Exercises

Various exercises to perform

• Side-Straddle Hop (Jumping-Jacks)
  • Stand at attention.
  • Jump slightly while moving legs more than shoulder-width apart, swinging arms overhead, and clapping palms together.
  • Jump slightly while swinging arms sideward and downward, returning to position of attention.
  • Repeat.
  • Use a moderate cadence.
  • Variation: While jumping, move legs forward and backward instead of to sides.
• Mule Kick
  • Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
  • Jump up repeatedly while kicking heels toward buttocks.
  • Repeat.
  • Use a moderate cadence.
• Ski Jump
  • Stand with feet together, hands placed behind head with fingers interlaced.
  • Keeping feet together, jump sideways to left.
  • Keeping feet together, jump sideways to right.
  • Repeat.
  • Use a moderate cadence.
    
• Flutter Kick
  • Lie on back with hands beneath buttocks, head raised, and the knees slightly bent.
  • Alternately, raise and lower legs, keeping knees slightly bent and feet elevated 6 to 18 inches above floor.
  • Use a moderate cadence.
• Bend and Reach
  • Stand in wide, side-straddle position with palms facing each other and arms overhead and straight.
  • Bend at knees and waist. Slowly bring arms down, and reach between legs as far as possible. Ensure angle formed by upper and lower leg is never less than 90 degrees.
  • Recover slowly to start position.
  • Repeat.
  • Use a slow cadence.
• High Jumper
  • Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart with knees flexed. Bend forward at waist, aligning arms with torso and hips. Keep arms straight at all times with palms facing. Keep head and eyes to front.
  • Jump slightly while swinging arms up to shoulder level and back to start position.
  • Jump strongly while swinging arms to overhead position while briefly looking skyward. While descending, return arms to side, keep head and eyes to front, and flex knees.
  • Repeat.
  • Use a moderate cadence.
    
• Squat Bender
  • Stand with a feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips, thumbs at small of the back, and elbows pointed backward.
  • Bend knees, lower to a half-squat position while maintaining balance on balls of the feet.
  • With trunk inclined slightly forward, thrust arms forward to shoulder level with elbows locked and the palms down.
  • Recover to the start position.
  • Keeping knees slightly bent, bend forward at waist, touching floor in front of toes. Recover to start position.
  • Repeat.
  • Use a moderate cadence.
• Lunger
  • Stand at attention.
  • Lunge diagonally forward to left by stepping in that direction with left foot, with knee over foot.
  • At same time, extend arms sideward at shoulder level with palms up, with head and shoulders squarely to front.
  • Bend slowly forward and downward over left thigh, and wrap arms around thigh, hands grasping opposite arms above elbows.
  • Recover slowly to second position by releasing arms, straightening trunk, and extending arms sideward, palms up.
  • Resume attention stance by dropping arms and returning left foot.
  • Repeat exercise to right side. Repeat.
  • Use a moderate cadence.
• Knee Bender
  • Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips, thumbs at small of back, and elbows pointed backward.
  • Bend at knees, lean slightly forward at waist with head up, and slide hands along outside of legs until extended fingers reach top of middle of lower leg.
  • Recover to start position.
  • Repeat.
  • Use a moderate cadence.
    
• The Swimmer
  • Lie prone with feet together, with arms together and extended forward in front of body.
  • Keep arms and legs straight at all times.
  • Move right arm and left leg up.
  • Return to the start position.
  • Move left arm and right leg up.
  • Return to start position.
  • Repeat.
  • Use a moderate cadence.
• Supine Bicycle
  • Studies have shown this to be one of the best abdominal exercises.
  • Assume a supine position with hips and knees flexed.
  • Place palms on top of head with fingers interlaced.
  • Bring left knee upward while curling trunk upward, and touch right elbow to left knee.
  • Repeat with other leg and elbow.
  • Repeat
  • Use a slow cadence.
    
The Engine
• Stand with arms straight and in front of body.
• Arms should be parallel to floor with the palms downward.
• Bring left knee upward to left elbow.
• Return to start position.
• Touch right knee to right elbow.
• Recover to start position.
• Be sure to keep arms parallel to floor throughout entire exercise.
• Use a moderate cadence.
Cross-Country Skier
• Stand at attention.
• Jump slightly and move left foot forward and right foot backward, landing with both knees slightly bent.
• Simultaneously, move right arm upward and forward to shoulder height and left arm back as far as possible, keeping arms straight and palms inward.
• Jump slightly and move right foot forward and left foot backward.
• Simultaneously, move left arm upward and forward to shoulder height and right arm back as far as possible.
• Repeat.
  
