Making the Cut (43 page)

Tips:
Your upper arms, shoulders, and neck should remain on the floor throughout the exercise.

[variation]

One-Leg Pelvic Thrust

Lie on your back in front of a bench or platform with your knees bent and your heels on the bench. Your legs should form a 90-degree angle with your knees directly above your hips, and your arms should rest on the floor at your side. Keeping your knees together, exhale and extend your right leg up toward the ceiling. Exhale, and press your left heel into the bench and lift your hips, pressing your right leg straight up toward the ceiling. Inhale and slowly lower your body back down to the floor and repeat. Complete a full set, then repeat on the other leg.

Plank

Muscles Targeted:
Rectus abdominis, lower back, chest, shoulders

Starting Position:
Start in Push-up position, but keep your hands directly under your shoulders instead of outside your chest. Keep your legs straight behind you, and your feet together. You are balancing on your palms and the balls of your feet. Hold this position for as long as you can, working your way up to one minute.

Performance Description:
Nothing to perform here. Just hold this static contraction as long as you can. It’s a lot harder than it sounds!

Tips:
Be conscious of keeping your spine straight. Keep your eyes focused on the ground in front of you. Don’t arch your back. Imagine you are pulling your belly button up toward the ceiling.

[variations]

Extended Plank

Start in Plank position, but instead of placing your hands under your shoulders, bring your hands together and place them on the floor about three inches out in front of your head. Hold this position for as long as you can, working your way up to one minute. This variation places much greater emphasis and intensity on the rectus abdominis because you are not able to utilize your arms as pillars to support your body weight.

Plank Row

Start in Plank position, with each hand resting on a dumbbell. Pull the right-arm dumbbell up to your chest in a row movement, keeping your elbows in; use your two feet and opposite hand to balance. Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position and repeat with the opposite hand.

Plank Twist

Start in Plank position. Maintaining this position, exhale and bring your right knee in toward your left armpit. Return to the starting position, then repeat with the left knee toward the right armpit. Plank Twists work not only the rectus abdominis but also the internal obliques.

Plank-up

Start in Plank position. On the right side of your body, drop down onto your elbow so that your forearm and right palm are flat on the ground with the elbow positioned directly under the right shoulder. Then slowly do the same on the left side so that the left forearm and palm are flat on the ground, with the left elbow directly under the left shoulder. Raise back up to the starting position one arm at a time by first placing the right hand directly underneath the right shoulder and pressing up, followed by the left.

Reverse Plank

Start in a sitting position, legs extended. Place the hands on the floor behind you, under your shoulders, fingertips facing forward. Point your toes and inhale, contract your abdominals, and lift your hips up toward the sky. If your neck is strong and flexible, let your head roll back. Keep the soles of your feet and your palms pressing down on the floor, and keep your hips lifted up toward the sky.

Side Plank

Lie on your right side, legs extended, right foot stacked on top of your left, supporting your body weight on your right elbow and right hip. Rest your left arm along the top side of your body. Keeping your belly button pulled in, exhale and raise your hips up until your body forms a straight line from head to toe. Hold for as long as you can, trying to work up to one minute. To give yourself a challenge, raise your hips up until your body forms a straight line from head to toe, then slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position. Perform a full set, then switch to the other side. Keep your chest out, shoulders back, and spine straight. This version of Side Plank targets your inner and outer obliques.

Side Plank with Inner Thigh Raise

Lie on your right side, legs extended, right foot placed
behind
your left. Support your body weight on your right elbow and right foot. Rest your left arm along the top side of your body. Keeping your belly button pulled in, exhale and raise your hips up until your body forms a straight line from head to toe. From this position, lift your left leg toward the ceiling, making sure to keep it straight. Perform a full set, then switch to the other side and repeat. Make sure you keep your chest out, shoulders back, and spine straight. This version of the Side Plank targets your inner and outer obliques as well as your inner thighs.

Push-up

Muscles Targeted:
chest, shoulders, triceps, abs

Starting Position:
Lie facedown with your legs straight out behind you and your feet together. Bend your elbows and place your palms on the floor out to the side of your chest. Position your palms so they are directly under your elbows. When your arms are bent, they should form a 90-degree angle. Your neck should be straight, and your eyes should be focused on the floor in front of you. Keep your abs tight. Straighten your arms so that your body is hovering over the floor, balancing on your palms and the balls of your feet.

Performance Description:
Now, bend your elbows and lower your entire body at once until your upper arms are parallel with the floor. Exhaling, push back up to the starting position. Repeat.

Tips:
Keep your back straight and your eyes focused on the floor in front of you.

[variations]

Body Ball Push-up

Assume the Push-up position, with your feet placed on top of two body balls of the same height and size. To increase the difficulty of the move, try to keep the balls from touching. Now stabilize the body balls and perform a Push-up.

Close-Grip Push-up

Start in Push-up position, except keep your hands directly under your shoulders instead of outside your chest. Your legs are out straight behind you with feet together. You are balancing on your palms and the balls of your feet. Now, keep your elbows pressed firmly against your torso as you slowly lower yourself down into a Push-up. Exhale, and press back up to the starting position and repeat. The Close-Grip Push-up focuses on your anterior shoulders and triceps as well as your chest.

Frog Push-up

Get onto your hands and knees. Place your palms on the floor on either side of your chest. Your legs should be at a 90-degree angle, so that your torso is parallel to the ground and your hip-bone is directly over your knee. Now, raise your body up onto the palms and the balls of your feet. Inhale, and slowly lower yourself into a Push-up. Exhale, and press back up to the starting position, remaining on your palms and the balls of your feet throughout the entire movement. Repeat.

Half-Crow Push-up

Start in Push-up position. Then bring your right knee forward and out to the side until it is off the floor and touching your right elbow. Perform a Push-up in this position. As you raise back to the starting position bring your right foot back to the start as well. Repeat on the opposite leg.

Pike Push-up

Start in Push-up position, with the balls of your feet on an elevated platform or workout bench. For a real challenge, you can place your feet on a body ball. Then place your hands in a prone Push-up position on the floor. Lift your body up into a Pike position so your hands are directly under your shoulders and the top of your head is pointing toward the floor. Bend your elbows and lower body back into Push-up starting position. Repeat.

Plyo Push-up

Start in a Push-up position, legs and arms extended, body off the floor. Slowly lower yourself into a Push-up. Then with an explosive burst, exhale and push yourself up, lifting your hands off the floor and clapping them together. Land back in Push-up position, and repeat. The Plyo Push-up builds muscle by adding resistance to a regular Push-up.

Scorpion Push-up

Start in Push-up position. As you lower your body down toward the ground, simultaneously bring your right heel up and across your body toward the back of your left shoulder. Press back up into the starting position, and return the right foot back to the ground. Repeat on the opposite side, bringing the left heel up and across the body toward the back of the right shoulder. Perform the set by continuing to alternate legs.