by Cori Lefkowith | Sep 1, 2014 | Blog, Core, Exercises
Often when people think about training their core, they think of six-pack abs and crunches.
They think about aesthetics. But core training is about more than getting six-pack abs. A strong core means less risk for pain and injury and it also means you can lift more and run faster.
Plus, core training is about more than working your abs – it is about strengthening everything from your shoulders to your knees.
Proper core training isn’t about doing a million crunches. It is about doing exercises that work everything from your shoulders to your knees.
Core training will improve your stability and strength in every plane of motion.
Below are the Best Core Training Exercises to train your core and improve your stability and strength to prevent injury and help you move better (aka run faster and lift more!).
(more…)
by Cori Lefkowith | Aug 25, 2014 | Blog, Bodyweight, Exercises, Handstands
There is just something so cool and fun about handstands.
However, they are far from easy and many of us can’t even hold one against a wall let alone hold a freestanding one for a second.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t include handstand work in our exercise routines.
Handstands are a great way to build upper body and core stability and strength. Beginner variations even improve your upper body mobility so that as your strength increases, you can do more and more challenging variations.
No matter your level, there is a handstand variation right for you that can help you work toward that freestanding handstand and give you a great upper body and core workout.
Check out our How to do a Handstand Progression (and our How to do a One-Handed Handstand Progression) to help you achieve that handstand or at least get in some great upper body and core work!
(more…)
by Cori Lefkowith | Aug 22, 2014 | Blog, Bodyweight, Exercises, Pain Relief
Especially since most of us sit all day hunched over a computer screen we need to stretch and open up before we workout. We need to do Dynamic Stretches.
Dynamic Stretches are stretches in which you work through a range of motion. They aren’t stretches that you hold. You are moving and allowing everything to warm up as you improve your joint mobility.
These stretches help open up our posture and return our body to proper alignment after sitting all day, which helps us prevent injury when we workout.
However, all too often, people skip their warm up and go straight into their workout, especially when they are going for a run. They figure they will “warm up as they go.”
But it doesn’t work that way.
Without correcting some of the dysfunction we create from sitting all day and warming up our joints through a proper range of motion, we can’t run as fast and we risk getting injured.
Below are 10 Dynamic Stretches for Runners that will help you prevent injury and get your body ready to run so that you can run faster with better form! (more…)
by Cori Lefkowith | Aug 11, 2014 | Blog, Butt, Exercises
If you want a full body workout in one exercise that really blasts your backside, then you need to include deadlifts in your routine.
There are many variations of the deadlift, but all of them are a great posterior chain exercise to increase your back, glute and hamstring strength.
How to Deadlift Properly:
(more…)
by Cori Lefkowith | Aug 4, 2014 | Blog, Exercises, Suspension Trainer
At Redefining Strength, our goal is to help you learn to move better so you feel better and stronger in every day life.
And one of our go-to training tools to help you move and feel better is the Suspension Trainer. So when CoreX sent us their Suspension Trainer, we were excited to play around with it!
Here are 10 Suspension Trainer Exercises you can do to work your entire body!
(more…)
by Cori Lefkowith | Aug 2, 2014 | Blog, Bodyweight, Exercises
“Isometric” describes the type of muscle contraction that is taking place.
So an isometric exercise, therefore, is an exercise that is held. The muscle is being held at a point under tension.
That makes isometrics great exercises to use when you are looking to activate under-active muscles and get your body ready to work. It also makes isometrics great recovery exercises.
Here are some of the best Isometrics to prevent injury, activate under-active muscles and help your body recover! These moves will improve your muscular stability and your body’s mobility. (more…)