• Push-up
  • Assume front-leaning rest position with hands placed comfortably apart, feet together or up to 12 inches apart, and body forming a straight line from shoulders to ankles.
  • Keeping body straight, lower body until upper arms are parallel to the floor.
  • Then, push up to initial position by straightening arms.
  • To train muscles more completely, place hands at varying widths.
  • Elevating feet to different heights makes push-ups more difficult.
  • Push-ups are also more difficult when hands and feet are placed on boxes or chairs so the exercise moves through a fuller range of motion.
  • To do extra repetitions when fatigued, drop to knees while keeping knees, hips, and shoulders in a straight line.
• Sit-up
  • Lie on the back with feet together or up to 12 inches apart, knees bent to 90 degrees, and fingers interlocked behind the head.
  • Raise upper body forward to vertical position so that base of the neck is above the base of spine.
  • Lower in a controlled manner until bottom of shoulder blades touch floor.
  • Variations: Keep feet elevated or crossing hands on chest.
    
• Chin-up (pull-up)
  • Hang from a horizontal bar with arms fully extended.
  • Bend elbows and pull upward until chin is above bar; do not swing or kick.
  • Return to starting position in a controlled manner.
  • Variations: Use overhand (pull-up), underhand (chin-up), or alternating grips, with hands close together, far apart, or at shoulder-width. If unable to complete a chin-up using proper form, elevate yourself to up position with help and hang there, or slowly lower yourself to starting position. Repeat until able to perform the complete motion required.
• Burpee
  • Start in a standing position with feet close together, squat, and put the palms outside and slightly forward of your feet.
  • With weight supported by your hands, thrust feet backward so that you are in the "up position" for a standard pushup.
  • Do a pushup and return to the up position.
  • Immediately after the pushup, pull feet up to your hands in one movement, and stand up to the original position.
• Bear Walk
  • Get down on all fours and walk around similar to a bear.
• Crab Walk
  • Sit on floor, Raise up on hands and feet, and walk around similar to a crab.
    
• Crocodile Walk
  • Lie face down on floor and crawl keeping torso as close to the floor as possible without touching.
• Lemon Squeezer
  • Lie flat on back with legs straight and arms extended above your head.
  • Now, "jack knife" body by raising legs straight up, crunching stomach until toes and fingers meet straight above body.
  • Legs and arms are kept straight throughout the movement.
  • Imagine that you are squeezing a giant lemon with your body.
• Neck Nod
  • Lie flat on back with legs straight and arms at side.
  • Now "nod" head until chin touches upper chest.
  • Return head to the mat, and repeat continuously.
• Lunge
  • Stand with feet close together, step forward with one leg into a deep lunge, and keep the other leg straight.
  • Push back up and repeat with the other leg.
  • Be careful not to let knee go farther than toes on the leg that lunges forward.
    
• Bootstrapper
  • From a standard pushup position, walk hands back until they are about 2 and a half feet in front of toes (adjust accordingly for body size) to a "jack knife" position with legs straight.
  • Now bend knees until butt touches heels, arms still straight.
  • Straighten your legs back to pushup position.
• Exploding Star Jump.
  • Slowly lower into a full squatting position.
  • Now explode upward and forward as high, hard, and fast as possible.
  • As body reaches its apex, extend arms and legs into a "star" shape.
  • Cushion landing by flexing your knees.
    
• Stomping Grapes
  • First movement
    • Stand with legs together and raise a knee as high as possible, preferably to the chest.
    • Make sure to stand completely straight.
    • Raise your knee slowly with control.
    • Alternate legs, and repeat.
  • Second movement
    • Clasp hands behind head, raise knee straight up to the side with the goal of touching knee to the underside of the arm.
    • Keep body completely erect and do not jerk the leg.
    • If you are facing North, your knees and toes should be pointing to East or West when you do this movement.
• Hindu Squats
  • Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing straight ahead. Keep back straight and lower buttocks until thighs are parallel to the floor.
  • As you lower buttocks, hands are BEHIND your legs, and they follow you toward the ground.
  • As you hit the parallel-to-the-ground position, simultaneously raise heels from floor.
  • Push off your toes, raising body to standing position.
  • As you raise body, hands come IN FRONT of body and continue to rise until they are level with chest.
  • Once the up-position is reached, make tight fists with hands and pull arms in toward chest as if rowing a boat, keeping elbows close to body as you pull.
  • Inhale as you pull arms in, exhale as you lower to the squat.