Tag Archives: balance

Single Leg Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

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Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week!  This week’s exercise is called a Single Leg Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift and it’s a great lower body exercise that will target your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back as well as working on balance and the stabilizer muscles of the ankle.

If you don’t have dumbbells, you can use any heavy object that is easy to hold on to or you can even do this without added weights and use your own body weight.

Let’s take a look at the key performance points of the Single Leg Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift.

  • grab on to a pair of dumbbells and hold them at your side while standing tall
  • lift your left foot off the floor and slightly bend your right knee
  • keep your back straight, your shoulders back, and bend at the waist to descend in to the deadlift
  • maintain the same slight bend in the right knee throughout the movement and let the weights hang freely from your arms
  • push your hips back while bending down and push your right knee outward to keep it from caving in
  • lower your upper body towards the floor until you feel a good stretch in the back of your right leg
  • squeeze your glutes and come back up to the starting position until you are standing nice and tall
  • keep your left foot off the floor as much as you can throughout your set unless you need to re-balance yourself
  • complete for your desired amount of reps or time and then repeat for your left leg

So there you have the Single Leg Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift.  Add this in to your lower or full body routine and in time you will feel stronger and have more balance.

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

See you next week with another new exercise!

Equalizer Bar Bulgarian Split Squat Jump

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Hey there, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week!  This week I have an advanced exercise that is quite challenging called the Equalizer Bar Bulgarian Split Squat Jump.  

The Equalizer Bar Bulgarian Split Squat Jump is an awesome lower body exercise that will tone and build muscle in your quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings.  It will build significant single leg strength and stability and offers a variety of coordination, mobility, and flexibility benefits.  You will also be working your fast-twitch muscle fibres in the jumping portion of this exercise which will build power and strength as well adding a cardiovascular component to the movement.

If you don’t have an equalizer bar then you can use a bench if you have one or a sturdy chair.

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

  • get in to a lunge position with the top of your back foot elevated and resting on top of the bar, bench, or chair
  • make sure your lunge isn’t too wide so you aren’t arching your back or leaning forward too much
  • lower your body straight down until your front leg is at a 90 degree angle while keeping your upper body as upright as possible
  • keep your weight on your front heel as you lower your body
  • make sure your front knee is in line with your front foot and don’t let it shoot forward past your toes
  • from this bottom position of the lunge, push up through your front heel and jump up in the air as high as you can while maintaining your balance with your other foot on the bar (it is very hard to maintain your balance so as a beginner modification you can do this exercise close to a wall or counter at home…this will give you something to grab a hold of to steady yourself)
  • try to land back down from the jump in to the same foot position to maintain proper form (you may need to adjust your foot position before jumping again)
  • repeat the movement for your desired amount of reps or time and then switch legs and repeat

So there you have the Equalizer Bar Bulgarian Split Squat Jump.  You’re going to feel your legs burning, your heart will be pumping, and the sweat will be pouring!  Start slowly with this one and with something to hold on to if needed.  You can also regress this exercise by taking the jump out of it and just doing a lunge.  As you get used to the exercise and more comfortable with it then you can add the jump to get a more intense cardiovascular component and to work those fast-twitch muscle fibres. 

Let me know how you do with this one or if you have any questions.  Or if you just want to curse me for giving you another crazy exercise to do, that’s ok too! 😉

Have fun and I’ll see you next week with another new exercise!

Reverse Lunge Dumbbell Bicep Curl

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Hello, it’s a new week which means it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week!  This time I have a great full body exercise for you called the Reverse Lunge Dumbbell Bicep Curl.

The Reverse Lunge Dumbbell Bicep Curl requires a bit of coordination but with some practice it will get easier.  With this exercise you will primarily be working on your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, biceps, and forearms.  You will also be working on the stabilizer muscles of your ankles as well as your core when progressing through the movement.

If you don’t have a set of dumbbells that’s okay.  You can use any object around the house like soup cans or water bottles.  Ideally you would want something a little heavier but if nothing else you will still benefit from the curling motion of the arms.

