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Push-Ups For Beginners – 5 Simple Tips To Perfect Your Push Up

Push-Ups For Beginners – 5 Simple Tips To Perfect Your Push Up

by | Apr 22, 2021 | Blog, Bodyweight, Exercises, Push Ups

Push ups not only require a lot of upper body strength but also core strength.

They require you to properly recruit and engage everything from your shoulders to your knees so your body moves as one unit. You need to not only have amazing strength but also proper wrist, shoulder and scapular mobility and stability.

They are a much more complex movement than we often give them credit for.

That’s why I want to share 5 tips to help you not only dial in your push up form, but also strengthen all of the muscles involved in the movement so you can improve your push ups.

But first, I want to explain why it’s key we remember we may need to regress to progress to start.

And one of the best ways to do that is by using an incline over even the knee push up variation!

The knee push up variation is actually more challenging than we often give it credit for. And it doesn’t teach us to engage everything between our shoulders to our feet.

We need to train that full plank position to help us better engage everything as we build up toward that full push up from the ground.

That’s why the incline push up is a great way to modify the push up to start.

You can start off a wall and slowly lower the incline as you’re ready.

And by using an incline, we can even mix up the push up variations we include as we build up.

It can be boring feeling like you aren’t able to try some of those fun push up variations. But using an incline, you don’t have to stick with just the basic push up.

You can include other push up variations that may even be great accessory moves in and of themselves to improve your strength toward that first full push up.

Want to target your triceps more?

Try the close grip push up off an incline.

Or if you want to work on your core strength more as well as your shoulder stability?

Try the shoulder tap push up.

By mixing up your push up variations you can keep you training fun and interesting and even address your weak links to get stronger!

5 Key Tips To Help You Improve Your Push Ups

#1: Drive back through your heels.

Part of getting stronger is also about being more EFFICIENT in your movements. It’s about learning how to engage muscles correctly so it actually requires less effort to do the movement.

And one great way to make sure you have the proper tension during the push up to maintain that nice straight line from your head to your heels, is to cue yourself to drive back through your heels.

This will help you flex your quads for that nice plank position.

Because while this is an upper body move you need to have that proper full body engagement so you aren’t overloading your upper body but also making your lower body assist you in moving efficiently.

When you set up for the push up, push backward off the balls of your feet. Feel the change in how you flex your legs as you do this. Just make sure that as you drive back, you keep your hands outside your chest and don’t let them shift up above your shoulders.

Keep pushing backward off the balls of your feet as you lower down.

Feel those legs stay engaged to help you maintain that plank position!

#2: Push the ground away.

Want to engage your triceps, shoulders and pecs better while helping prevent elbow pain during push ups? Focus on your hands grip on the ground.

That tension we create through our hands down into the ground can really help us better activate the muscles of our upper body.

And it can help us prevent overuse from rocking out on our hands.

As you set up for the push up, spread your fingers with your middle finger pointing straight ahead. Grip the ground or incline with your entire hand, even pressing your thumb down into the ground.

At the top of the push up, think about pushing the ground away just slightly to even better stabilize your shoulders.

And do not lose this tension even as you lower down. Too often we just think about lowering down over maintaining that tension into the ground.

But this tension can also help us in that transition from lowering to pressing back up.

If you’ve ever felt like you struggle at the bottom to change to pushing back up?

This focus on your hands pushing down into the ground can make all of the difference. So even as you lower, push the ground away so that when you move to push back up, you’ve already created that tension.

#3: Feel your back assisting.

While yes, the push up is a move for our chest, shoulders and triceps, we can’t ignore the important role our upper back plays in this movement.

We often think about our scapular movement, or the movement of our shoulder blades, during things like rows.

But that scapular movement is essential to actually create a more powerful press.

Proper scapular movement can mean healthier, happier shoulders, elbows and even wrists. Not to mention you avoiding neck pain from push ups.

So as you perform the push up, think about your back working to support your shoulders.

Make sure that, when you set up, you very slightly pull your shoulder blades down toward your butt as you unshrug your shoulders. Think about feeling the sides of your back slightly engage to support your shoulders.

Then, as you lower down, think about your shoulder blades drawing together toward your spine.

As you press back up, focus on pulling those shoulder blades apart.

Use your back and that proper scapular movement to power your press!

#4: Use push up holds.

