 to 5 seconds or come right back down.
  • Repeat.
  • To make this harder: bend the elbows so only the top of your arms are touching the group.
  • To make this even harder: straight your arms up towards the ceiling so they are not touching the floor at all.
Double Leg Bridge with Alternating Marching: Hip bend more than 90 degrees.
  • Start laying on your back with your arms resting at your sides and feet flat on the floor about hip distance apart.
  • Take a normal breathe in through your nose.
  • Squeeze your bottom as you push your hips towards the ceiling and gently exhale (through nose or pursed lips).
  • Hold the top position and march one knee and hip up past 90 degrees (closer to your chest). To make this harder, only lift to 90 degrees NOT PAST 90 degrees.
  • Put that foot down as you take a breathe in.
  • Repeat on the other leg as you exhale.
  • Return your bottom to the ground.
  • If you can easily do 10 of these without rest, try to string 4 or 6 marches together before letting your bottom touch back down to the ground.