Showing posts with label plank position. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plank position. Show all posts

 


Quality of life and quality health go hand in hand. To have both doesn’t require hours in the gym, nor a pavement pounding sprint for 10 miles. But it does require regular exercise. Consistency is the key to maintaining good health.


 


 


High Knees


 


Athletes aren’t the only ones to benefit from the balance, strong legs, coordination and improved foot speed that comes from high knees. Stand tall, engage abs and lift knees one at a time as high as you can into your chest. Remain standing tall and engaging the core without leaning backwards. Increase intensity by lifting higher and getting faster. One minute is needed to complete work out.


 


 


Jumping Jacks with Weight


 


This move gets the heart pumping while adding resistance to create intensity. Hold the ends of one dumb-bell in two hands across the chest. No more than 12 pounds of weight. To modify this move, a basketball or something light may be used. When performing jumping jacks and legs are out, extend arms with the weight above the head and bring down to the chest when legs come back in. Repeat for one full minute to complete work out.


 


 


3 Way Plank


 


A strong core is the foundation for good balance which is important in preventing falls and injuries. Get into arms extended plank position and hold for 45 seconds. Shift weight and turn to the right side and lift left arm straight up into the air while the left foot gets stacked onto the right foot. Hold this position for 15 seconds and return to plank. After 15 seconds in plank, shift weight and turn to the left side and lift right arm straight up into the air while the right foot gets stacked onto the left foot. Hold position for 15 seconds and return to plank. Hold plank for 15 seconds to complete work out.


 


 


Mountain Climbers


 


Another heart-friendly move to burn calories and pounds. Get into arms extended plank position. Start marching/running in place by bringing the knees into the chest. Add intensity by increasing speed. Be sure to keep abs engaged and buttocks down. One minute is needed to complete work out.


 


 


Squats


 


This classic move incorporates more muscles all at one time than any other move. Strengthening the abs, the spine, the thighs and glutes is a no-brainer to prevent injury. Stand with legs slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Lower self by bending at the knees without leaning forward, keeping the back straight and knees not crossing over toes. Hold, then straighten legs to repeat move 10-15 times to complete a set.


 


The body needs exercise to enable a healthy body to function at optimum performance. These six work outs can make all the difference when done consistently every day. If you have a hard time getting yourself to exercise, you may consider hiring a personal trainer in Houston at fithouston.com. Whether it’s a set of push-ups or cardio busting lunges, it’s important to take the the time to perform regular exercise everyday to ensure quality health.


 


 


Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from West Jordan, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing and spending time with her dog, Max.


 


The post Six Work Outs You can Do Everyday to Greatly Improve Your Health appeared first on .

 


Quality of life and quality health go hand in hand. To have both doesn’t require hours in the gym, nor a pavement pounding sprint for 10 miles. But it does require regular exercise. Consistency is the key to maintaining good health.


 


 


High Knees


 


Athletes aren’t the only ones to benefit from the balance, strong legs, coordination and improved foot speed that comes from high knees. Stand tall, engage abs and lift knees one at a time as high as you can into your chest. Remain standing tall and engaging the core without leaning backwards. Increase intensity by lifting higher and getting faster. One minute is needed to complete work out.


 


 


Jumping Jacks with Weight


 


This move gets the heart pumping while adding resistance to create intensity. Hold the ends of one dumb-bell in two hands across the chest. No more than 12 pounds of weight. To modify this move, a basketball or something light may be used. When performing jumping jacks and legs are out, extend arms with the weight above the head and bring down to the chest when legs come back in. Repeat for one full minute to complete work out.


 


 


3 Way Plank


 


A strong core is the foundation for good balance which is important in preventing falls and injuries. Get into arms extended plank position and hold for 45 seconds. Shift weight and turn to the right side and lift left arm straight up into the air while the left foot gets stacked onto the right foot. Hold this position for 15 seconds and return to plank. After 15 seconds in plank, shift weight and turn to the left side and lift right arm straight up into the air while the right foot gets stacked onto the left foot. Hold position for 15 seconds and return to plank. Hold plank for 15 seconds to complete work out.


 


 


Mountain Climbers


 


Another heart-friendly move to burn calories and pounds. Get into arms extended plank position. Start marching/running in place by bringing the knees into the chest. Add intensity by increasing speed. Be sure to keep abs engaged and buttocks down. One minute is needed to complete work out.


 


 


Squats


 


This classic move incorporates more muscles all at one time than any other move. Strengthening the abs, the spine, the thighs and glutes is a no-brainer to prevent injury. Stand with legs slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Lower self by bending at the knees without leaning forward, keeping the back straight and knees not crossing over toes. Hold, then straighten legs to repeat move 10-15 times to complete a set.


