Spiderman Pushups

Hey there! It’s a new week which means it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This time I have a challenging upper body exercise for you to try called Spiderman Pushups.

Spiderman Pushups will work your chest, shoulders, and triceps, and the knee driving up towards your elbow will give your core a really good workout. If you have trouble doing the full pushup, you can start with the modified from-the-knees version which you can see in the video demonstration. 

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of Spiderman Pushups.

  • start by getting in to a full pushup position with your hands wider than your shoulders and in line with your chest
  • squeeze your abs and your glutes to keep your body nice and straight and to prevent your hips from dropping
  • now lower your body down towards the floor keeping your arms at about a 45 degree angle from your body
  • as you are lowering your body down towards the floor, lift your left foot off the floor and drive your left knee towards your left elbow
  • your knee should reach or almost reach your elbow at the bottom portion of the pushup
  • push your body back up while returning your left leg to the starting position
  • now repeat the pushup but this time drive your right knee towards your right elbow
  • return to the starting position and then keep alternating sides until you have completed your desired amount of reps or time
  • for a slightly easier modified version, drop down to your knees and perform the exercise from your knees throughout the set

So there you have Spiderman Pushups. It’s a tough one but once you get the move down it looks pretty cool and you will get those upper body muscles and core fired up!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

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!

Superman Back Row Pushup

Hey there, it’s time again for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This time I have a great core and upper body exercise for you to try called the Superman Back Row Pushup.

The Superman Back Row Pushup works quite a few different muscle groups so there are a lot of benefits to this one. You will be working your upper and lower back, your glutes and hamstrings, your chest, shoulders, and triceps, and also your abdominals. If you suffer from lower back pain from sitting at a desk all day then this is the move to do to strengthen up those muscles. Often times, a little strengthening of the muscles of the lower back goes a long way to giving some back pain relief and prevent back pain in the future.

So let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Superman Back Row Pushup.

  • start by laying face down on your mat with your arms fully extended over your head
  • while keeping your head and neck in line with your spine, squeeze your glutes and lift your head, arms, and legs straight up as high as you can 
  • when you can’t lift any higher, pull your elbows back and squeeze your back muscles
  • after getting a good flex in your upper back muscles, drop your hands down to the floor in line with your chest while lowering your feet back down to the floor at the same time
  • now push your body up on to your hands and toes and stop just before your arms fully lock out
  • lower your body back down to the floor and extend your arms over your head again while lifting up your legs and squeezing your glutes
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps or time
  • if you find it too challenging to do the full pushup, you can do the modified pushup from your knees as seen in the video demonstration

So there you have the Superman Back Row Pushup. This is one of my favourite exercises and it is a great one to add in to your upper body or full body routine.

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!

Tricep Plank Press

Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week! This week I have another very challenging upper body and core exercise for you to try called the Tricep Plank Press. This one is going to fire up your triceps a lot and will also work your core, chest, and shoulders. It will take some practice so take your time doing it and start out with the modified from-the-knees version if you need to.  

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Tricep Plank Press.

  • start by getting in to a plank position with your elbows directly under your shoulders and palms on the floor
  • make sure your body is in a straight line from head to toes and engage your core to keep your hips from dropping
  • if needed, drop your knees down to the floor to do the modified version
  • from this plank position, push your body up through the palms of your hands until your arms are fully extended
  • squeeze the triceps at the top of the movement and then slowly lower your elbows back down to the floor
  • keep your abs and glutes tight throughout the exercise
  • repeat for your desired amount of reps or time

So there you have the Tricep Plank Press. It’s a challenging exercise but one that will build a lot of strength and muscle in your triceps and core without having to use any equipment. Start with the modified version and then work your way up to the full pushup. Get those triceps fired up!

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

See you next week with another new exercise!