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EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS

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UPPER BODY EXERCISES

Standard Push-Up | Focus: Chest, shoulders, back, abs | (VIDEO)

Get into a push-up position with your body in a straight line, feet together, hands wider than shoulder-width apart and your eyes focused on the floor. Press yourself up to full arm extension, keeping your abs tight and back straight. Squeeze your arms and chest at the top then lower yourself to the start and repeat. Don’t bounce your chest off the floor, but rather start each rep when your chest reaches a point an inch or so away from the floor.

Incline Push-Up | Focus: Lower chest, shoulders, back, abs | (VIDEO)

Find a wall, a sturdy end of a couch or a flat bench and place your hands against it wider than shoulder width apart. With your feet stable a couple of feet behind you, press until your arms are fully extended. Flex and squeeze your chest, shoulders and arms at the top then slowly lower yourself to the start. When your chest reaches an inch or so away from the stable platform, press yourself up again and repeat.

Decline Push-Up | Focus: Upper chest, shoulders, back, abs | (VIDEO)

Get into a push-up position with your feet elevated on a stool or bench or couch. Place your hands wider than shoulder-width apart and your eyes focused on the floor. Press yourself up to full arm extension, keeping your abs tight and back straight. Squeeze your arms and chest at the top then lower yourself to the start. When your face reaches an inch or so away from the floor, explode back up to the fully extended position.

Bench Press | Focus: Chest, shoulders, triceps

Lie faceup on a bench with your feet flat on the floor. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Carefully unrack the bar, inhale deeply and slowly lower it toward your chest. Keep your wrists aligned with your elbows and your elbows pointed out to your sides. When the bar just touches your chest, press back up explosively, exhaling forcefully and driving the weight away from you until you almost lock it out.

Barbell row | Focus: back

Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, grasp a barbell with a wide, overhand grip. Keeping your knees slightly bent, lean forward at your waist until your torso is roughly parallel with the floor. The barbell should hang straight down in front of your shins. Without raising your upper body, pull the barbell up toward your abdomen, bringing your elbows high and above the level of your back. Hold the bar in the top position for a brief count then slowly lower along the same path.

Pull-up | Focus: back

Grasp a fixed overhead bar with a wide overhand grip with your thumbs wrapped around the bar for safety. Hang freely from the bar, arms fully extended and feet crossed behind you. This is your starting position. Contract your lats to raise your chin over the bar. Concentrate on keeping your elbows out and pulling them down to your sides to raise yourself. Hold momentarily in the top position before slowly lowering yourself down to the starting position.

Dip | Focus: Chest, triceps, shoulders

Grasp the dip bars with your arms fully extended. Lean forward and bend your knees while keeping your legs crossed. Keep your elbows out to your sides as you bend them to lower your body down until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor. Press your hands into the bars to extend your arms and raise your body back up.

LOWER BODY EXERCISES

Bodyweight Squat | Focus: Legs, glutes, hamstrings, lower back | (VIDEO)

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, a light bend in your knees and your toes turned out slightly. Keeping your head neutral, abs tight and torso erect, bend at the knees and hips to slowly lower your body as if you were going to sit down in a chair. Pause when your legs reach a 90-degree angle, then forcefully drive through your heels, extending at your hips and knees until you arrive at the standing position.

Lunge | Focus: Legs, glutes,  hamstrings, lower back | (VIDEO)

Stand with your feet together, abs tight and eyes focused forward. Step forward with one foot. Bend both knees to lower yourself, making sure your front knee doesn’t pass your toes on your front foot. Stop just short of your rear knee touching the floor and reverse directions, driving through the heel of your forward foot to return to the start. Alternate legs for reps.

Squat | Focus: Quads, glutes, hamstrings

Stand erect holding a barbell across your upper back with your feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and your toes turned out slightly. Keeping your head neutral, abs tight and torso erect, bend at the knees and hips to slowly lower your glutes down and back. Pause when your legs reach a 90-degree angle, then forcefully drive through your heels extending at your hips and knees until you arrive at the standing position.

Wall Squat | Focus: Legs, glutes, hamstrings

Stand with your back against a wall, your feet planted firmly on the floor slightly ahead of your knees. Slide your back down the wall until your knees form a 90 degree angle, being careful that your knees do not drift past your toes. Keeping your back and butt in contact with the wall, hold this position for as long as is prescribed.

Bird pickers | Focus: Hamstrings, glutes

This move is akin to a single-leg Romanian deadlift, using on ly your bodyweight. Stand tall with your hands at your sides, feet flat on the floor about six inches apart. Keeping only a slight bend in your knees, bend forward at the waist, reaching for the floor with both hands. At the same time, raise one leg behind you — the goal should be to keep this leg in alignment with your back. Touch the floor gently and return to the starting position. Alternate legs for reps.

