Bicycle Twist

Hello HomeBody Training followers, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week!  This week I have a great core exercise for you to try called the Bicycle Twist.

The Bicycle Twist is going to work your upper and lower abs, obliques, hip flexors, and lower back.  This exercise requires a bit of coordination and can be a bit tricky to get the movement going smoothly but once you get it I think you will enjoy this one a lot.  I know I do but I’m weird that way. 😉 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Bicycle Twist.

  • sit down on your mat with your knees bent and lean back until your upper body is around a 45 degree angle
  • clasp your hands together, engage your abs, and raise your feet off the floor
  • from this starting position rotate to the right while flexing your abs and extending your left leg forward
  • now rotate your upper body all the way to the left side while bringing in your left leg and extending your right leg forward
  • keep rotating your body and extending your legs in a slow and controlled movement
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Bicycle Twist!  You can make this even more challenging by holding on to a medicine ball, dumbbell, kettlebell, baby, or anything you have at home that can add resistance! 

Let me know how you like the Bicycle Twist and if you have any questions in the comments below.

See you next week with another new exercise!

Cross Body Mountain Climber

This week’s featured exercise is the Cross Body Mountain Climber.  This is a fantastic exercise that will build strength and tone your abs including your obliques.  Not only will it bring you one step closer to that highly sought after “six pack”, it will also strengthen and tone your entire body!  Shoulders, triceps, chest, back, quadriceps, glutes, and calves are also working in this movement.

Some key points to remember when doing the Cross Body Mountain Climber is to keep your body straight from head to toe.  So no butts in the air on this one!  If your butt is up high you won’t be engaging your abs and too much strain will be put on your shoulders.  Another point to remember is to keep your abdominals flexed throughout the movement.  An easy way to engage your abs is to pull your belly button in towards your spine.  If you aren’t flexing your stomach then the abs aren’t being worked as effectively as they could be.

The difference between this exercise and the regular Mountain Climber is the degree to which your oblique muscles are being used.  Driving your knee to your opposite elbow will really get them working.

The Cross Body Mountain Climber can be done anywhere so by adding this great core exercise to your routine you’ll be on your way to a strong and flat stomach!