Here are the key performance points:

  • stand tall with shoulders back, chest held high, and a dumbbell in each hand at your side with your palms facing forward
  • take a big step back with your right leg and bend at both knees until your legs are at 90 degree angles
  • while lunging in to this bottom position you want to curl the weights up at the same time while maintaining that palm forward hand position and squeezing your bicep muscles
  • stay as upright as possible throughout the movement and keep your shoulders back and chest held high
  • from this bottom lunge position, press through the heel of your left foot to drive yourself back up to the starting position
  • on your way back up to the starting position, slowly lower the dumbbells back down to your sides with that same palm forward position
  • from this starting position, repeat the movement for your other leg and keep alternating legs until the desired number of reps are complete

So there you have the Reverse Lunge Dumbbell Bicep Curl.  As with any full body movement, your heart and lungs will work harder, you will burn more calories, and you will be sweating more.  It’s a tough one but the benefits are great!

If you like this exercise please leave a comment below or if you have any questions please ask.

See you next week with another new exercise!

TRX Pistol Squat

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Hello again, it’s time for a new Home Exercise of the Week.  The exercise this week is a very challenging one that is done with a TRX suspension trainer.  It’s called the TRX Pistol Squat.  

The TRX in this exercise is mainly used to help maintain balance throughout the movement so if you don’t have one you can try doing the exercise without it, although it is much more difficult.  In this case I recommend standing close to something you can hold on to for support and balance like a squat rack or even a chair.  However, please do so with caution.

Let’s look at the muscles worked, benefits, and how to do the TRX Pistol Squat properly.

The TRX Pistol Squat is going to target your quadriceps, core muscles, glutes, and ankle stabilizers. 

By doing this exercise you’re going to:

  • improve your balance and coordination
  • build more unilateral strength – the strength of one limb versus the other (by doing unilateral movements you will help to correct any imbalances that may have occurred from doing regular squats)
  • have greater joint integrity and movement
  • enhance muscular activation

Here are the key points to doing the TRX Pistol Squat correctly:

  • grab the TRX handles and stand far enough back from the anchor point until your arms are almost fully extended
  • raise one foot off the ground and extend in front of you
  • firmly plant your other foot on the ground and place your body weight on to your heel
  • squat down while continuing to put your weight on to the heel
  • keep your back straight and push your hips back while squatting (like you’re going to sit down on to a chair)
  • keep your knee from extending past your toes as you squat down
  • lower your body until your butt almost touches the ground
  • from this bottom position push through your heel to raise yourself back up to the starting position
  • as you push up make sure to keep your knee and foot aligned and facing forward
  • use the TRX to help keep you aligned, balanced, and as a tool to help pull yourself back up as needed 

So there you have the TRX Pistol Squat.  It’s a very hard exercise but the benefits are great.

Give it a try and let me know how you do in the comments below.

See you next week with another new exercise!

Medicine Ball Cross Body Mountain Climber

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Hey there, it’s a new week and that means it’s time for a new exercise!  The Home Exercise of the Week this time is another core exercise called Medicine Ball Cross Body Mountain Climber.

With this exercise you will be targeting your abdominal muscles, especially your obliques, as well as your chest, shoulders, triceps, hip flexors, and lower back.  The added instability of planking on the medicine ball while doing the mountain climber further engages your core muscles and stabilizers, making it quite challenging.

Here are the key points to doing the Medicine Ball Cross Body Mountain Climber properly:

  • start in a plank position with your hands on the medicine ball
  • make sure the ball is directly underneath your chest
  • engage your abdominals and keep tight throughout the movement
  • from the full plank position, drive your right knee towards your left elbow giving your abs a really good flex
  • return to the starting position and then drive your left knee towards your right elbow
  • repeat until you have finished your set

So there you have the Medicine Ball Cross Body Mountain Climber.  Take it slow at first until you feel comfortable balancing yourself on the ball.  Once you get the hang of it you can try increasing your rep speed to add a cardiovascular component.

If you like this exercise leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear what you think.

Happy climbing!