The push-up performed with your feet elevated and using a resistance band for added difficulty will strengthen your chest, shoulder, and triceps. You can perform this exercise at home or at the gym. To increase the difficulty select a resistance band that is less elastic and provides more tension. Keep your core tight and back straight as you raise and lower yourself.
The barbell complex is a “hybrid” exercise combining the hang clean, back squat and shoulder press. There are many variation of this exercise, but most often it is performed with an Olympic lift, squat, push and pull. It’s very demanding on your short-term energy systems and is effective for conditioning for sports. You can use a PVC pipe, wood dowel or empty barbell to begin. Once you feel comfortable with the movements you can slowly add weight.
The barbell forward lunge strengthens the glutes and thighs. You can take a shorter step forward if you are just learning to perform lunges. Once you have performed a few sets you can increase your stride length to activate the hamstrings and glutes. Dumbbells may be used in place of a barbell if you have difficulty balancing the bar on your back. The barbell forward lunge can be included in your lower-body workout or circuit training routine.
The barbell squat is the “king” of lower body exercises because it involves most of the muscular system. The barbell squat exercise strengthens the quadriceps glutes, hamstrings, calves, and the lower back. By performing this exercise with limited range-of-motion you are capable of lifting more weight. This might be important to a powerlifter looking to perform “partials” for added strength. Set the safety pins to the low squat position.
The Barbell Oblique Rollout strengthens the abdominals, obliques and shoulders. By turning the bar as you roll out you activate the obliques. Keep your back from sagging by contracting your abs. Start with a few reps at a time until you have the strength to complete a full set of 10 reps.
The Barbell Overhead Punch with Rotation exercise develops strength and power in the core muscles. If you are looking to boost to your metabolism, include this exercise in your circuit training program. Perform as many reps as you can perform using good form. As your condition improves you may add weight to increase difficulty.
The Barbell Overhead Trunk Rotation exercise strengthens the core muscles. This exercise is also used for metabolic conditioning. Keep the reps lower and rest periods longer for power development. This exercise is a favorite of athletes in power sports such as wrestling and Martial Arts.
The “regular” or parallel squat is a great exercise for lower-body strength. Parallel is defined as where the tops of the thighs reach parallel to the floor. Set the safety pins in the squat rack to receive the bar if you are unable to rack the weight. The parallel squat develops the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves and low back. The parallel squat can be used to develop strength, definition and muscle size in the legs.
The barbell reverse lunge is a more dynamic movement than the stationary lunge. It places a higher demand on the inner thigh muscles than the stationary lunge. The barbell reverse lunge can be performed at home or at the gym. If a barbell is not available dumbbells can be used. Keep your torso upright and maintain a tight core. Reverse lunges are a great way to add variety to your workout routine. After mastering the stationary and forward lunge progress to the reverse lunge.
The barbell rollout is a great exercise for the abdominals and shoulders. This exercise is a challenging and fun way to improve core strength. So next time you’re looking to mix up your ab training, try a set of barbell rollouts.
The barbell step up strengthens the hip extensors (glutes, hamstrings, hip adductors), and knee extensors (quadriceps). These muscles are called upon daily in our everyday lives and are critical for performance in sport and recreation. The barbell step up is a great exercise and can be used to build strength, definition and size. Varying the height of the step is a great way to challenge your muscles to adapt. Select a step height that creates a 90 degree angle on the lead leg.
The lunge is a great bodyweight exercise for the lower body. Adding dumbbells is a great way to challenge the leg muscles to grow stronger. Bodyweight lunges can be used as a conditioning exercise by performing a high number of repetitions and keeping the rest between sets to a minimum. Use lighter dumbbells for strength-endurance and heavier dumbbells to develop strength-size.
Body weight squats to below parallel are the foundation of any good training program. Body weight squats develop strength in the glutes, hamstrings, hip adductors, quadriceps and spinal extensors. This exercise transfers well to the real world and can be adapted to meet the needs of almost anyone.
The floor crunch performed on a bolster or with a rolled-up towel develops abdominal strength. Using a bolster allows for increased range-of-motion (ROM) and therefore greater activation of the abdominals. The obliques are also engaged in the floor crunch although to a lesser degree than the abdominals.
Box jumps are a plyometric exercise used to create powerful legs. Box jumps are recommended only after a significant level of strength has been achieved with the legs. A common recommendation is to squat 1.5 times your body weight before beginning plometric exercises. Athletes in volleyball and basketball use box jumps to increase their vertical leap – an important component of their sports.
The box shuffle drill is used for speed, agility and conditioning. Athletes in sports such as, soccer, ice hockey, and lacrosse use this drill as part of their dynamic warm-ups. The box shuffle should be performed at full speed and with little rest between sets. This will challenge the anaerobic system and improve conditioning. Perform the box shuffle in an open field, free of debris and pot-holes.
The cat-dog stretch is perfect for anyone with an office job or after a long car ride. It helps improve flexibility of your spine which is essential for any type of movement or activity. This stretch can be performed anywhere, no equipment is needed. In between emails give the cat-dog stretch a try, it feels good.
The cobra stretch is a staple of most yoga programs. It is good for increasing mobility of the spine and stretching the abdominal muscles. It can be performed any where since you don’t need any equipment. Stretching should always be performed after you have warmed up thoroughly.