 


The body needs exercise to enable a healthy body to function at optimum performance. These six work outs can make all the difference when done consistently every day. If you have a hard time getting yourself to exercise, you may consider hiring a personal trainer in Houston at fithouston.com. Whether it’s a set of push-ups or cardio busting lunges, it’s important to take the the time to perform regular exercise everyday to ensure quality health.


 


 


Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from West Jordan, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing and spending time with her dog, Max.


 


The post Six Work Outs You can Do Everyday to Greatly Improve Your Health appeared first on .

People who carry excess weight are often particularly self-conscious about their tummies. As well as using fitness regimes to boost your general wellness and wellbeing, you can also target this hated belly fat and create the trim waist that you’ve been longing for. A two-pronged attack is needed for this; you need to tackle your belly fat by exercising the muscles and also by getting your heart beating fast.


 


A cardio and abs workout is a great way to get into shape, and the best news is that it doesn’t need to take much time. Doing this sort of routine for only 15 minutes per day can dramatically change the shape of your midriff, as well as burning away your general body fat.


 


Burpees are the most loved and hated exercise of all, but they were wonderfully effective when it comes to burning belly fat. To do a burpee, start with your feet together and your hands up above your head. Bend forwards and place your hands on the floor, jumping your feet backwards until you are in a plank position. Then, hold this position for a beat, and then jump your feet forwards, towards your hands, and then stand up straight again. If you do this 30 times, the resulting ache to your core will show you what a fantastic workout your muscles are getting, and you will find yourself out of breath and with a racing heart, too, meaning that your body is busily burning fat.


 


When your heart rate has been raised by the burpees, you can do some core strength work. Get into a plank position and then hold it for five seconds. When you reach the count of five, lower yourself down onto your elbows, keeping the rest of your body tight and using only your arms to do so. Hold your body in the elbow plank for about five seconds and then push yourself back up into the regular plank. Do this for around a minute in total, moving up and down between the two planks.

You can dress it up by calling them love handles, but, let’s be honest, no one likes their muffin top. This is perhaps why the Miracle Muffin Top Workout has recently taken the world by storm. The workout has been created by Marta Montenegro, a strength and conditioning coach and physiology teacher at Florida International University, who has incorporated high-intensity training into the regime to target hard-to-lose belly fat.


 


That is not to say that diet is no longer important for helping you boost your belly wellness; the simple truth is that both diet and exercise are integral to your healthy lifestyle and overall wellbeing. So, even though the Muffin Top Workout is primarily focused on doing high-intensity exercises to achieve the results you want, Montenegro still asserts that you need to stick to a weight loss diet as well as incorporating cardio into your workout routine. Once you’ve got those things in place, you need to get your hands on two small towels and two dumbbells weighing three to five pounds. For the workout, you do a circuit routine of six exercises that you perform one to three times, depending on your personal fitness level.


 


1. Dumbbell Squats: Fitness expert and Muffin Top Workout enthusiast Haylie Pretorius, a lifestyle writer and online editor living in Sydney, Australia, outlines the proper procedure for the dumbbell squat. ‘Holding a dumbbell in each hand, lower your body into a squat position while keeping your back straight and your core locked,’ she says. ‘When coming out of the squat position, lift both dumbbells over your head while rotating your torso to the right, using your abdominal strength to drive the motion. Finish off in the squat position. Repeat on both sides for 12 reps.’


 


2. Towel Leg-Ins: For this exercise, you need to start in a plank position with your core locked and a small towel under the toes of both feet. ‘With your back straight, bring both knees in toward your chest, using your abdominals for support and the towel to direct your toes smoothly,’ Pretorius instructs. ‘Hold for one count and then use your abdominal muscles to direct your toes back to the plank position. Repeat 12 times.’


 


3. Overhead Lunge Press: Starting with a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, go into a lunge position. While doing this, make sure you don’t let your knee bend further than your toes. Pretorius advises, ‘When moving out of the lunge position, lift the dumbbells over your head, using your abdominals to secure balance. Finish in the lunge position and repeat six times before swapping to the other leg.’


 


4. Towel and Arm Roll-out: ‘Start in a plank position with one towel under each hand,’ says Pretorius. ‘With both arms straight, slide your right arm as far forward as it’ll go without moving your torso. Slide your right arm back to the plank position and repeat on the left arm. Complete 12 reps in total.’


 


5. Dumbbell Deadlift: For this one, you begin by standing with your feet together and holding a dumbbell in your right hand. Lock your core and, keeping your left leg straight, lean forwards and raise your right leg off the ground. Keeping your back straight, lower the dumbbell as far as you can and hold for one minute. Return to the standing position and repeat six times before switching to your left leg and arm.


 


6. Towel Mountain Climbers: From a plank position with your core locked and a small towel under the toes of each foot, use your abdominals to direct your left knee in towards your right shoulder. When you cross over your core in this control movement, make sure to keep your back straight and your core locked. Return to the plank position, swap to the other leg and repeat six times on each side.