Push ups are basically a moving plank so often when we think push ups and improving our core strength, we turn to plank holds.

And those are great.

But you can actually work on that plank position from just about any point in the push up.

By holding even mid-way through the push up or at the bottom, you can really strengthen not only your core but also your upper body.

You can also help yourself overcome any weak points or stick points in the move.

If there is a point you feel you always get stuck at?

Hold there to strengthen everything.

When we hold, we can really focus on what we feel working because we aren’t distracted by trying to actually perform a movement.

We can stay in one position and run through the muscles that should be working to make sure we feel them. We have time to even assess our form and make small tweaks.

That time under tension can help us build strength as we work on that mind-body connection to use muscles efficiently.

So next time you include some accessory core work, try including bottom push up holds or mid push up holds instead of just doing even the high plank position to work your core!

#5: Quality over quantity.

Practice makes better. But only when you’re practicing the proper movement. If we get lazy with our reps and compensate or replicate improper movement patterns?

We are going to ingrain those bad habits through repetition.

So as you build up, make sure to focus on quality over quantity. Make every rep your best rep to really solidify those proper movement patterns.’

And focus on fewer reps of a harder variation to really challenge your body to progress.

Too often when we want to work toward that first full push up, we just make ourselves better at the modified variation by adding more reps.

Instead of doing more reps of a more modified push up, we need to think about doing fewer reps with more sets to keep attempting a more challenging variation.

So if you can do only 1 push up off a lower incline, but 5 off a higher?

It is better to include that 1 rep off the harder variation, simply resting longer between to create the volume over sets.

Because you need to use those harder variations to get better at them!

Summary:

Use the incline push up variation to help you build up toward that first full push up from your toes. You can even start off the wall and lower the incline as you feel ready.

As you build up, use these tips and cues to help you dial in your push up form and use muscles efficiently to perform the movement.

And don’t be afraid to use some fun variations off the incline to help you target those weak links and keep your training fun and interesting!

Can’t Do Pull Ups? Just Do This!

Can’t Do Pull Ups? Just Do This!

by | Jan 28, 2021 | Blog, Pull Ups

The pull up is an amazing, and challenging, bodyweight back exercise.

And too often we simply throw up our hands and say “I can’t do a pull up” then completely avoid the movement.

Or we say we’re too old, too heavy, our arms are too long…pick an excuse….we make it!

But there is an amazing way to modify this move to practice that vertical pull and build up your grip, arm and back strength while working on your scapular mobility.

And NO it’s not the band pull up.

So what variation of the pull up do I love to use and why do I avoid the band pull up if possible?

And what are three key moves to help you build up to that first full one?

Avoiding the Band Pull Up:

So often we turn to bands for assistance. But band assisted pull ups have one major drawback…

They give you assistance in a way that you don’t have to learn that initial scapular movement and engagement of your back.

They put you ABOVE that dead hang so that you don’t learn how to initiate scapular depression to go from that dead hang to engaged.

It can also be hard to really adjust the tension fully to exactly what you need, especially as you fatigue.

That’s why I prefer the Foot Assisted variation.

Why I Love The Foot Assisted Pull Up:

foot-assisted-pull-up

Using just your feet, you can provide only as much assistance as you need to feel your back working. And as you fatigue, you can adjust.

While you don’t want to turn this into a lower body move, using your toes to assist can allow you to reduce the resistance on your upper body to focus on your back pulling.

AND you can work through that full range of motion, applying more or less resistance at stick points in the exercise.

It can also allow you to slow down the tempo or use just the foot assistance on the way up before performing a slow eccentric lower, even without using your feet!

Focusing on the eccentric can allow you to use a more advanced variation to build up than you may be able to control for the full movement because we are generally stronger during the eccentric portion of a lift!

And when you slow down the tempo, you can spend more time under tension to improve your strength and control!

Three Key Accessory Moves:

As you work on your pull ups, these are 3 key accessory moves that can help you target imbalances, improve your scapular control and strengthen your grip and abs! They are perfect moves to include in your circuits or sets after your intial pull up skill work.

1: Mini Pull Ups

hanging scapular retraction

If you’ve ever thought, “If I could just jump over that initial part, I could do one.” You need to include mini pull ups in your routine.

This is the perfect way to learn how to depress your shoulder blades and engage your back so you power the pull with your back.

