Exercise of the Day- Bicycle Crunch

Exercise: Bicycle Crunch
Target Muscle: Abs











1- Lie with your back flat against the floor and your hands placed behind your head.
2- Bring your shoulder blades off the mat into a basic crunch.


3- Lift your legs off the mat and place one leg in a 90-degree angle and the other leg in a 45-degree angle.
4- Move your legs in a bicycle motion, like you are pedaling, bringing your left one up to a 90-degree angle as the right one moves back into a 45-degree angle.
5- Meet your right knee with your left elbow as it comes closer to your upper body. As your left knee comes close to you, meet it with your right elbow.

Tiff

Exercise of the Day #7- Lateral Raises

Exercise: Lateral Raises

Target Muscles: Lateral Deltoids (shoulders)

This exercise can be done with dumbbells or exercise bands.

1- Begin with your arms down to your sides

2- With your elbows slightly bent begin raising your arms straight out to the sides until they are level with your shoulder. (reference picture above)

3- Now slowly return your arms to the starting position.

Tiff

Exercise of the day #6- Inner/Outer Thigh Extensions

Exercise: Inner/Outer Thigh Extensions
Target Muscles: Inner and Outer Thighs

-Tie an exercise band around a pole or to a sturdy object.

(If you do not have great balance make sure there is something close by that you can place your hand on to help balance you)

Exercise 1 - Inner Thigh: (Picture #1 above)
-Tie the band around the leg closest to the band(the band should be on your side)

-Make sure you stand far enough away from the other end of the band to give you a challenging resistance.
-With your leg straight and slightly in front of you (just enough to move it past the other leg)

-Cross the leg with the band crossing in front of your standing leg until you can not go further and then return to the starting position.

Exercise 2 Outer Thigh: (Picture #2 above)

-Leaving the band tied to your ankle turn and face the opposite direction(the band should now cross in front of your standing leg with about the same resistance)

-Move your leg with the band straight out to the side until you can not go further (the band should cross in front of your standing leg) and then return to the starting position.

Tiff

Exercise of the day #5- Stability Ball Crunch

Exercise: Stability Ball Crunch
Target Muscles: ABS

- Using a (well inflated) stability ball, sit on the ball and then slowly lean back and roll the ball into your lower back.

- Place your hands behind your head with your elbows out.

- Contract (squeeze) your abs and lift your Chest toward the ceiling pulling your back off the ball.

- As you curl up, keep the ball stable (you shouldn't roll).

- Slowly lower back down to your starting position.

Once you get good at these, hold a plate in your hands near your chest for and added challenge.

Tiff

Exercise of the Day #4- Tricep Push-ups

Exercise: Tricep Push-up
Target Muscles: Triceps
Secondary Muscles: Chest

Just like doing a regular pushup, but with your hands positioned close together (make a diamond shape with your hands). As you lower make sure to keep your elbows in, this will keep all the tension on the triceps. If you let your elbows turn out, you will be working your chest more than your triceps. Now push back up to your starting position while keeping your elbows in.

For those who can not correctly do a push up on their toes should lower to their knees while still keeping your back straight and level.

Tiff

Exercise of the Day #3- Pec Flys

Exercise: Pec Flys
Target Muscles: Chest (pecs)

Pec flys can be done in a couple ways. The picture shows them being done on the floor. You can also use a bench (flat or incline) or stability ball.

This exercise not only strengthens your chest but it also works on joint stability in the shoulder (rotator cuff).

Following in the picture:

(1) Start with a comfortable weight.

***It is important that you do not use to much weight as this could cause injury. Use a weight that is challenging but not impossible. If you feel unstable during this exercise try lowering your weight or have someone spot you at our elbows (only enough to keep your arm in line).

(2) Your arms will start straight out to the sides, bring your arms straight up above your chest until your hands meet and then SLOWLY bring your arms back down to the starting position.

**If you are on a bench or stability ball, it is very important to make sure you do not let your arm drop below the level of your shoulder. This could cause you to injure or tear your pec or rotator cuff.

Tiff

Exercise of the Day #2 Sumo Squats-The ladies will love this one!

Exercise: Sumo Squats (The Ladies will love this one!)
Target Muscles: Inner thigh and glutes

Sumo Squats can be done with a medicine ball, dumbbell, or plate.

~Start with your feet as far apart that is comfortable (slightly more than shoulder width),

~ Turn your toes outward(like in the picture)

~ Once in this stance make sure you are standing with a straight back (roll shoulder back/chest out), tighten your abs and glutes.

~ Now you want to squat (keeping your knees behind your toes) until your thighs are parallel with the ground (knees at 90 degree angle).

*Make sure your knees are pointing the direction of your toes, and to keep a straight back during the entire exercise.

Use a weight that is challenging but not so heavy that you will stand in an improper position.

Tiff

Exercise of the Day #1

Exercise: Tricep Dips
Targets: Triceps
Counteracting muscle: Biceps (when ever you use one muscle-there is always another that has to work in the opposite manner)

~I love tricep dips because there are so many ways to use this one exercise to benefit your needs.

~You can do this exercise at home or at the gym, and the great thing about this one is it starts by using your body weight and as you become comfortable with the exercise you can modify it to make it more difficult.

* Make sure to keep you elbows going straight behind you,not out to the sides.

~ Here are some variations of the exercise once you are comfortable with the original positioning (It's always good to throw something new at your muscles- they don't like doing the same thing all the time!):

* place your legs straight instead of bent which shifts the load of the weight, which makes your triceps work differently.

* put a chair or bench across from you and place the back of your feet on the bench. This also changes the weight load, which again makes you triceps work differently

* place a weight on your lap (plate weights work the best b/c they won't roll)-I also recommend going back to the bent knee position to start when you are doing these with weights until you are comfortable with the added weight.

Tiff