VIDEO

Elbow Plank, Side Plank Variation, Pushups, Crane Pose
  • Core
  • Arms
  • Back
  • Legs
  • Abs
  • Biceps
  • Triceps
  • Trapezius
Level:Advanced
Trainer:Amanda Williams
Equipment:Yoga Mat
Elbow Plank, Side Plank Variation, Pushups, Crane Pose
  • Core
  • Arms
  • Back
  • Legs
  • Abs
  • Biceps
  • Triceps
  • Trapezius
Level:Advanced
Trainer:Amanda Williams
Equipment:Yoga Mat

1.Lay face down on the mat. Rest your elbows on the floor and lift your feet to an elevated position (like an armchair, chair, or bench). 2.Lay face down on the mat. Your elbows should be in line with your shoulders and, your feet - shoulder-width apart. Now push your body up bearing the weight on your forearms and elbow. Remember to keep your body in a straight line. 3.Put your hands and toes on the mat. Keep your arms straight, but don't lock your elbows. Align your feet making the straight line with your arms and core. Inhailing, bend your elbows and lower your chest to the ground slowly. Straighten your arms to lift your core up, exhailing. 4. Bend down with your palms on the floor. Bending your elbows a little and your knees to touch the armpit get onto your toes. Lif one leg off the floor, distributing your weight betwen two hands. Slowly lift the other leg off the floor. Hold the pose for about 3 breaths.

save to ...