Bodyweight calf raise | Focus: Calves

Stand tall with your legs straight and eyes facing forward. Forcefully press through your toes to raise your heel off of the ground and squeeze at the top for a count before returning your heels to the floor. Repeat for reps.

Squat hold | Focus: Quads, glutes, hamstrings

From a standing position, descend into the bottom of a squat position, your knees at a 90 degree angle, being careful that your knees do not drift past your toes. Hold this position for as long as is prescribed. If this is too challenging, perform these steps with your back against a wall.

Standing calf raise | Focus: calves (emphasis: gastrocnemius)

Position your shoulders underneath the pads of a standing calf machine, grasp the support handles and place one foot on the platform. Carefully bring your second foot onto the platform and press the weight up into the top position. Carefully adjust your feet so that your heels hang off of the back edge of the platform. Keeping your legs straight, press on the balls of your feet to full extension, squeeze in the top position and slowly lower to the start. Repeat for reps.

Seated calf raise | Focus: calves (emphasis: soleus)

Sit at a seated calf machine, with the balls of your feet on the foot rests and the pads secured across your lower quads. Press up with your calves to unrack it, then lower your heels to the floor. After a good stretch, press up onto your toes as high as possible and squeeze and repeat. This exercise emphasizes the soleus, which lies beneath the more prominent heart-shaped gastrocnemius most people associate with calves.

ABDOMINAL EXERCISES

Crunch | Focus: Upper abs | (VIDEO)

Lie face-up on the floor with your hands cupped gently behind your head (do not pull on your neck). Keeping your knees bent and with your feet flat on the floor, crunch your upper body up until your shoulder blades are off the floor. Squeeze your abs then lower yourself back to the start and repeat.

Reverse Crunch | Focus: Lower abs | (VIDEO)

Lie faceup on the ground with your hands extended at your sides, your feet up and knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Your thighs should be perpendicular to the floor. Slowly bring your knees toward your chest, lifting your hips and glutes off the ground, and try to maintain the bend in your knees throughout the movement. Return under control.

Double Crunch | Focus: Upper abs, lower abs | (VIDEO)

Lie down on the floor with your legs straight, feet together. Place your hands gently behind your head and raise your feet off the floor roughly six inches. Crunch your upper body off the floor while simultaneously bringing your knees toward your torso, so that your upper body meets your lower body in the middle. Squeeze and return to the start, allowing your legs to remain above the floor throughout.

Hanging Leg Raise | Focus: lower abs

Grab a pull-up bar with a hands-forward (pronated grip) and hang at full extension with your ankles touching. Infuse tension into your lower abs and, keeping your knees only slightly bent, raise your legs out in front of you until they are just above parallel. Hold for a count and slowly return to the start, resisting the tendency to swing into the next rep.

Weighted Crunch | Focus: upper abs

Lie on the floor — or on a bench — with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and a medicine ball or other weight held just above and behind your head. Crunch as you would normally, keeping the weight in the same position throughout. Hold the top position for a count and return to the start.

Plank | Focus: Core, abs, lower back

Lie facedown on the floor with your body straight and forearms resting on the floor. Slowly press your body up off the floor onto your forearms and toes. Keep your abs pulled in tight and your back flat while holding this position.

FULL BODY EXERCISES

Deadlift | Focus: Back, glutes, hamstrings, quads, shoulders, forearms, core

Stand with your feet flat on the floor and your shins touching a loaded barbell. Squat down and grasp the bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip. With your chest up and back flat, lift the bar by extending your hips and knees to full extension. Be sure to keep your arms straight throughout, as you drag the bar up your legs till you are in a standing position. Squeeze your back, legs and glutes then lower the bar downward along the same path till the bar touches the floor. Allow the bar to settle completely before beginning the next rep.

POWER EXERCISES

Jump Squat | Focus: Legs, glutes,  hamstrings, lower back, calves | (VIDEO)

Stand with both hands directly in front of you, knees slightly bent with roughly a shoulder-width stance. Keeping your chest up and back flat, squat down until your thighs approach parallel with the floor then explode upward as high as possible, allowing your feet to leave the ground.  Land on soft feet with your knees bent and repeat immediately.

Power Push-Up | Focus: Lower chest, shoulders, back, abs | (VIDEO)

Get into a push-up position with your body in a straight line, feet together, hands wider than shoulder-width apart and your eyes focused on the floor. Explode yourself up to full arm extension, allowing your hands to leave the floor. Catch yourself with your hands on the floor and decelerate yourself to the start and repeat. Don’t bounce your chest off the floor, but rather start each rep when your chest reaches an inch or so away from the floor.