Do not rush this move and really focus on leading with your chest.

Do not bend your arms to try to make the movement bigger. Often we want to use our biceps to power the pull, but this move helps us avoid doing that.

Focus on engaging your back and drawing your shoulder blades down toward your back pockets. Think about slightly opening your chest up toward the bar as you think about unshrugging your shoulders.

And if you need to modify to control the move, try a foot-assisted variation!

2: Single Arm Lat Pulldown

lat pulldown

Strengthen your back and improve your scapular control with this unilateral move that will also help you correct any imbalances.

Especially if you’ve ever had a shoulder injury, this is a key move to help you avoid injury as you work on your pull ups.

I love using a band for this move as it will apply more resistance where your lats are strongest. It applies more resistance at the end range of motion.

Just make sure you don’t push down on the band as you perform the move and turn this into a tricep exercise. Think about driving your elbows back and toward your hip. Feel your shoulder blade move down as you pull.

Then fully extend out as you reach back overhead to take your shoulder blade through a full range of motion.

You want to make sure too that you’re mimicking a vertical pull. Don’t turn this into a row. Focus on that hinge and thoracic extension so your arm moves in line with your spine.

3: Hanging Abs

hanging-knees-to-elbows

Often we don’t recognize how core intensive the pull up is.

But if we want to improve our pull ups, we need to build up our core strength.

Hanging abs are a great way to do just that. They can improve your grip and core strength at the same time. They even can help you work on that initial back engagement.

Make sure to engage your back as you perform these hanging ab exercises. It will also help you prevent yourself from swinging a ton.

If you need to start by modifying because you can’t control the move, you can do a variation lying on the ground, holding on to a pole behind you. This will allow you to still engage your back and better activate your abs as you raise your legs or tuck your knees in.

Using these three moves, and the foot assisted pull up variation, you can improve your pull ups and start working toward that first full one!

Ready to rock those pull ups? Take my 30-Day Pull Up Challenge!

5 Bodyweight Exercises For A Full-Body Workout – Try these 2 Home Workouts!

5 Bodyweight Exercises For A Full-Body Workout – Try these 2 Home Workouts!

by | Apr 10, 2020 | Blog, Bodyweight, Exercises, Workouts

I love giving clients no excuse to skip their workouts. Even if you have very little space and just your own bodyweight, you can get in an amazing full body routine. 

Below are 5 moves that can be combined for a killer full-body workout and I’ll share a few ways to modify each to meet your current fitness level.

So even if you’re working out in your living room, you can build strength and muscle!

The key to challenging yourself with just your own bodyweight is using unilateral moves, a combination of both rotational and ANTI-rotational exercise, increasing the range of motion of basic exercises, creating hybrid exercises and even moving in every plane of motion.

And with these 5 moves, I’ll show you how to use all of those forms of progression!

5 Bodyweight Exercises To Use At Home:

Exercise #1: Airborne Lunge 

bodyweight leg exercise

Want a more glute-focused variation of the pistol squat? Or maybe something just a bit more accessible to use in your routine?

Then you’ll love the Airborne Lunge.

If you find the single leg deadlift easy and want to work your quads and hamstrings while targeting your glutes a bit more, this unilateral move is an amazing way to do just that. 

It’s also a great way to work through a full range of motion and, because it is a unilateral move, it adds in that balance challenge. Also, you now have to support all of your weight on one side, which increases the “load” you have to carry on both legs.

To do this move, you’ll stand on one leg with your other knee bent to pull your heel up toward your butt. Start by hinging at the hips. This isn’t a squat it is a hip hinge movement, so you will lean forward as you sit your butt back.

Then sink down dropping that other knee down toward the ground. Keep your heel pulled up toward your butt so you can’t push off that other foot as you touch your knee down.

Also, avoid reaching that other knee back too far. Focus on loading that standing glute and sinking to touch the knee down then driving back up through your standing heel. Squeeze your glute at the top and only touch the foot down if you need to balance.

To modify, you do not have to sink as low or you can hold on to a doorway or counter or stair rail. 

You could also take a cushion or pillow to give yourself something to lower down to and even do an eccentric only variation. Lowering down using this move, then touching your foot down to stand back up and reset.

And the single leg deadlift is always an option, with a slower tempo, if you do have knee pain with flexion.