Blog

Trapezius muscles are often underestimated, and many people don’t pay much attention to them while working out. However, it is a huge mistake because these muscles are extremely important for the right posture as well as back health. So in this article, we’ll talk about trapezius muscles and how to develop them. Why Do I Need to Work on Trapezius Muscles? The trapezius is a part of the upper back which helps us to maintain the right posture. The muscle group consists of three different parts, which are top, medium, and bottom. Together with the muscles of the neck, the trapezius is responsible for the right posture. The upper part of this muscle is responsible for the rise of the shoulder as well as the ability to lift arms. The lower one - is for lowering shoulders and arms. At the same time, the middle one is needed for blade movement. As you can see, this muscle group is responsible for many basic functions, which is why developing the trapezius muscles is extremely important for everyone, especially for those people who have some problems with their posture. How Often Should I Do Trapezius Workouts? Ideally, you have to include at least 2-3 trapezius exercises in each workout session. At the same time, you have to work out 3 times a week. In some cases, it’s better to have 4 training sessions per week. In case you have some issues with your posture and you cannot keep your back straight because your spine muscles (especially trapezius) are weak, we recommend doing at least a few exercises for trapezius muscles every day. Who Needs Trapezius Exercises the Most? Of course, everybody needs to straighten their trapezius muscles, but, obviously, some people need it more than others. So who are those people? Well, here is a short list of those you must pay more attention to their trapezius muscles: Office workers who work long hours at the desk People who have posture problems and struggle to keep their back straight Athletes and fitness enthusiasts who lift heavy weights Boxers, volleyballers, basketballers, and other sportsmen who actively involve their arms in their sports activity Dancers and gymnasts who need strong and developed back muscles Do you belong to any of these groups? Then you better start working on your trapezius muscles now. Best Workouts for Trapezius Last but not least, we would like to recommend you some trapezius workouts, so here they come: Shrug Deadlift Shoulder blade squeeze Barbell row Upright row Reverse dumbbell flyes Chin-up Pull-up Push-up Lat-pulldown Rear delt cable raise High pulley cable row Overhead farmer's walk Y raise Rope rear delt pull Wrapping Up Trapezius muscles are super important for your back health, so no matter what your occupation is or how often you work out, you still need to find at least a few minutes for some exercises for the trapezius.
Read more
Many people mistakenly believe that developing shoulder muscles is not important. Well, obviously, it’s not true. So why is it important to work on the shoulder muscles and how to improve them is the topic of this article. What Are Shoulder Muscles? Shoulder muscles are basically the muscles that provide shoulder movement. These muscles are voluntary, meaning we control their work. The main functions of the shoulder muscles are the following: Holding the shoulder joint and its bones in place Allowing your shoulder joint to rotate Providing the ability to move your arms forward, up, and down Shoulder joint protection As you can see, these muscles are extremely important for performing basic things such as lifting objects or holding something. In addition to that, these muscles are rather important for certain sports that require lots of jerky movements in the shoulder area. For example, dancers, basketball players, tennis players, swimmers, and others. All in all, shoulder muscles do a lot of work, which is why we have to develop them. Why Do I Need to Work on My Shoulder Muscles? We have already partly answered this question above, but we’ll give you a more detailed answer just to make things clear. First of all, strong shoulder muscles are a must for many athletes, dancers, and fitness enthusiasts who actively involve arms and shoulders in their activities. The thing is, these muscles are rather fragile, and jerky movements can lead to an injury. At the same time, if one works on these muscles regularly, they significantly lower the risks of possible injuries. But what about people who are not professional dancers or athletes? Well, even if you are not a pro athlete, you still need to go to the gym at least a few times a week to maintain your health, and simple workouts can also cause an injury if you have weak shoulder muscles. So as you might have already understood that working on the shoulder muscles is a must for everyone. Exercises for Improving Shoulder Muscles So what workouts can you do to improve your shoulders? Well, why don’t you consider the following ones: Push-ups Barbell overhead press One-hand push-ups Half-kneeling landmine press Dumbbell shrugs Arnold press Sideways dumbbells Push press Barbell press Wide-grip seated row Final Thoughts Stronger muscles minimize the risks of having severe injuries while working out or even doing your regular chores. So no matter if you are a pro athlete or dancer or just a regular person, you should consider working on your shoulder muscles.
Read more
The quadriceps is a large and strong muscle that acts as the primary extensor of the knee joint. Because the knee joint carries most of the body's weight, the quadriceps is the main muscle of the lower thigh. Weakness of this muscle, in fact, would simply make it impossible for people to maintain an upright posture. Quads are made up of the four coronary muscles: the straight, inner, outer, and middle muscles. In spite of this, during various exercises, the load falls completely on this muscle. Sure, strengthening your quads is important, so let's give a quick look at a few of the best exercises for them. Barbell and Dumbbell Lunging You can do lunges in many different ways. You can do this either with a barbell, or dumbbells, while walking around the gym, or from a stand-up position. Let's consider a variation where the athlete stands in a position using a barbell or dumbbell. This position is similar to the squat position with a barbell on your back. Take a step forward with your right foot. The lunge should make the thigh of the working leg to be parallel to the ground at the low point. Simultaneously, the knee of the left leg almost touches the floor, also forming a 90-degree angle. Back to the previous position. Change legs - take a step forward with your left leg. Leg Press The leg press takes as much of the work out of your back and hips as possible. At the same time, it allows you to train with a much heavier weight than a deep squat. In order to place the load on your quads, your feet should be shoulder-width apart while doing the leg press. Just follow the right workout technique. Press your back and head firmly against the bench, with your legs almost completely straight and resting on the frame and your hands firmly gripping the handles. Bending the