This week I am providing a series of exercises that will come together for a quick and easy cardio/strength series. You can go through the entire routine once or three-four times, depending on your time availability, energy level and enthusiasm.
Start off good and warmed up! A 10 minute walk would suffice!
This was one of last week's posts and is a great way to get your heart rate up, jumping jacks, running in place or moving your furniture and dancing are also great options!
Begin standing with you feet 1-2 inches wider than hip distance apart and parallel. Drop your shoulders and engage your core.
Drop into a deep squat with your chest up and plant your hands on the floor in front of your feet. Hop your legs back so you land in a plank position, pause and hop your feet back to your hands and return to standing. Repeat for 1 minute!
If you just can't wait for the next exercise in the series, feel free to head to the wall for wall sits, as long as you wish!
Don't forget stretching and water! Have a great day!
Showing posts with label stretch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stretch. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
A Week of Great Glutes!
This Week...Great Glutes!
#1: Start off standing on a sturdy bench or chair. Have your feet together with your palms facing your thighs. If you choose, hold a set of dumbbells or other weight. Squeeze your shoulders down and back and engage your core. Hinge at the hips and bend forward with your legs and back straight, lowering the weights toward the floor. Engage your glute muscles and return to stand. Repeat for 12-18 reps!
#2...Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet planted hip distance apart and your arms resting by your sides. Lift your hips, engaging your glutes, off the floor as high as you can coming up to a shoulder bridge. Hold for a count of 3-5 and lower. Repeat for 12-18 repetitions.
#3…For this exercise you will need 2 paper plates and a hard surface (not carpet).
Stand with your feet hip distance apart and a paper plate under each foot. Find yourself centered, preparing to balance on your right leg. Keep your feet parallel and slide your left foot out to the side, bending your right knee into a lunge.
From the side, slide your left leg behind your right, crossing your left leg behind your right, maintaining your lunge. From here, still in your lunge, slide your left leg back out to the side slide it back to your starting position, standing with your feet hip distance apart. Switch legs and repeat for 12-18 repetitions on each leg.
Points to remember: keep your back straight, your knees pointing over your toes, your shoulders down and back and your core engaged and have fun!
#4...and hamstrings and core!
Begin this exercise on your stomach with your arms bent, your hands stacked and your forehead resting on the top hand. Drop your shoulders away from your ears and engage your core, bringing your navel up toward your spine.
Extend your legs out behind you engaging all your leg muscles. Using the strength of your glutes and hamstrings, maintaining your core engagement and keeping your shoulders relaxed lift your legs a few inches off the floor. Hold for 6-8 counts and lower. Repeat for 12-18 repetitions.
When you are finished, press back into "child's pose" and relax!
#5...And last but not least...
From child's pose, come to your hands and knees. Lift your left leg, still bent with your heel pressing toward the ceiling. Engaging your glutes, pulse your heel toward the ceiling for 30 small pulses. Lower and switch legs. When you have finished with 12-15 repetitions on each leg press back into child's pose and rest.
Cycle these glute exercises in together for a total of 2-3 sets and be sure to stretch!
#1: Start off standing on a sturdy bench or chair. Have your feet together with your palms facing your thighs. If you choose, hold a set of dumbbells or other weight. Squeeze your shoulders down and back and engage your core. Hinge at the hips and bend forward with your legs and back straight, lowering the weights toward the floor. Engage your glute muscles and return to stand. Repeat for 12-18 reps!
#2...Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet planted hip distance apart and your arms resting by your sides. Lift your hips, engaging your glutes, off the floor as high as you can coming up to a shoulder bridge. Hold for a count of 3-5 and lower. Repeat for 12-18 repetitions.
#3…For this exercise you will need 2 paper plates and a hard surface (not carpet).
Stand with your feet hip distance apart and a paper plate under each foot. Find yourself centered, preparing to balance on your right leg. Keep your feet parallel and slide your left foot out to the side, bending your right knee into a lunge.
From the side, slide your left leg behind your right, crossing your left leg behind your right, maintaining your lunge. From here, still in your lunge, slide your left leg back out to the side slide it back to your starting position, standing with your feet hip distance apart. Switch legs and repeat for 12-18 repetitions on each leg.
Points to remember: keep your back straight, your knees pointing over your toes, your shoulders down and back and your core engaged and have fun!
#4...and hamstrings and core!