To advance the Airborne Lunge, you can also use a slower tempo and even a pause at the bottom. 

Exercise #2: Row Push Ups

push up variation

If you want a push up variation that works not only your chest, shoulders and triceps but also your back, you need to try this hybrid push up variation – the Row Push Up.

This is also a great anti-rotational core move, which will target your obliques and improve your shoulder stability. You’ll even feel your GLUTES working to help you fight the urge to rotate as you row.

While tempting, it is key with this move that you don’t rush the row because you start to lose balance. And unlike the standard push up, where your feet will be together, you want to place your feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart so you can really focus on fighting rotation. 

When you do this push up, fight to keep your body from rotating as you row your hand up toward your chest. And don’t just simply lift your hand, focus on feeling your back pull your hand up. This is a great way to work on that scapular movement as you stabilize in that plank position.

It will improve your shoulder and scapular stability.

For the full, advanced, variation, you’ll perform a push up in between each row. A great way to modify the movement to start is to first do a row on each side then a push up instead of a push up after each row.

If you can’t yet do a full push up, I recommend modifying off an incline or, if you don’t have an incline, you can do the move completely from your knees.

It’s even possible to do a hybrid of knees and feet, performing the push up on your knees then moving to your toes for the plank row.

To advance the move, play around with tempos, full hand release at the bottom or even do the same but different as a decline variation. 

But do not rush through the row thinking it is a simple hand lift.

Exercise #3: Side Lunge to Curtsy Lunge

side-to-curtsy-lunge

Improve your hip mobility and build leg strength through multiple planes of motion by combining the side lunge and curtsy lunge into a series. 

A great way to progress moves, and create a new challenge for your body, is to slightly alter the plane of motion you are working in and even combine moves so that you are working the same muscle groups but in different ways.

This lunge series is a great way to target not only your entire leg but specifically your glutes and adductors.

If you’re just starting out with this move, you may tap your foot down between reps  as you come center or not sink as deep in the lunge.

As you work to advance the lunge series, perform a bigger range of motion, lunging deeper, and avoid touching your foot down between lunges. This forces you to perform a more powerful push out of each lunge to work your legs while also forcing your core to work to keep you balanced.

If you find you have to do a stutter step to push back up and center, you’ve performed too big a range of motion for your current fitness level.

To advance the move, you could slow down the tempo or add in a pulse to each lunge. You can even combine other lunges into the series or find ways to increase the range of motion even using a stair!

If you struggle to properly load your glutes during these moves, touching your hand back toward your heel in the side lunge or using a slight hip hinge, leaning forward to sit your butt back, can help.

Also watch that you don’t rotate open with the curtsy lunge but instead really focus on crossing your leg behind.

If you have knee pain you can reduce the active knee flexion even doing taps from more of a skater squat position. 

Exercise #4: Mountain Climber Turkish Bridge

great core exercises

This is a killer rotational core move that will work everything down your frontside AND your backside while improving your shoulder stability!

Glutes, abs, obliques, quads, arms, back…it’s all working! This move does require more shoulder stability though to start so please implement it slowly if you’ve had previous shoulder injuries!

To do this move, start in the plank position and pull one knee across toward the opposite elbow. Really think about pulling that knee in with your abs and not just flexing at your hips. Think about rotating your entire torso to engage your core.

Then, as you extend your leg back out, rotate open toward the ceiling to actually kick that leg behind you so you will place that foot flat on the ground. You will keep that knee bent, almost as if doing a donkey kick as you rotate open.

As you rotate, you’ll place the foot of the bent knee down on the ground and really engage your glutes to move into a Turkish Bridge position. Squeeze your glutes to drive your hips up. Make sure to engage your back to support your shoulder as you reach your other hand up toward the ceiling. Focus on keeping that shoulder over your hand.

If you let your hand sneak out beyond your shoulder, it can place more strain on your shoulder and neck.

Pause for a second, squeezing your glutes, then bring that leg back across as your rotate closed to drive your knee back in toward your elbow.

To modify, you can do this off an incline or you can perform it from more of a bulldog, tabletop bridge position.

Exercise #5: Leg Lowers Plus 

leg lowers plus

This is an advanced core move that works your abs in a stabilizing fashion (as you lift and lower your legs), but also through spinal flexion because of that bonus lift at the top.