knees, form a straight angle between the thighs and calves. Lower the legs back to the previous position. Single-Leg Squat Make single-leg squats if you can't go to the gym to train with training machines. It is a perfect way to get your quads workout done. Because it allows you to load your legs without using extra weight. Start in a standing position, extending one leg slightly forward. While squatting down, extend the leg forward and straighten it. Get back to the previous position. Repeat at least 10 times for each leg. Kick Squat Standing with feet shoulder-width apart and toes slightly to the side, place your hands at your waist or cradle them in front of your chest. Focus on the center of your feet. Squat down horizontally at the hips, remembering to keep your back straight. Stand up shifting your weight to one side. Lift your knee to a horizontal position and make a kick with your foot. The kick should be done in one movement. Squats With Fitness Ball Position your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart with your toes out to the sides at a 45-degree angle. Grasp the fitness ball, keeping a tense and natural bend at the waist, straight shoulders, and neck. Holding the exercise ball, raise your arms up to shoulder height. As you inhale, begin to bend your knees to your sides, making sure they don't stick out past your toes. Your hips should go down first. Your weight is on your heels. Bring your back slightly forward as you squat down and extend your arms to lift the exercise ball over your head. Perform 30-50 repetitions. Final Thoughts Every person dreams of having beautiful legs, and luckily, getting great quads isn't that hard if you know what to do. So why don't you try these exercises?
Read more
Gorgeous abs are perhaps the biggest dream of all fitness enthusiasts as well as professionals. However, not many people know how to get abs and pretty often make a lot of mistakes while trying to work on their abs. Therefore, in this article, we will talk about abs and how to get them quickly and stress-free Your Abs Are What You Eat Not many people know it, but your diet is extremely important for achieving relief abs. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you have to starve yourself or follow weird diets, but working out is definitely not enough to achieve such a goal. The thing is to build muscles you need protein, which means that you have to include more protein into your diet. At the same time, high qualities of sugar and Natrium (salt) provoke swelling that sort of hides the relief of the muscles even if you don’t have much belly fat. Thus, to get the six-pack, you have to make your diet healthier as well as drink enough water, and together with exercising, it will help you get the body of your dreams. Don’t Overestimate Your Abilities Many people think that the more they exercise and the less they eat - the better. Obviously, it’s not true. You have to adequately evaluate your abilities and consider those while working out and dieting. Trust us, starving yourself and exercising for 3 hours every day won’t bring better results. It will only damage your health, both physical and mental. So don’t worry if you cannot see the results after a few weeks of training and healthy dieting, just keep going and you’ll surely reach your goal. Core and Back Muscles Are Essential Probably 90% of people who would like to get abs usually forget about the core muscles and work only on their abs. This is a huge mistake. As a matter of fact, to have relief abs, you have to work on your core muscles simply because these muscles are close to each other, moreover, abs are a part of the core, so it’s impossible to get relief abs without working on the core. Therefore, working on your core will significantly boost the entire process. In addition to that, you shouldn’t forget about the back muscles. You see, our posture heavily influences the way our belly looks. You have probably already seen skinny people with weird and unproportioned bellies. Well, that happens because they have weak back muscles and their spine is curved in the way that makes their bellies sort of come forward. So in order to avoid that, make sure to strengthen your back muscles too. Best Workouts for Abs To wrap up, we would like to list some of the best workouts for abs, core, and back. So here they come: Plank Diagonal twists Deadlift Pushups Bent-over row Plank push-ups Pull-up Crunches TRX suspension row Leg lifts from lying position Lat pulldown Final Thoughts A stunning six-pack is the biggest dream of many fitness enthusiasts and, luckily, it’s totally possible to make it come true. So consider the things we talked about in this article and start moving toward your goal now.
Read more
After the abdominal muscles are prepared, the obliques are the next step. The obliques are several groups of abdominal muscles on either side of the main body. The external obliques are at the top and the internal obliques are at the bottom. Training them with functional exercises includes flexion, twisting, and other rotational movements. In order to properly exercise the lateral muscles, however, it is important to remember that most oblique exercises also involve the other abdominal muscles, especially the medial transverse muscles. Therefore, you need to engage certain areas of the abdominal abs in a conscious manner. Lateral twists The basic exercise for the abdominal obliques is the lying lateral twist. Begin with lying on your side with your arm bent at the elbow to support your head. Extend the elbow toward the leg slowly, performing a purposeful contraction of the abdominal obliques. Prone lateral push-ups This exercise is fine for developing the neuromuscular links between the abs and the brain. Lying on the back, pull your left elbow in a slow tempo towards the opposite knee. Perform 12-15 reps on each side, and try to achieve a special burning feeling. Lateral push-ups on a fitness ball The advantage of this exercise is that you achieve a wide range of motion by bending your body slowly and controlling each movement over the ball. As you lift, feel your side abdominals twist and stretch as you descend. Place your arms behind your neck and do not move them apart. Cross contacts Make sure that your legs are straightened up while you are lying on your back. Place your hands on the back of your head and lift your head and shoulder blades slightly. Then do a twisting motion, extending your legs with the opposite arm straight. Perform the same movement for the other side. Repeat at least 20 times. Lift your hips Make sure you are lying straight on one side. Your feet should be lying on top of each other and your free arm fixed at the waist. You need to lift your torso so that your body line is completely straight at peak amplitude. At the apex, pause briefly to emphasize the work of the obliques. As you lower your torso, your thighs are only gently touching the ground and the muscles are not fully relaxed. Developed obliques provide the framework for your abs and make them look amazing, so if you really want to have a great abdomen, you should work both your abs and obliques.
Read more