DEADLIFTS AND FRONT RAISES

Transcription

1 DEADLIFTS AND FRONT RAISES Muscle Targets: Lower back, hamstrings, traps, delts, biceps, triceps Equipment: Dumbbell or medicine ball, BOSU (advanced) 1. Stand with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width. Tilt your pelvis backward and arch your back, with your knees slightly bent. Keep your pelvis tilted throughout the exercise, even as you straighten up and bend over again. 2. Bend forward at the hips, being careful not to round your back. Grip a dumbbell or medicine ball with both hands. 3. Straighten and raise the weight up over your head toward the ceiling in one smooth movement. When the weight is at the highest point of the movement, your back should still be slightly arched and your pelvis tilted backward. Rep: Hold for a moment, then let the weight swing back down. This constitutes 1 rep. Complete 10 to 20 reps. Tip: To get accustomed to the deadlift position, practice gripping your sides with your thumbs at the back of your obliques, and bend over. Coach's note: This exercise combines two exercises into one complex movement. Our program does not incorporate the Deadlift as a stand-alone exercise because the major muscles used to perform the Deadlift the glutes and the lower back muscles can generate so much power that you need a heavy weight to challenge them; that kind of weight is usually found only in a gym. Instead, we get results by making the exercise more complex.

2 FIRE HYDRANTS Muscle Target: Glutes medius Equipment: None 1. Get on your hands and knees on your exercise mat. 2. Keep your right knee bent and raise your right leg out toward the side as high as you can. Tip: In order to fully engage the gluteus medius, make sure that you do not rotate your body as you lift your leg. Keep your body square, and focus on moving nothing but your leg. Rep: Complete your target number of reps, then switch to your other side. Complete 20 to 30 reps. Advanced form: When working the right leg during this exercise, hold your left arm off the ground and extend it in front of you. By removing one of the supports for your body, you introduce instability to the exercise. Switch arms and repeat on the other side.

3 HIP RAISES Muscle Targets: Glutes, lower back, abs (transverse) Equipment: Medicine ball (advanced) 1. Lie face-up on your exercise mat, with your knees bent, your legs together, and your feet flat on the floor. 2. Raise your hips in the air until you have achieved a straight line from your knees to your upper body. Rep: Lower down to the starting position. This constitutes 1 rep. Complete 20 to 50 reps. Tip: Be sure to keep the raised leg in the same position throughout; only your hips should be rising up.

4 KNEE TUCKS Muscle Targets: Hip flexors, abs (transverse) Equipment: Stability ball 1. Get into plank position, facing downward with your palms on the floor, your elbows extended, and your body held off the ground in a rigid line, with your feet resting on top of a stability ball. More: The Best Core Exercises for Runners 2. Keeping your upper body steady, bend your knees and roll the ball inward toward you. Tip: Getting your feet on the ball may take a little finesse. One method is to get on all fours, with your knees on the ground and your feed on the ball behind you, holding it in place. Raise your body up while keeping your feet on the ball, and adjust as necessary ounce you have unfurled into a straight position. Rep: Once you are fully tucked, extend your legs again. This constitutes 1 rep. Complete 10 to 30 reps.

5 SIDE HIP RAISES Muscle Targets: Obliques, abs (transverse), glutes medius Equipment: BOSU (advanced) 1. Lie on your right side on your exercise mat. 2. Raise your hips in the air to a side plank position, holding your body in a rigid line while resting on your elbow. 3. Lower your hips down to an inch or two off the mat, then raise them back up again. This constitutes 1 rep. Tip: Make sure that your elbow is directly below your shoulder. If it is even slightly higher, you will have a much harder time holding your form. Also, that position places too much stress on your shoulder. More: Hip Strengthening and Mobility Exercises for Runners Perform all the target reps on one side, then continue on the other side. Complete 10 to 30 reps. Advanced s: Put your feet on a BOSU while performing this movement. Doing so destabilizes your base, forcing your body to recruit your core to a greater degree to maintain balance. Hold your opposite arm in the air while performing this movement. By putting a percentage of your body weight farther from your center, you decrease your leverage over your body and raise the challenge for your core in its effort to hold your body stable in space.