It is a very advanced variation of the pelvic tilt progression so if you can’t perform the basic straight leg lowers without your hands behind your lower back, you haven’t YET earned this move.

You will want to start with bent knees and perform a bent knee curl at the top.

The key with this exercise is to engage your core to brace and protect your lower back as you lower your legs down. You will do this by posteriorly tilting your pelvic and pressing your lower back into the ground

When you lower your legs toward the ground, flex your glutes even at the bottom. 

Lift your legs back up toward the ceiling and then, as if they are attached by a string, press them straight up toward the ceiling flexing your spine to lift your butt up.

Do not swing or use moment to lift as much as you can avoid it. I know it’s tempting to get a bigger range of motion since the lift can feel really small.

You can have your hands on the ground beside you and even push down into the ground to help you better engage your abs for that little plus lift at the top.

Or you can have your hands behind your head and even lift your head up to work your core more.

If you feel your lower back with basic leg lowers, keep your knees bent as you lower and curl in. And think about curling your knees in toward your head for the plus. Move slowly so that you aren’t using momentum!

2 Full-Body Bodyweight Home Workouts:

Not only can we slightly tweak moves to match our needs and goals, but we can also adjust our IMPLEMENTATION of the same basic moves.

Below are two different ways to use these moves to build full-body strength. One is interval based while the other is a rep ladder. Both will help you increase your training density to build strength using just your own bodyweight!

WORKOUT #1: The Bodyweight Strength Ladder

Start with 10 reps of each move (or per side) on the first round through the circuit. The next round through, perform 9 reps. Then 8,7,6…until you perform one rep on the final round. Rest only as needed. As the reps go down, progress movements as needed so they are still challenging. Time how long it takes you to beat that time next time through!

CIRCUIT:
10-1 rep per side Airborne Lunges
10-1 rep per side Row Push Ups
10-1 rep per side Side to Curtsy Lunge
10-1 rep per side Mountain Climber Turkish Bridge
10-1 rep Leg Lowers Plus

WORKOUT #2: The One-Minute Max Out

Set a timer for 1 minute intervals of work and complete each move back to back without resting. Perform as many reps of each move as you can in that time and record how many you do each round to try and beat it. Rest for 1 minute between rounds. Complete 3-5 rounds through. Beginners can start with just 30 seconds per move.

CIRCUIT:
1 minute Airborne Lunges
1 minute Row Push Ups
1 minute Side to Curtsy Lunge
1 minute Mountain Climber Turkish Bridge
1 minute Leg Lowers Plus
1 minute Rest

Want to learn how to get amazing results dialing in your bodyweight workouts AND your nutrition? Check out my Macro Hacks!

At-Home Bodyweight Workout: The 20s Chest And Legs Trisets

At-Home Bodyweight Workout: The 20s Chest And Legs Trisets

by | Mar 15, 2020 | Blog, Bodyweight, Core, Exercises

Just because you can’t make it to the gym doesn’t mean you have an excuse to skip your workout!

When you don’t have access to equipment, you can still get amazing results using just your own bodyweight.

By shortening rest, increasing volume slightly and by using different tempos and hybrid movements, you can challenge yourself without any tools in a very small space.

So if you can’t hit the gym, you can stay on track with this 20s Triset Blast to torch your chest, shoulders, triceps, abs and legs!

The 20s Chest And Legs Trisets

QUICK WARM UP OPTION:
Complete 1 round through the quick stretching flow below as well as 1-2 rounds of the activation.
STRETCHING:
5-10 reps per side Inchworm Flow
ACTIVATION:
10-15 reps Tabletop Bridge
10-15 reps Downward Dog Scapular Presses
8-12 reps per side Bulldog Shoulder Taps

WORKOUT:
Complete 3 rounds of each triset, resting only as needed. After you complete all 3 rounds on a triset, quickly move to the next series. Time how long it takes you to complete everything and try to beat that time next week! For any unilateral or one-sided move like the Lunges or Tricep Push Ups, you can complete 10 reps per side if you’re a beginner to intermediate exerciser. If you’re more advanced and have been working out consistently, you can work up to 20 per side!

