Inch Worm

Hello! It’s Wednesday which means it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a great full body exercise for you to try called the Inch Worm. This may sound like an easy exercise but don’t let the cute name fool you…it’s quite challenging!

The Inch Worm is going to work your core, arms, chest, shoulders, and upper back and it will also increase your strength and flexibility. 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Inch Worm.

  • start in a full plank position with your hands underneath your shoulders and your body perfectly straight
  • keep your head in line with your spine throughout the movement and keep your abs and glutes engaged (this will help keep your hips up and in line with your body)
  • now slowly walk your feet towards your hands in small steps while keeping your legs perfectly straight and not bending at the knees
  • when you can no longer walk your feet any further without bending your legs, start walking your hands forward in small steps until you are back in the starting plank position
  • repeat the movement for your desired amount of reps or time and if you run out of room to inch forward then you can reverse the movement and go backwards
  • to reverse the movement start in the plank position and start by walking your hands back until you can go no further without bending your legs
  • then walk your feet back in small steps until you are back in the starting plank position

So there you have the Inch Worm. It sounds cute and easy but it will definitely get you sweating while giving you a great strength, core, and flexibility workout!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Split Squat Jump

Hello there! It’s a new week and that means it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This time I have a heart pumping plyometric lower body exercise for you to try called the Split Squat Jump.

The Split Squat Jump works your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, all the stabilizer muscles of the ankles, and those fast-twitch muscle fibers which help with the explosive power of the movement. So there are quite a few muscles involved with this one which means more calories burned and you will also get quite a good cardiovascular workout on top of strengthening the muscles of the legs.

So let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Split Squat Jump.

  • start by stepping one foot forward and one foot back until you have a nice wide stance with your toes pointed forward
  • stand nice and tall and flex your abs to provide stability to your upper body
  • now bend at both knees and lower your body straight down until your legs are at 90 degree angles
  • keep your weight on your front heel as you lower your body and don’t let your front knee move forward past your toes (keep it in line with your front toes or slightly behind)
  • from this lunge position, push through both feet and jump straight up as high as you can while maintaining that forward and back leg position
  • land from the jump and go right back in to the lunge while keeping your body as upright as possible
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps or time and then switch legs and repeat the movement for that side
  • you can make this even more challenging by holding on to weights at your sides

So there you have the Split Squat Jump. It’s challenging, you’ll be huffing and puffing, and you’ll be sweating but it will be worth it as you will be building strength, power, endurance, muscle, and burning lots of calories in the process!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Pike Pushup

Hello and happy Wednesday! It’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week and this week I have a challenging variation of the pushup for you to try called the Pike Pushup.

The Pike Pushup primarily works your shoulders and triceps but it also works your upper pecs, upper back, and serratus muscles. I won’t sugarcoat it, the Pike Pushup is tough! It requires a fair amount of shoulder strength so start with regular pushups and other shoulder strengthening exercises and work your way up to this move.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Pike Pushup.

  • start in a full plank position with your feet shoulder width apart and hands a little wider than your shoulders
  • while keeping your legs straight, walk your hands back towards your feet as far as you can without rounding your back and stopping just before your knees start to bend
  • keep your abs tight and bend your arms at the elbow to slowly lower your head towards the floor
  • stop just before your head touches the floor and then push back up to the starting position 
  • keep a slight bend in the arms and don’t lock them out at the top of the movement to keep tension on the muscles throughout the exercise
  • make sure to keep your head and neck in line with your spine throughout the movement as well
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Pike Pushup. This one will take some practice but it is a great exercise to build strength and muscle in your shoulders especially if you are working out at home and don’t have any weights. And if eventually doing handstand pushups is a goal of yours then this is the exercise to start with!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Crunch Hold Leg Scissors

Hello there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a great ab exercise for you to try called Crunch Hold Leg Scissors. This one will work your lower abdominals as well as your hip flexors and for an added bonus the crunch and hold will isometrically work your upper abdominals.  So you know what that means….muscle burn time!

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of Crunch Hold Leg Scissors.

  • lay face up on your mat and raise your legs to a 45 degree angle keeping them as straight as possible
  • reach towards your toes with your hands by crunching up until your shoulders are off the floor.  Avoid going too high, as this can strain your back, and avoid tucking your chin in to your chest
  • while holding the crunch, lower one leg until it is about an inch or two off the floor then return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg
  • ensure that you are pulling your belly button in towards your spine to achieve optimal ab contraction and to avoid straining your lower back
  • if you find that your back is arching or hurting while doing this exercise then don’t lower your legs as far down. For a further modification, you can also just do a crunch while holding your legs up and not doing the scissor movement

So there you have Crunch Hold Leg Scissors. Get those abs burning by adding a couple sets of 20 to 30 repetitions to your ab routine or add it in to a superset to get an even bigger metabolic boost!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Pushup Butt Drop

Hello, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have a very challenging upper body and core exercise for you to try called the Pushup Butt Drop. This exercise is definitely going to take some practice and I’ve included a modified version in the video that you can start with if you’re having trouble doing the full version.

The Pushup Butt Drop will work your chest, shoulders, triceps, and your entire core muscles.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Pushup Butt Drop.

  • start by getting in to a full pushup position with your hands wider than your shoulders and in line with your chest
  • keep your abs tight and lower your body until you are almost touching the floor
  • push yourself back up and at the top of the movement, rotate your left foot and bring your heel down
  • at the same time, lift your left hand off the floor and bring your right leg underneath you
  • reach for your right foot with your left hand while you drop your butt towards the floor but stop just before you touch the floor
  • rotate back to the starting position and then repeat the pushup
  • now rotate your right foot down, lift your right hand off the floor, and bring your left leg underneath you
  • reach for your left foot with your right hand while dropping your butt towards the floor
  • return to the starting position and repeat each side for your desired amount of reps or time
  • you can modify this exercise to make it a bit easier by performing your pushup from your knees. After the pushup, lift your knees off the floor and do the butt drop as described before

So there you have the Pushup Butt Drop. This one is going to take some practice so take your time getting the move down. Once you get it though, it is very effective and fun to do and it will add some variety to your workout. It also looks really cool and you will definitely impress your friends! 

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

See you next week with another new exercise!