Home Workouts

Squat thrusts

2010-04-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

This exercise is brilliant for home workouts and to help include it in your routine!

No matter what sport you are doing, this exercise is awesome to help you build that core strength and leg power as well as working your shoulders.

In order to do this, make sure you have room around you and a clear space, big enough space for you to get into the push up position.

Now place yourself in the push up position but instead of placing your feet near each other, move them away from each other, kind of like a star.

Now bring them both up to your elbows so that your knees meet your elbows, and then back to the starting position.

Keep doing this over and over again and start to include it in your routines.
They are very important and will help your body overall and help increase your core!

Abdominal Workout

2010-04-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

Now there are sooooo many websites that offer this abdominal workout claiming to give you insanely ripped abdominals in about 6 weeks and how you can become extremely stacked by following their program, well like anyone will tell you....It comes with hard work and commitment to get abdominals as ripped as everyone claims.

Only then will you start to notice your abdominals becoming into good shape and noticing that they are looking more like a six pack.

So I created a small workout to help you get going and get started with to help you on your routine to getting stronger abdominals and overall in better shape. You welcome to add and change the exercises to suit you, this is just a base to help you get on your way, all of these are easy to do at home as well so it can save you money on spending money for a gym membership.

So read on and enjoy.....
First thing is first you want to make sure your stretched out, so just do your usuall stretches as normal, a good stretch to do it where you
-lie on your front
-Then place your hands in the push up position, keep your hips touching the floor
-Now push up keeping your hips on the floor and look up and here you are stretching out your whole middle area and lower back
-This is a good stretch to do at the end of the exercise as well.

Now to get started

50 - elbows to knees sit ups
40 - palms reaching over the top of your knee sit up (like in the image underneath)

30 - Stars (Lie like a star on the floor then reach left hand to right foot and meet in the middle and then back down then the same with the right hand to the left foot)
20 - Crunch sit ups (like on the right)
10 - Cycle Sit ups (same as elbow to knees but cycling your legs as opposed to keeping them still)

This is a crunch sit underneath

Home weight loss routine!

2010-04-17T08:46:00.001-07:00

Hey, here is an idea to a workout to complete at home, you can change it around to suit you as in, add your own to it or make it shorter or lengthen the breaks, hope it helps you achieve your goals

Warm up -

Light Jogging on the spot, Stretch out your muscles and loosen yourself up – 3 minutes

30 seconds rest

Light jogging on the spot – every 30 seconds do 1 push up – 2 minutes

30 seconds rest

Light jogging on the spot – every 15 seconds sprint on the spot for 5 seconds – 2 minutes

30 second rest

Light jogging on the spot – every 20 seconds sprint on the spot for 10 seconds – 2 minutes

30 seconds rest

Light jogging on the spot – every 30 seconds sprint on the spot for 30 seconds – 2 minutes

2 minute rest

(I would then complete this routine straight after)

20 push ups

15 body squats

10 burpees

5 squat jumps

1 minute rest

5 squat jumps

10 burpees

15 body squats

20 push ups

Then finish off with 50 crunch sit ups

Using your stairs for explosive power?

2010-04-15T03:14:00.000-07:00

You can use your stairs or any stairs and calculate through using the stairs to see if you have any improvement with this workout.

This workout focuses on using your stairs to increase your explosive power and drive!

Now I bet your wondering how on earth this is possible, or not....but anyways this is how it is done

Place yourself at the bottom of your stairs, or stairs down at the park or anywhere, just some stairs that have 6 or more stairs.

Place yourself in the body squat position, and squat down, now instead of just coming back up like a normal body squat, (show in an earlier post)

once you have squatted down, drive up with all your force and get as high as possible as you can on the stairs.

So let’s say you land 3 stairs up from one drive, now go straight back down and do it again, keep doing this for 1 minute then have a rest, then do it again for 1 minute, now have a rest and so on. You can change the time limit to say 30 seconds if you choose to start this exercise slowly and slowly bring yourself to doing it. It is up to you how many times you complete it.

