Tag: Intermediate

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Exercises

Banded Face Pull

Exercise Classification: Intermediate

Description:

After tying a towel or an exercise band to a sturdy material straighten in front of you until it is taught. Then make sure your arms are fully extended and pull the band towards your chest. You should feel it in your upper back muscles and arms. A towel will not have nearly as much stretch but can still be beneficial.

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Exercises

90/90 to Kneel

Exercise Classification: Intermediate

beginner pregnancy workouts (no equipment)

Seated on the ground, bend one knee in front of your body

Position yourself so your lower leg and knee are resting on the ground. Your leg should form a 90-degree angle, and your ankle should be neutral so your foot is pointing straight out behind you.

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Exercises

Wall Angel

Exercise Classification: Intermediate

Description:
Make sure ribs are down not flaring and out. Make sure your back, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and backs of hands are flat against the wall. Glide arms overhead in snow angel fashion keeping all points of contact with the wall. Go as far as your current mobility allows then return to start.

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.
Categories
Aerobics

Side or “Lateral” Lunge with a Trunk Twist

Lateral Lung with Trunk Rotation (exercise classification: intermediate)

Equipment: none

  • Start standing with your feet together and toes facing forward
  • Take a big step out to the side, keep your toes of both feet facing forward, and sit your hips down and back into a lunge position. To make this easier, take a smaller step. To make it harder, take a bigger step.
  • Once in the lunge, twist your mid back and try to touch the ground on the outside of the opposite foot.
  • Return to your starting position.
  • Remember to breathe during the movement.
  • Try 4 to 6 repetitions on one side and then switch to the other side.
  • Good for: hip and spine mobility; hip loading and strengthening
Categories
Aerobics

Clamshell Variations for Hip Strength and Mobility

Side-Lying Clamshell with an End-Range Hold
Side-Lying Clamshell with Added Hip Internal Rotation

Clamshell Variations for hip strength and mobility (exercise classification: beginner/intermediate)

If clamshells are too easy or you want to mix your routine up a little, try one of these variations. In the first variation, you are lifting your leg as high as you can with good form and then using your bottom muscles to hold it there. Vary your hold times from 3-10 seconds, with longer holders making for a harder exercise. Lower your leg down slowly. In the second variation, you are working on hip rotation mobility into both directions instead of just one. Make sure you are breathing the entire time. If you want to get a little more out of the exercises, try one set with your belly relaxed and one set with your belly muscles tightened with a 50% effort.

Categories
Aerobics Exercises

Squat Variations

Exercise Classification: Intermediate

Air Squat

Squat with Support

Goblet Squat

Categories
Exercises

Standing Leg Extensions with Arms in Front

Standing Leg Extension with arms in Front (Exercise Classification: Intermediate)

  • Stand with your arms bent at your sides.
  • Bring one knee out in front of you as you raise your arms to shoulder height.
  • Lean forward balancing on one knee and extending the opposite leg out behind you as you reach your arms out in front of you.
  • Return to start position and repeat on the opposite side. Repeat for 10-12 repetitions on each side.
Categories
Aerobics Exercises

Bird Dogs Legs Only

Bird Dogs Legs Only (Exercise Classification: Intermediate)

The following exercise effectively build cardiovascular and muscles strength, and you can build a routine of a circuit by doing one set of each exercise for 10-12 reps, building slowly to five or more sets.

Safety tips:

  • Always warm up by walking in place for several minutes.
  • Perform you exercises on supportive flooring with plenty of room to move.
  • Wear athletic shoes and avoid working out on thick carpet that can make movement difficult.
  • Don’t push to the point of exhaustion­–take a rest if you start to feel out of breath or overheated.
  • As your pregnancy progresses, modify the exercises as suggested for comfort and safety, and avoid any exercise that makes your feel unsteady or causes discomfort.

Instructions:

  • Assume a position on all fours so that your knees are directly under your hips and hands are directly under your shoulders.
  • Make sure your spine is in a neutral position. You do not want to have your back sagging or arching
  • Slowly raise and straighten your left hip and raise your knee, attempting to straighten it until it is at, or near parallel, to the floor without any rotation in the hips and pelvis. Both hips should stay parallel to the floor. If you had headlights on your hip bones, they should stay shining at the floor the whole time.
  • Slowly lower leg back to starting position and repeat with the other leg.

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