The modified prone (face down) bridge or "plank" is a great exercise if you are trying to develop the core muscles. This exercise is unique in that it is done from a static position. There are no repetitive movements. The modified prone bridge strengthens the lower back, as well as several muscles in the upper body. A workout mat is recommended.
This exercise is great for shaping and strengthening the chest muscles. The chest is scientifically named the pectoralis. This muscle is used any time you push a chair up to the table, shut a car door, or push a shopping cart. There are two muscles that make up the pectoralis. They are the pectoralis major and minor. The pectoralis major is always the prime mover during chest exercises.
The seated chest press can be done from any chair with a seat back. This exercise is great for shaping and strengthening the chest muscles. The chest is scientifically named the pectoralis. This muscle is used any time you push a chair up to the table, shut a car door, or push a shopping cart. There are two muscles that make up the pectoralis. They are the pectoralis major and minor. The pectoralis major is always the prime mover during chest exercises.
Here is an exercise that really works the gluteus muscles. It is relatively easy to perform. However, for this exercise to be effective, it does require a bit of skill and proper technique. A workout mat is recommended.
If traditional supine bridges become too easy, you can try to progress to the one leg version. This exercise is going to work your glutes like none other. Your hamstrings and lower back are also heavily engaged during this exercise. The single leg bridge requires an advanced level of fitness. This is generally true in cases where one leg is being used to support the majority of your bodyweight. Another factor that makes this exercise difficult is that it is perform using a Swiss ball (unstabl...
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Joel Harper shows us how to do an intermediate workout in this tutorial. Start off by doing light exercises with your hands and legs, while balancing. Do this for three sets of 10 and then take a slight break when you are finished. Use your legs to balance on each different one, then twist your arms over and over quickly. Next, get on the ground and do push-ups with your knees down on the ground. Do three sets of these doing 10 at a time. Now start to do a reverse bicycle position, working bo...
In this advanced work workout video, the instructor Joel Harper shows how to do an intense 20 minute workout. He starts by showing how to rotate the shoulders in circles forwards and backwards. Next, he demonstrates how to make circles with full arms both forewords and backwards. After that, he shows an exercise to bubble the hands and hold the leg in the air at the same time. Then, he shows other kind of exercises where he moves his hands intensely to burn out calories. He also shows some ot...
In this video, Coach Jay demonstrates the pedestal routine, which utilizes aspects of yoga and Pilates. There are three factors which should be taken into account before starting: first, you should maintain your breathing throughout. Next, make sure to engage the muscles around your core, and make sure that you have a straight line from your foot to your shoulder in each exercise. Keeping this in mind, begin by holding a push-up position for 30 seconds, keeping your body straight. Next, turn ...
Even if you don’t have time for yoga classes, this simple breath awareness exercise can fit easily into the most stressful day. It only takes a few minutes, and will have stress melting away in no time.
Yoga offers great exercises that help stretch your entire body. One particular pose that is especially helpful for stretching your back is the camel pose. If it is too extreme for your back try using a medicine ball. This yoga how-to video tutorial demonstrates how to use an exercise ball to stretch your back with this extreme version of a yoga camel pose. Practice the yoga camel pose on a medicine ball.
The shoulder or deltoid is made up of three muscular heads: anterior (front), medial (middle), and posterior (rear). Each head plays a different role in how the shoulder moves. The front shoulder raise mainly works the front head of the shoulder, although each head assists with the movement. As with most shoulder exercises, this one can be performed seated or standing. It can also be done one arm at a time or in alternating fashion. Here is how it's done:
The seated row with resistance tubing is a great back exercise. The largest muscle in the back is scientifically known as the latissimus dorsi. You might see it referred to as the "lats" or "wings." The lats are used any time you pull something. For example, when you open a fridge or a car door, you are primarily using your lat muscles.
The bow and arrow pull is a simple exercise that is great for working the back muscles. This exercise also targets other muscles such as the triceps, biceps, and shoulders. The bow and arrow pull can be performed seated or standing.
If you are looking for a different exercise to work the back muscles, try the med ball pullover. The largest muscle in the back is scientifically known as the latissimus dorsi. You might see it referred to as the "lats" or "wings." The lats are used any time you pull something. For example, when you open a fridge or a car door, you are primarily using your lat muscles.
The cable pullover is a great way to work the upper back muscles. This exercise also works just about all the muscles of the upper body to some degree. The largest muscle in the back is scientifically known as the latissimus dorsi. You might see it referred to as the "lats" or "wings." The lats are used any time you pull something. For example, when you open a fridge or a car door, you are primarily using your lat muscles.
This exercise is a convenient alternative to the traditional barbell row. The main target is the upper back, or scientifically, the latissimus dorsi. The "lat" muscles function to pull things. So whenever you open a door, your lat muscles are allowing the movement to take place.