TRISET #1:
20 reps Squat with Pulse
20 reps Forward to Backward Lunge
20 reps Bulldog Ins and Outs
TRISET #2:
20 reps Wide Grip Push Ups
20 reps Tricep Push Ups
20 reps Plank Hip Dips
TRISET #3:
20 reps Sumo Squat to Calf Raise
20 reps Push Up Toe Touch
20 reps Tabletop Dip Toe Touch

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Squat with Pulse:

squat with pulse

To do the Squat with Pulse, start standing tall with your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. Sit your butt back and down, squatting through a full range of motion. Keep your chest up and don’t round over.

Sink down to about parallel while keeping your heels down. You may go slightly below parallel but don’t make this the deepest squat you’ve ever done. From the bottom of your squat, pulse up a few inches then sink quickly back down.

While you don’t want to bounce, this is a very quickly little pulse a few inches up and then back down.

 Then drive back up to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top before repeating the squat with a pulse at the bottom.

Forward to Backward Lunge:

front to back lunge

To do the Forward to Backward Lunge, start standing tall with your feet together. Then lunge forward on one side. Bend your knees as you sink down as if lowering to half kneel on the ground. Try to get your front knee bent to about 90 degrees, sitting back in your heel. Drop your back knee down toward the ground as you keep your chest up.

Then drive back through your front heel to come back up to standing. You can tap your toe down center if needed or move right into the backward lunge.

Step back with the same leg you lunged forward with and sink into a backward lunge. Keep your chest up as you sit back in your front heel and drop your back knee down toward the ground. Then drive back up to standing, driving through your front heel.

Repeat, moving right back into the forward lunge on the same side.

Bulldog Ins and Outs:

bulldog bodyweight core move

To do Bulldog Ins and Outs, set up on your hands and knees with your knees under your hips and hands under your shoulders. Flex your feet and lift up onto your hands and the balls of your feet. 

Holding this bulldog position, jump your feet out wider so that your legs move open while your knees still stay about under your hips. Don’t let your legs straighten out as you jump out wide.

Then jump your feet back in and even closer together than where you started. You can jump them all the way together even and then jump back out.

Keep jumping your feet in and out as you keep your butt down and stay in that bulldog position.

To modify the move, step one foot out wide and then the other before stepping both back in and together.

Wide Grip Push Ups:

To do the Wide Grip Push Up, set up in the high plank position with your hands out wider at chest height. A great way to figure out a width to start with is to make your hands into fists and place your knuckles together. Lean forward and lay your arms on the ground with your knuckles together. Your elbows will be pointing out and, right at the end of each elbow, you will place your hands. Make sure your hands are at chest height and not way up by your head.

Then in the high plank position with your feet close together and your body in a nice straight line from your head to your heels, lower your chest down to the ground. Do not let your hips sag or your butt go up in the air. Make sure your entire body moves as one unit.

Lower all the way down then press back up with your body moving as one unit. Full straighten your arms out at the top and repeat, lowering back down. Try to keep your entire palm firmly on the ground as you press and lower.

Beginners can do the Wide Grip Push Up from their knees or off an incline.

Tricep Push Ups:

To do Tricep Push Ups, lie on your side with your legs out straight or bottom knee bent. If you bend both legs it will make it harder. Wrap your bottom arm up and place your hand on your opposite shoulder or around your ribs. Place your top hand down on the ground at about shoulder height or right below. The more you place the hand down toward your belly button, the harder the move will be.

Then press the ground away with that hand on the ground, feeling your tricep work to push your upper body up. Press up until your arm is extended and lower back down to the ground. Keep yourself on your side as you press and lower. Your chest may slightly rotate toward the ground as you press, but make sure you really focus on the back of your arm working.

Repeat, pressing up again until your arm is fully extended. Adjust your hand placement or your legs so you can press and stay under control. Also, engage your abs so your legs aren’t flopping around as you lift. You want to keep your legs down or regress the move to make sure that you can.

Plank Hip Dips:

To do the Plank Hip Dips, set up on your forearms and either your knees (beginner) or toes (advanced). Your elbows should be under your shoulders and your body should be in a nice straight line from your head to your heels or knees. Squeeze your glutes and keep your core tight with your belly button drawn in toward your spine. Do not let your hips sag or your butt go up toward the ceiling.

Then rotate, dropping your hips toward one side. Try to touch the ground as you rotate without your hips sagging or butt going up in the air. Also, do not let your elbows come up off the ground.

Come back center then drop your hip to the other side. Alternate hip touches until all reps are complete.

