I’m always intentional when I’m creating a workout for my virtual classes.
For every ‘push’ exercise, there’s a pull (most of the time, two pulls).
For every squat, there’s a hinge.
For every curl, there’s….more curls ???? We’ll get to that in a sec…
Having a balanced workout program and routine is so important.
You don’t want to be sitting at a desk all day then hammering away at your chest – that’s a fast track to back and shoulder problems.
You don’t want to be bending over to pick up your kids and throw out your back because you don’t know how to engage your core – cuz throwing out your back is the absolute worst.
You don’t want to start running and end up sore knees because your thighs are so much more dominant than your hamstrings and glutes – you gotta work on that booty for some power behind your stride!
Just like I always say with nutrition, it’s true with fitness as well…it’s all about balance.
So I wanna give you the 5 exercises I’m absolutely loving right now and you can give them a shot and see how you like ’em. Each exercise is hyperlinked to my YouTube channel- just click the name of the exercise.
Or better yet, join me for a virtual fitness class! We’ll be working these moves in for sure!
Single Side Squat
My favorite kind of exercise is one that hits multiple muscle groups at once. This squat move hits quads, glutes, core and shoulders, and will get your heart rate up for sure. Add an overhead press to this one and you’ll be second guessing if you really need to go on an elliptical ever again.
Split Stance Deadlift
This is a variation on a single-leg deadlift. The reason I love this move so much is because when lots of people perform the single-leg deadlift, they twist their body and never really get into the hamstrings and glutes like they should. This split stance variation provides stability which offers more concentration on the correct form.
Pushup Launch
If you’ve been a part of my virtual workouts for the past 7 weeks, you’ll know that pushups are the exercise I love to hate, haha! I love them because I feel strong when I do them, but I’m not gonna lie – they’re hard for me. This twist on a traditional pushup not only makes pushups more fun (in my opinion anyway), but it also blasts the quads – and remember, I love exercises that hit lots of muscle groups. You’ll hit shoulders, chest, lats, core & quads with this one!
High Plank w/ Pull Through
I’m not someone who thinks we should never crunch or do sit-ups, but I don’t think we need to do them super often, either, because there are just so many core moves that provide so much more than spinal flexion. I mean, if you had to choose between doing 100 crunches or doing a couple sets of a move that will work your entire core, your shoulders and you quads…which would you choose? That’s what the high plank with a pull through does! Check out the video and give it a shot. Make sure to keep your hips as stable as you can as you drag that dumbbell across the floor.
Hammer Curls
Listen. I love any exercise that hits my biceps, and sure, the hammer curl goes against the ‘multiple muscle groups exercises’ I’ve been talking about…but come on….who doesn’t love the look of strong bicep?!
So there you have it. My top 5 favorite exercises.
Feel free to pop them into your own workouts and see how you like ’em!