The Smith machine shrug is a great way to target the trapezius muscle. Despite popular belief, the trapezius is not part of the shoulders. It is a back muscle that allows the shoulders to move in different directions (e.g. elevating and lowering the shoulders).
The reverse barbell shrug is an excellent way to work the trapezius muscles. This exercise is sometimes referred to as "behind-the-back shrugs." The reverse shrug minimizes the momentum that can be generated with traditional shrugs to the front of the body.
Slide board knee tucks are great for anyone looking for a challenging abdominal exercise. This movement requires a great deal of upper body strength. It is important to note that whenever the knees move toward the chest, the hip flexors (e.g. iliopsoas) are heavily involved.
The hip roll is great if you are looking to target the midsection. This exercise is used to target the oblique muscles, which occupy the sides of the midsection. The job of the obliques is to assist with rotation of the torso, as well as basic abdominal contractions.
The V-up is one of the more challenging ab exercises. While it may appear simple, there are several factors that make this exercise difficult to execute properly. Some of these factors include timing of the movement, counterbalancing, hip positioning, flexibility, and abdominal strength.
If you are ready to take your ab workouts to the next level, this exercise is for you! The plate crunch can be used as a progression to the traditional workout ball crunch. The range of motion is virtually the same. However, a bar plate is placed behind the head to increase difficulty.
Are you tired of doing the same exercises for abs? The jackknife crunch may be the answer to your problems. This exercise effectively works the core muscles. It should be noted that whenever the knees move toward the chest (the jackknife motion), the hip flexors are involved. The hip flexor muscles are actually part of the upper leg. They allow you to kick a ball or lift the knee from a standing position (as in running). Thus, if you are trying to isolate the abs, there are better alternative...
The ball weave is great for the core. This exercise looks flashy, but in reality, your abs are in a static position the whole time. There is very little movement in the midsection. The ball weave is easy perform, but it does require some coordination.
This exercise is great for shaping and strengthening the chest muscles. The chest is scientifically named the pectoralis. This muscle is used any time you push a chair up to the table, shut a car door, or push a shopping cart. There are two muscles that make up the pectoralis. They are the pectoralis major and minor. The pectoralis major is always the prime mover during chest exercises.
The pec fly with resistance tubing is great for shaping and strengthening the chest muscles. The chest is scientifically named the pectoralis (hence "pec" fly). This muscle is used any time you push a chair up to the table, shut a car door, or push a shopping cart. There are two muscles that make up the pectoralis. They are the pectoralis major and minor. The pectoralis major is always the prime mover during chest exercises.
The one arm dumbbell chest press is perfect for strengthening the pectoralis (chest) muscles. Most chest exercises involve compound movements, or the use of more than one joint. Invariably, the triceps and anterior deltoid are often involved in chest exercises.
Dive bombers are one of many variations of the push-up exercise. It is excellent for upper body conditioning. The dive bomber push-up is a bodyweight exercise, which means that no special equipment is required.
If you are trying to work the hips and butt, this exercise is for you! The side kick mainly targets the gluteus muscles. Any movement away from the center of the body is known as "abduction."
The reverse leg kick is perfect for working the glutes/butt. It is very easy to perform, and is one of the few exercises that works the glute muscles exclusively [with assistance from the hamstring muscles].
The supine bridge is a great exercise for the glutes/butt. It is relatively easy to perform and requires no fancy equipment. While the butt is the primary focus, the supine bridge also works all thigh and hip muscles (e.g. hamstrings, quadriceps, etc), and even the abs. These muscles allow the "bridging" of the hips to take place. Here is how this exercise is done:
The prone hip extension exercise is used to target the gluteus muscles. It is relatively easy to perform. This exercise is sometimes called the reverse hyperextension.
If you begin to notice that supine bridges are getting too easy, then use the marching version as a progression. The marching supine bridge is the perfect exercise for the glutes! This version of the supine bridge is similar to the original. When marching steps come into play, the exercise becomes more difficult because you briefly have to support your body weight on one leg. You will definitely feel this one working. Instructions for this exercise are listed below:
The quadruped is a highly effective exercise that doesn't require expensive equipment. You will definitely feel this one working. The quadruped leg lift is also referred to as the "fire hydrant" exercise.
The gluteal muscles, or glutes, can be targeted with donkey kicks. This exercise is easy to perform and does not require any fancy equipment. The donkey kick is a classic "butt" exercise, and there are many variations of the original donkey kick. Instructions for the donkey kick exercise are listed below:
This version of the leg curl is one of the most demanding hamstring exercises you will find. One should at least have an intermediate level of workout experience before attempting this exercise. A certain degree of muscle control is required in order to be able to stabilize the ball. But with a bit of practice, anyone can master this exercise. It is important to thoroughly warm up your hamstrings before performing this exercise, as the starting resistance level is high.
The crossover lunge is an advanced exercise that is used to build strength and improve flexibility in the muscles that act on the hips and thighs. The crossover step is often used as a warm-up to prepare for more dynamic exercises or sports conditioning drills.