You will feel everything twisting even down to your feet or knees. Do not let yourself go all the way over. Make sure to control the twists and just touch the hip down before twisting to the other side.

Sumo Squat to Calf Raise:

To do the Sumo Squat to Calf Raise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Turn your toes out slightly. Keeping your chest up, sink down in a squat. Sit your butt back and keep your chest up. Make sure your knees stay in line with your hips and ankles. Do not let your knees cave in.

If your knees cave in, adjust your stance, bringing your feet closer together. Then drive back up to standing and squeeze your butt.

As you fully stand, push off the balls of your feet to raise your heels off the ground and perform the calf raise. Keep your toes slightly pointed out and make sure to push off the entire ball of your foot.

Lower your heels back down to the ground and repeat the sumo squat.

Push Up Toe Touch:

To do the Push Up Toe Touch, set up in the plank position on your feet and hands with your hands under your shoulders and your feet about shoulder-width apart. Putting your feet closer together can make it harder to balance and force your core to work harder. Your body should be in a nice straight line.

Then from this plank position, reach one hand back toward the opposite ankle. As you reach back, push your butt up in the air. Reach back toward the opposite ankle and then move back into the plank position, placing your hand back down on the ground.

Perform a push up, dropping your chest toward the ground with your body moving as one unit. Press back up and then reach the other hand back toward the opposite ankle.

Push your butt up into the air every time you reach back, but make sure to come back forward into the plank position before performing the push up.

Tabletop Dip Toe Touch:

To do the Tabletop Dip to Toe Touch, start with your butt on the ground and then place your hands behind you as you bend your knees and place your feet flat on the ground.

Then lift your butt up off the ground. Perform a little dip, bending your elbows as you touch your butt back down to the ground.

Then lift up, bridging your hips up a bit, as you kick your leg up and reach your opposite hand to touch your toe. Place your hand and foot back down, then repeat the dip and then kick the other leg up and reach your other hand to touch your toe.

Move quickly without rushing so much that you don’t stay balanced. Also, make sure to perform a little dip after each toe touch, bending your elbows slightly to touch your butt down.

4 Full-Body HIIT Workouts – No Equipment Needed!

4 Full-Body HIIT Workouts – No Equipment Needed!

by | Feb 26, 2020 | Blog, Bodyweight, Exercises, Workouts

Looking for a calorie-torching HIIT workout you can do anywhere, no equipment needed? Then you’ll love these 4 Full-Body HIIT Workouts using just your own bodyweight!

Whether you have 5 minutes or 30 minutes, these high intensity interval workouts have you covered!

So whether you need a quick option to do at home on a busy day, or a way to burn fat while you travel, you have 4 killer workout options below!

4 Bodyweight HIIT Workouts 

You’ll find each workout in the videos at the times below. And for quick reference, I’ve written out the workouts below as well! 

1. The 30 Minute 30s Blast! (0:10)
2. The 5-Minute Full-Body Cardio Burner (3:34)
3. The 10-Minute Cardio Pyramid (4:32)
4. The 30/15 Full-Body Blast (6:54) 

The 30 Minute 30s Blast! 

Complete 4 rounds through each circuit, moving from exercise to exercise without resting. Bring your heart rate down between rounds with the active rest movement. If needed, fully rest during that time instead of performing the exercise. Or perform a modified variation that allows you to recover. Rest 1-2 minutes after completing all rounds of a circuit before moving on to the next one. 

CIRCUIT #1:
30 seconds Double Lunge Burpee
30 seconds Push Up Scorpions
30 seconds Squat Cross Jacks
30 seconds Elbow Bicycles
30 seconds Rotational Skiers Hops “Active Rest” 

CIRCUIT #2:
30 seconds Sumo Squat Jumps
30 seconds Criss Cross Push Up Hop
30 seconds Low Side To Side Lunges
30 seconds Lateral Crawl Shoulder Tap
30 seconds Two-Way March “Active Rest” 

CIRCUIT #3:
30 seconds Double Hop Burpee
30 seconds Climber Push Up Rolls
30 seconds Lateral Hops
30 seconds C-Sit Rotational Knees
30 seconds Fighter Practice “Active Rest” 

The 5-Minute Full-Body Cardio Burner 

Set a timer for 20 second intervals of work and move from exercise to exercise without resting. Complete 3 rounds through. 