Begin this exercise on your stomach with your arms bent, your hands stacked and your forehead resting on the top hand. Drop your shoulders away from your ears and engage your core, bringing your navel up toward your spine.
Extend your legs out behind you engaging all your leg muscles. Using the strength of your glutes and hamstrings, maintaining your core engagement and keeping your shoulders relaxed lift your legs a few inches off the floor. Hold for 6-8 counts and lower. Repeat for 12-18 repetitions.
When you are finished, press back into "child's pose" and relax!
#5...And last but not least...
From child's pose, come to your hands and knees. Lift your left leg, still bent with your heel pressing toward the ceiling. Engaging your glutes, pulse your heel toward the ceiling for 30 small pulses. Lower and switch legs. When you have finished with 12-15 repetitions on each leg press back into child's pose and rest.
Cycle these glute exercises in together for a total of 2-3 sets and be sure to stretch!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
This Week...Stretch!
This week’s exercises turned into a series of stretches that will also engage and strengthen your muscles. In this review I changed the order a bit to improve the flow, finishing it up with the sun salutations. Next week the exercises will be done with a stability ball. If you don’t already have one, it is a great fitness tool to have in your home.
1. Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel, bend your torso into a forward bend and walk your hands out to plank position keeping your shoulders away from your ears and your core engaged. Take a deep breath in plank position and press back into "downward dog". If your hamstrings are feeling tight, keep your knees slightly bent. From down dog, walk your hands up to meet your feet, ending in a forward bend with your hands on the floor. Take a breath, walk your hands out to plank, press into down dog, walk your hands to your feet and so on.
Great to get your blood flowing, engage your arms, core and legs, stretch your hamstrings...love it!
2. Begin standing, feet together, shoulders down and back, core engaged and your arms by your sides. Take a deep breath and bring your palms together with your arms straight out in front of your chest. While opening your arms to your sides, just below shoulder height, reach your chest forward, hinging at your waist. As you are leaning forward, find your balance on your left leg and extend your right leg out behind you, lifting your leg off the ground and keeping your hips level. Take a deep breath and return your lifted leg to the ground. Repeat the cycle, balancing on your right leg and extending your left leg behind you.
Repeat this series for 10 repetitions, switching legs each times.
3. Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel, drop your shoulders and engage your core. Take a large step, about leg length, back with your right leg and drop into a low "runner's lunge." Engage all the muscles in your extended leg, reaching back through your heel. Reach your arms straight overhead, all the muscles in your arms engaged.
Take a deep breath and on an inhale, bend the knee of your extended leg while maintaining the lunge of your front leg. Straighten your extended leg and continue to bend and straighten your leg for a series of 15 repetitions, working with your breath. Step your back, extended leg up to meet your other, lower and relax your arms. Take several deep breaths and repeat with the other leg. Perform 2-3 sets.
4. Root around in your cupboards for a couple paper plates and sit on a hard surfaced floor. Place your heels on the paper plates with your knees bent and your feet hip distance apart. Sit up tall, drop your shoulders and engage your core with your palms rooted to the floor, fingers forward, just behind your sits-bones/butt/hips…inhale and slide your heels forward on the plates, bending your elbows and leaning slightly back. With your exhale and maintaining your core engagement, slide your heels back toward your body and return to your seated position. Repeat for 3 sets of 15.
You can modify this by maintaining the upright body position, sliding out one leg at a time, twisting and engaging your obliques when you return to seated, crossing your arms at your chest and eliminating them as balance, etc.
This will target your hamstring, glute and core muscles. Have fun!
5. Sun salutations 6-10 to get your blood flowing and welcome your day!
Have a great weekend!
1. Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel, bend your torso into a forward bend and walk your hands out to plank position keeping your shoulders away from your ears and your core engaged. Take a deep breath in plank position and press back into "downward dog". If your hamstrings are feeling tight, keep your knees slightly bent. From down dog, walk your hands up to meet your feet, ending in a forward bend with your hands on the floor. Take a breath, walk your hands out to plank, press into down dog, walk your hands to your feet and so on.
Great to get your blood flowing, engage your arms, core and legs, stretch your hamstrings...love it!
2. Begin standing, feet together, shoulders down and back, core engaged and your arms by your sides. Take a deep breath and bring your palms together with your arms straight out in front of your chest. While opening your arms to your sides, just below shoulder height, reach your chest forward, hinging at your waist. As you are leaning forward, find your balance on your left leg and extend your right leg out behind you, lifting your leg off the ground and keeping your hips level. Take a deep breath and return your lifted leg to the ground. Repeat the cycle, balancing on your right leg and extending your left leg behind you.