Rest period between sets = 30 seconds

The Plank!

2010-04-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

The plank......why has it been so forgotten about. This exercise is one of the most demanding exercises I can think of to complete at the end of a workout or even just to use it as a warm-up before a workout...

With this exercise you are guaranteed to start a sweat on.

So to complete this exercise, first of all find yourself a comfortable floor. I would recommend using a room in your house or office, wherever you are going to execute this exercise that has carpet, I do not recommend wooden flooring as it will hurt your elbows.

Now, place youself into this position as shown in the picture

Ok, once in this position hold yourself there.

Now you can add this exercise into your routine if you have one already, but if you do not don't worry. Try this out at the end of your routine or the start with 10 seconds rest between each time.

Plank:

Hold for - 10 seconds   rest
                  20 seconds   rest
                  30 seconds   rest
                  45 seconds   rest
                  60 seconds   rest
                  30 seconds   rest
                  05 seconds   rest

Hope this helps, leave a coment to let me know how it works for you.

Found a great Home workout routine - worth a look?

2010-04-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a great workout that can be completed in your own home, whether it be in your garden or in your lounge, it is a difficult workout and I only recommend it if you already workout regularly otherwise you could just use the workouts and complete it at your own pace.

Anyways, read on to get the workout

It is a great total body homeworkout.
Try to complete this workout without a rest. If you want to time yourself, do so.

Over 20 min - Keep working
18-20 min - Better
15-18 min - Good
12-15 min - Nice
Under 12 min - Wow

10 Rounds of the following exercises

10 Burpees
10 Push-ups
10 Bodyweight Squats
10 Dips (If you do not have access to a dip bar, then use a chair, a bench, a sofa or whatever you can find)
5 Pull-ups (If you do not have anywhere to do a pull-up, use the towel method I explained in one of the earlier posts)

Make your own Pullup bar just using a towel and a tree?

2010-04-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

Really???

I bet you are thinking that is just plain stupid!

You can really create a pull-up system from just using a towel and a tree, sounds crazy, but yet it is so effective that MMA fighters in UFC and trainers all over the world do it as it not only enhances what a normal pull up does, but also your grip as well.

Read on to see how you can create this money saving, excellent free pull-up system.

So to create this pull-up system, it is relatively easy.

Things you require are:
- 1 Towel
- 1 Strong Tree branch

Now all you do to get started it hold on to one side of the towel and throw the other half over the branch, then grip the other side as well as your side you have already got hold of, and there you have it. A pull up system using a towel and a tree branch.

Now this pull up is a difficult pull up due to you having to have strong grip, but once mastered you will soon start to notice how your reps go up and up and your upper body strength will increase by the mass.

The best thing about it as well is that it is free, just take a towel, wrap it around something which is strong and commence with your pull ups. It is a very effective exercise. So, what are you waiting for? Get yourself and towel and go find something big and strong and see how the exercise works for you.

Body Squats

2010-04-14T10:10:00.001-07:00

Body squats, so effective yet so under used.

Now the majority of people who workout or keep in shape generally know what a squat is, but most people think that at squat is to be done with weights.......wrong.

Body squats are very effective and as opposed to using weights to get thicker legs, body squats strengthen your legs just using your own body weight, they tone your legs up and will increase your stamina due to you being able to do more without weights.
Also there is the added bonus of this exercise being completely free, not having to purchase any weights and being able to just do the exercise in your own time, in your own house!

Now a good body squat is the same principle as a squat with weights. Here is a picture with a good posture completing a well executed body squat.

Here you can see the woman has her feet placed shoulder width apart, she keeps her arms out in front of her and her back completely straight! Very important as if you do squats wrong then you could do serious injuries to yourself and cause yourself back harm.

When executing the exercise, ask a friend to watch and see if your body squat is similar, or film yourself executing one and see for yourself where you are going wrong.

Using Stairs to train the calf muscles? Madness

2010-04-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

So after researching everywhere, I could not find very many articles showing how training using stairs can be very effective!!