CIRCUIT:
20 seconds per side Curtsy To Skip
20 seconds Downward Dog To Knee Tuck Push Up
20 seconds In and Out Squats
20 seconds Rotational Row Sit Up 

The 10-Minute Cardio Pyramid 

Set a timer for 30 second intervals of work and move from exercise to exercise without resting. You will go through the exercises to the “active rest” then go backward through the moves. If needed, fully rest during the 30 seconds of active rest. 

PYRAMID:
30 seconds Double Hop Burpee
30 seconds Criss Cross Push Up Hop
30 seconds Squat Cross Jacks
30 seconds Lateral Crawl Shoulder Tap
30 seconds C-Sit Rotational Knees
30 seconds Lateral Hops
30 seconds Climber Push Up Rolls
30 seconds Rotational Row Sit Up
30 seconds Sumo Squat Jumps
30 seconds Two-Way March “Active Rest”
30 seconds Sumo Squat Jumps
30 seconds Rotational Row Sit Up
30 seconds Climber Push Up Rolls
30 seconds Lateral Hops
30 seconds C-Sit Rotational Knees
30 seconds Lateral Crawl Shoulder Tap
30 seconds Squat Cross Jacks
30 seconds Criss Cross Push Up Hop
30 seconds Double Hop Burpee 

The 30/15 Full-Body Blast 

Set a timer for 30 second intervals of work with 15 seconds to transition between moves. Complete 4-6 rounds through. Rest an additional 45 seconds between rounds if needed otherwise only rest the 15 seconds between moves!

CIRCUIT:
30 seconds Double Lunge Burpee
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Push Up Scorpions
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds In and Out Squats
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Lateral Crawl Shoulder Tap
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Elbow Bicycles
15 seconds Rest 

 

The Balance Booty Burner

The Balance Booty Burner

by | Dec 20, 2019 | Blog, Bodyweight, Butt, Core, Pain Relief, Workouts

A majority of people HATE balancing moves. 

They’re awkward and uncomfortable.

But guess what?

They’re also the moves we most often NEED to be doing.

That’s why almost every program I create has some type of balancing in it.

And all too often, those are the workouts people ask me if they can skip.

My answer?

“The exact reason you want to skip the workout is the reason you HAVE TO DO IT! Soooo NOPE!” haha

Because we NEED to work on our mind-body connection.

We NEED to work on our ability to recruit those muscles to stabilize from the ground up.

Our feet and lower legs are our foundation. And we need a strong and stable foundation if we want to be stronger further up our body.

That’s why in my Booty Burner (2.0) I made sure to include a BALANCE routine, which of course you have to repeat even though you’d love to skip it.

My Booty Burner 1.0 had the Yoga Booty Burner, which people hated…And this new one has The Balance Booty Burner, which oddly stinks in a different way! YAY!

(And if you find balancing is a struggle, I coach you in the follow along workouts, providing variations you can start with to build up!)

These Booty Burner workouts are so key though because of the “ankle-butt connection.”

They help you improve your balance and mind-body connection as you build a strong foundation and activate your glutes!

Especially if you’ve ever had foot or ankle issues…even ones 10 years ago that no longer “bother” you… your current knee or hip pain may be connected! 

And all of the glute activation in the world won’t fully add up IF you aren’t doing the right moves to establish that mind-body connection from the ground up!

It’s why you NEED glute activation series like this one!

So try the Balance Booty Burner from my Booty Burner 2.0 below!

LAST CHANCE TO GET MY BOOTY BURNER before it is retired!

The Balance Booty Burner

Complete 1-3 rounds of the circuit below, pausing briefly to rest and switch sides after all 4 moves are complete (up to 20 seconds). You want to complete all 4 moves on one side before switching. If you find you can’t complete all 4 moves without pausing, you may want to switch sides after the first two moves or rest 40 seconds between rounds.

CIRCUIT:
20 seconds per side Warrior III
20 seconds per side Warrior III Squats
20 seconds per side Standing Clams
20 seconds per side Side Shift Skaters

The quick reference image below is taken from the 28-Day Booty Burner Book, BUT with the program you’ll also get video workouts so you can workout with me and I can coach you through the moves!

LAST CHANCE TO JOIN THE BOOTY BURNER BEFORE IT’S GONE!