Repeat this series for 10 repetitions, switching legs each times.
3. Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel, drop your shoulders and engage your core. Take a large step, about leg length, back with your right leg and drop into a low "runner's lunge." Engage all the muscles in your extended leg, reaching back through your heel. Reach your arms straight overhead, all the muscles in your arms engaged.
Take a deep breath and on an inhale, bend the knee of your extended leg while maintaining the lunge of your front leg. Straighten your extended leg and continue to bend and straighten your leg for a series of 15 repetitions, working with your breath. Step your back, extended leg up to meet your other, lower and relax your arms. Take several deep breaths and repeat with the other leg. Perform 2-3 sets.
4. Root around in your cupboards for a couple paper plates and sit on a hard surfaced floor. Place your heels on the paper plates with your knees bent and your feet hip distance apart. Sit up tall, drop your shoulders and engage your core with your palms rooted to the floor, fingers forward, just behind your sits-bones/butt/hips…inhale and slide your heels forward on the plates, bending your elbows and leaning slightly back. With your exhale and maintaining your core engagement, slide your heels back toward your body and return to your seated position. Repeat for 3 sets of 15.
You can modify this by maintaining the upright body position, sliding out one leg at a time, twisting and engaging your obliques when you return to seated, crossing your arms at your chest and eliminating them as balance, etc.
This will target your hamstring, glute and core muscles. Have fun!
5. Sun salutations 6-10 to get your blood flowing and welcome your day!
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Help For Your Hamstrings!
This is more of a stretch that a "workout" exercise but it will challenge your balance and core stability and feel great.
Begin standing, feet together, shoulders down and back, core engaged and your arms by your sides. Take a deep breath and bring your palms together with your arms straight out in front of your chest. While opening your arms to your sides, just below shoulder height, reach your chest forward, hinging at your waist. As you are leaning forward, find your balance on your left leg and extend your right leg out behind you, lifting your leg off the ground and keeping your hips level. Take a deep breath and return your lifted leg to the ground. Repeat the cycle, balancing on your right leg and extending your left leg behind you.
Repeat this series for 10 repetitions, switching legs each time, finding your balance, maintain your core stability and posture and moving with your breath.
Begin standing, feet together, shoulders down and back, core engaged and your arms by your sides. Take a deep breath and bring your palms together with your arms straight out in front of your chest. While opening your arms to your sides, just below shoulder height, reach your chest forward, hinging at your waist. As you are leaning forward, find your balance on your left leg and extend your right leg out behind you, lifting your leg off the ground and keeping your hips level. Take a deep breath and return your lifted leg to the ground. Repeat the cycle, balancing on your right leg and extending your left leg behind you.
Repeat this series for 10 repetitions, switching legs each time, finding your balance, maintain your core stability and posture and moving with your breath.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Move Along
Here is a wonderful, moving stretch that also helps strengthen your core, arms and legs. Find an open space that will allow you to move freely.
Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel, you know the drill, bend your torso into a forward bend and walk your hands out to plank position. Remember to keep your shoulders away from your ears and your core engaged. Engage all the muscles in your arms, through your core and down your legs, pressing back through your heels.
Take a deep breath in plank position and press back into "downward dog". If your hamstrings are feeling tight, keep your knees slightly bent. From down dog, walk your hands up to meet your feet, ending in a forward bend with your hands on the floor.
Take a breath, walk your hands out to plank, press into down dog, walk your hands to your feet and so on.
Great to get your blood flowing, engage your arms, core and legs, stretch your hamstrings...love it!
Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel, you know the drill, bend your torso into a forward bend and walk your hands out to plank position. Remember to keep your shoulders away from your ears and your core engaged. Engage all the muscles in your arms, through your core and down your legs, pressing back through your heels.
Take a deep breath in plank position and press back into "downward dog". If your hamstrings are feeling tight, keep your knees slightly bent. From down dog, walk your hands up to meet your feet, ending in a forward bend with your hands on the floor.
Take a breath, walk your hands out to plank, press into down dog, walk your hands to your feet and so on.
Great to get your blood flowing, engage your arms, core and legs, stretch your hamstrings...love it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
