Which of these two classic upper-body pushes deserves to be the centerpiece of your program? The answer might surprise you!
Strength Showdown: Push-up Vs. Bench Press
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Tag Archives: exercise
What is Functional Fitness?
How to do Wood Chops Functional Exercise
At HomeBodyFit, we love functional fitness, otherwise known as training your body to handle real-life activities in real-life positions. For example, our training programs are not confined to lifting weight in an idealized posture conceived by a gym machine. Conventional weight-training (which is great and should be a part of of your fitness routine) isolates muscle groups, but functional fitness routines take your regime one step further and teaches the muscle groups you’re isolating to work with others,
One example, The Wood Chop!
How to do The Wood Chop
All you need is a medicine ball (we have 8 to 20-pounders available for our clients).
- Holding the ball with both hands, squat down with the ball over one knee.
- With control, explosively swing the ball over your opposite shoulder.
Important! Concentrate on decelerating the ball with your core.
Benefits:
- Slimmed waistline
- Strong core
- Defined shoulders
The HomeBodyFit Wood Chop Circuit (Advanced)
Do 10 reps of The Wood Chop on each side and repeat four times
Ready to take your exercise and/or program to the next level? Learn more about HomeBodyFit at-home fitness programs and meal plans.
Burn an extra 300+ calories a day in just 4 minutes
How to do Mountain Climbers
Mountain Climbers are an incredibly challenging exercise, but they are worth it! They scorch calories, boost your metabolism, pump up your heart rate and strengthen legs and core muscles. And the best part is…you can do them anywhere!
Even if you only do one HomeBodyFit circuit, (below) you’ll boost your calorie burn for the day – 300+ calories worth!
How to do Mountain Climbers
- Come to a push-up position with your knees off the floor and your hands shoulder-width apart. Your hands should be positioned slightly ahead of of your shoulders and your fingers pointed forward.
- Bring one foot forward like a lunge and place it on the floor under your chest with your thigh towards your chest. Keep your other leg straight and strong and your toes are tucked under with your heel up. Engage your abdominal muscles to stabilize your spine and pull your shoulder blades down and back.
- With your hands firmly on the ground, abdominal muscles engaged and shoulders strong, jump to switch leg positions. Both feet leave the ground as legs switch positions. Repeat at maximum intensity for best results.
HomeBodyFit Tabata Mountain Climbers – Advanced
Work this circuit into your next session. All you need is a stopwatch. Remember, for best results you need to perform these at maximum intensity.
Perform mountain climbers (engaging your abdominal muscles and keeping your shoulders strong) for 20 seconds. Rest or 10 seconds. Repeat 8 times.
Interested in starting an at-home fitness program and meal plan? Contact HomeBodyFit for a FREE Consultation.
Send your core strength through the roof!
At HomeBodyFit, our clients are used to seeing planks and plank circuits incorporated into their workouts. Why? Because they work! They may be difficult to start with, but once you feel and see the benefits, you’ll begin to crave the burn that comes with doing challenging plank circuits.
The physical and aesthetic benefits of planking are:
- Improves strength and flexibility throughout the body
- Requires focus and mental stamina
- Improves posture, tightens your core and streamlines that waistline!
Here’s how to properly do a Full and Side Plank.
How to do a Full Plank
How to do a full plank
- On a yoga matt, start in a push-up position and lower your forearms to the floor; your elbows and fists are flat to the ground (your hands are either straight out in front of you – palms down or in a fist, or clasped, whichever is more comfortable for you).
- With your toes curled under, keep your back straight, your buttocks down.
- Engage your abs (imagine pulling your belly button towards your spine)
- You’ll feel a burning. Continue to keep your buttocks down.
How to do a Side Plank
How to do a side plank
- Lie with the whole side (starting on the left or right) of your body on your yoga matt.
- Use your floor-side elbow to prop up your body, keeping your body up on your elbow – aligning your elbow directly underneath your shoulder – and your feet together.
- Your forearm (lying perpendicular to your body), elbow and floor-side foot should be supporting your body.
- Rest your opposite arm along your body or extent it straight up to the ceiling.
- Engage your abs (feel the burn) and hold the pose.
Note: If this is too challenging at first, you can bring your knees down to the floor to help support your weight. To make this exercise more challenging, balance on on just your floor-side hand and foot (pictured above).
Interested in learning more about the HomeBodyFit Plank Circuit (Advanced)? Contact us for a FREE consultation today!
