Jumping Jack Squat

Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a heart pumping lower body and plyometric exercise for you to try called the Jumping Jack Squat.

The Jumping Jack Squat will work all the muscles of the legs including quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves and the jumping jack part of the exercise will give you a great cardiovascular exercise and will also work the arms and shoulders.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Jumping Jack Squat.

  • start by standing nice and tall with your feet together and your arms at your side
  • lower your body like you are going to sit in a chair while keeping your weight on your heels and your back straight
  • make sure to drive your hips back to prevent your knees from going past your toes
  • once your thighs are parallel to the floor, explode up from the squat position and jump your feet out to the side while raising both arms over your head
  • jump your feet back together while lowering your arms down to your sides and descend back in to a squat
  • repeat the movement for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Jumping Jack Squat. Your heart will be pumping, your legs will be burning, and you’ll be sweating. That probably doesn’t sound very pleasant but it will be worth it! 😉

Let me know how you do in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!

Burpee Medicine Ball Overhead Toss

Hello, it’s time again for a new Home Exercise of the Week.  This week I have another variation of everyone’s favourite exercise…the burpee!  I call it the Burpee Medicine Ball Overhead Toss.

This variation of the burpee is going to give your core an extra challenge since you will be adding the instability of placing your hands on the ball when you’re in the full plank position.  As with other burpees, you will also be working your legs, shoulders, and arms.  The shoulders will get an extra workout as well with the overhead throw of the medicine ball.  And don’t forget the cardiovascular conditioning you will get when your heart is pumping hard during this exercise!

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Burpee Medicine Ball Overhead Toss.

  • crouch down and place a medicine ball down on the floor in front of you
  • keeping your hands on the ball and under your chest, jump your feet back until you are fully extended in a full plank position
  • keep your abs engaged to maintain your balance on the medicine ball
  • from this full plank position, jump your feet back up and underneath you then pick the ball up and stand up while trying to keep your back as straight as possible (like standing up from a squat)
  • once you are fully upright throw the medicine ball straight up over your head and then catch it on the way back down
  • lower the ball to the floor and repeat the movement for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Burpee Medicine Ball Overhead Toss.  Add this fun variation of the burpee in to your full body routine and let the sweating begin!

Let me know how you do with this one in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!

Triangle Jump

Hey, it’s Home Exercise of the Week time again and this week I have a cardiovascular and core exercise for you to try that I call the Triangle Jump.

The Triangle Jump is primarily a core exercise but you will also be working many other muscle groups including your shoulders, triceps, and legs.  This move is also kind of like a burpee which makes it a fairly intense cardiovascular exercise.  Your heart will be pumping and you will be sweating!

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Triangle Jump.

  • start in a full plank pushup position with your hands directly under your shoulders
  • engage your abs and glutes and keep your back straight
  • jump your feet forward so that they are tucked in underneath you
  • from this tucked position jump both feet back and out to the left at about a 45 degree angle
  • jump both feet back up to the middle and tucked in underneath you
  • now jump both feet back and out to the right at the same 45 degree angle
  • return to the middle and keep jumping side to side for your desired amount of reps or time
  • keep your abs and glutes flexed throughout the movement

So there you have the Triangle Jump.  It’s intense.  It will make you sweat.  Your muscles will be burning.  It will be worth it.

Let me know how you do with this one in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!

Lateral Lunge Medicine Ball Extension

Hello, it’s Home Exercise of the Week time again and this week I have a full body exercise for you to try called the Lateral Lunge Medicine Ball Extension.

The Lateral Lunge Medicine Ball Extension works your gluteus medius (the sides of the glutes), quadriceps, hamstrings, and your adductor muscles which are the muscles of the inner thigh.  The medicine ball extension works your shoulders and to a lesser degree your biceps and triceps.  So as you can see you are working a lot of muscles here which means you’ll be burning more calories and making your heart work more creating a cardiovascular component to the exercise.

If you don’t have a medicine ball that’s ok.  You can use any heavy object you have around the house.  You can even hold your baby or pet for this one!

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Lateral Lunge Medicine Ball Extension.

  • stand tall with your feet together and holding the medicine ball close to your chest
  • take a big step to the right while keeping your toes pointed forward
  • bend your right leg so you are descending in to a lunge
  • keep your weight on your right heel and drive your hips back as you lunge
  • keep your back straight as well as your left leg
  • make sure your right knee stays in line with your right toes (you don’t want your knee going forward past the toes)
  • hold this lunge position and push the medicine ball forward away from your chest
  • pull the ball back to your chest and push up through your right heel to the starting position
  • repeat the movement for your left leg
  • lunge side to side for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Lateral Lunge Medicine Ball Extension!  Add this in to your full body routine to spice things up and hit your legs in a different way.

Let me know how you do with this exercise in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!

Spider Jump

Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week!  This week I have a core and cardiovascular exercise for you to try called the Spider Jump.  This is a challenging exercise that will get you sweating and your heart pumping.  

The Spider Jump is a modification of the Running Mountain Climber and it will work your whole body but more specifically your abdominals and hip flexors.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Spider Jump.

  • start in a full plank position with your abs and glutes flexed and your hands directly under your shoulders
  • bring your left foot up and to the side of your body towards your left hand (if you’re flexible enough try to place your left foot just to the outside of your left hand)
  • from this position jump your right foot up towards the outside of your right hand while at the same time jumping your left foot back to the starting position
  • now jump your left foot up beside your left hand again while jumping your right foot back
  • keep jumping back and forth between your left and right foot until you reach your desired amount of reps or time
  • you can regress this movement to an easier version by stepping your feet up instead of jumping

So there you have the Spider Jump.  It’s not necessarily a fan favourite with my clients (I usually get a collective groan when I bust this one out) but very effective nonetheless!

Let me know how you do with this one in the comments below or if you have any questions.

See you next week with another new exercise!