Using the stairs within your own home or even just somewhere nearby can help out so much! And it’s FREE!

So here are some uses for stairs to help you tone up those legs!!!

The obvious one to first say is pretty simple, jogging up the stairs and then back down......sounds simple and easy right?
I can assure you after doing it a few times it sure does get tiring! But however it is very good for your fitness and legs! So, go for it, get jogging up your stairs!

Next, you only really need one step for this! It is a very good exercise and will soon bring those toned calf’s about and get them ready for the summer!!

So, place the balls of your toes on the edge or the step, and your ankles, let them hang over the edge, and then simply just go on to your tip toes, and then back down until your heels pass the level of the step, and then raise again.

Like this

There you have two simple exercises that utilize the stairs and help you on your way to toned looking legs.

Lazy Man Sofa Workout

2010-04-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

So for people who enjoy their sofa so much, I have come up with an idea to help you get a full all over body workout without even leaving your lounge! (Or where ever your sofa is)

I will show you different exersises that can be done in the comfort of your own home using your sofa in order to help you acheive a healthier lifestyle.

Excersise Number 1.

Pushups - These can be completed within your lounge on the floor, they are very effective and work your upper body area.

2. Incline Pushup - Same idea, except place your feet on your sofa this time and your hands on the floor. This works your upper chest and shoulders.

3. Decline Pushups - Same idea again except place your hands on the sofa and feet on the floor. This works your triceps and lower chest.

4. Leg raises - Lie on the floor on your back with the top of your head against the bottom of your sofa. Place both hands underneath the sofa and then lift your legs up to about 90 degrees and then slowly bring them back down. This works your abdominals

These are just a few simple ides for working out within your lounge

3 minute Abdominal Workout

2010-04-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

The routine basically consists of 6 different exercises completed over the time of 3 minutes, changing exercise every 30 seconds. So it is a non-stop ab workout.

BEFORE THIS IS EVEN ATTEMPTED MAKE SURE YOUR ABDOMINAL ARE WELL STRETCHED OUT

They can be stretched out fully by lying on your front on flat ground, (or on a carpet, towel, something comfortable) and then keeping your whole front of your body on the floor and just pushing your upper body up, like a push up but keeping your knees touching the floor so you will be stretching your abs outwards and your lower back. After you have stretched out your abdominal and feel comfortable and able, prepare for the workout.

The first exercise - Elbows to knees sit ups - crossed legs and bent, bring them up and put your hands behind your head and just touch your elbows to knees, this is a fairly simple sit up. Do this for 30 SECONDS

Second exercise - Lying completely straight on the floor, then bring your ankles towards your bum so your knees and bent and pointing towards the ceiling, place your palms on your thighs and just sit up reaching with your palms to the top of your knees. 30 SECONDS

Third exercise - Lying completely straight - standard crunch sit ups for 30 SECONDS (this is where you bring your upper and lower body to meet in the middle.)

Fourth exercise - Lying like a star on the floor, sit up and reach left hand to right foot, then back down then right hand to left foot. DO THIS FOR 30 SECONDS

Fifth exercise - similar to the elbow to knees sit ups except you do the same thing and cycle your legs at the same time. Whilst cycling rotate your body so your elbow touches the opposite knee.

Sixth exercise - to finish off the exercises you need to sit up right. Fold your arms and keeping your legs straight bring them off the ground 6 inches so your holding yourself up. 30 SECONDS

Flow through these exercises with no break, so its a straight 3 minutes non-stop and then make sure that you stretch your stomach out as well as your lower back.

If your a beginner, just simply change the amount of seconds you do each exercise for, and then add seconds for people who want to make it harder, then you can add your own sit ups to it or take some away, its completely your choice.

That is it, simple as that, 3 times a week and with a correct diet as well as running or hitting the gym, you will notice your abs becoming stronger and also more defined.

If you have any queries on how to do any of the ab exercises, do no hesitate to contact me
Paul