3 Must-Know Exercises for Your Home Workout Routine
Hello, and welcome to the New Year! You survived the holidays, and if you’re anything like me you passed your holiday vacation by drinking, eating, and sitting around...A LOT! Now that you are back to your regular routine, you’re probably thinking you need to start making healthier choices and exercising again. Well, lucky for you I am here today to show some easy and effective exercises that will help kick off the new year in a healthy and positive way!
While I am not here to create a full workout routine for you. I do have a few fun exercises that you can be done using a powerhouse exercise equipment; Resistance Bands see image below.
Resistance Bands are THE PERFECT piece of exercise equipment if you are looking for something that will not only challenge you, but will also give you variety in terms of exercises with one piece of equipment! These Resistance Bands are compact and portable, while coming in various colour coded tensions to always make sure you are challenging yourself. Some of the Resistance Band kits even come with handles and a door mount so your exercise options are endless! Find some new and challenging Resistance Band exercises below:
Squat with overhead Press (“Thrusters”)
This is an amazing full body exercise that challenges your lower body and arms/shoulders, all while engaging your core.
The Set up: Stand with your feet on the band, about shoulder width apart. Hold on top the band, or handles if you have them, at shoulder height. Make sure you are standing tall, with good posture. Do not bend over at the hips and look straight ahead, not at the floor. Similar to Step 2, seen below.
Step 1: Squat - unlock your hips and drop your bum down as if you are going to sit on a chair. Slowly squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Your knees should not extend past your toes, and they should also not to cave inwards.
Step 2: Stand - once at the bottom of your squat you are going to stand back up by pushing yourself up through the back of the heels.
Step 3: Press - once standing up tall with good posture, push your arms up until they are extended over your head. Then drop them down slowly back to shoulder height.
Step 4: Repeat - Now that you are back at the start of the exercise, feel free to repeat as many times as you like.
Looking for a challenge? Point toes inward to engage outer thighs, point toes outward to engage inner thighs, or take wider stance to increase band tensions.
Bent over back row with tricep extension
This is an amazing full body exercise that challenges your back, shoulders, and arms. All while engaging your core
The Set up: Stand with your feet on the band, about shoulder width apart, your knees should have a slight bend in them at all times. You should also be slightly bent forward at the hips while focusing on keeping your back straight and keeping your chest out. Hold on top the band, or handles if you have them, at knee height with your thumbs point away from you (neutral hand grip).
Step 1: Row - leading with your elbows pull the resistance back by bending your elbows and bringing your hands towards your chest. Think about squeezing your shoulder blades together and keeping your elbows tucked in at your sides. Do not let your elbows fly out, like a chicken wing.
Step 2: Tricep Extension - stay in the top of your back row, where your hands are by your chest and your elbows tucked in at your sides, then pull the band back behind. Make sure to straighten your elbows out, hands moving behind you, while keeping your arms tucked at your side. It is also important to keep a straight wrist, do not bend or curl your wrist at any point during this exercise.
Step 3: Reset - once you have done the tricep extension, slowly bring your hands back to beside your chest (top of the back row). Then slowly lower your hands to knee height, you should now be back to the set up position.
Step 4: Repeat - Now that you are back at the start of the exercise, feel free to repeat as many times as you like.
Looking for a challenge? Slow down your movements by doing a slow 3, 2, 1 count out loud either when pulling on the resistance bands during the row/tricep extension, or releasing them to get back to the set up position. You’ll really feel the burn after that!
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Reverse Wood Chop
This core focused exercise that will also engage your shoulders and back.
The Set up: Stand with one foot in the middle of the resistance band, your feet should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Your knees should not be completely straight, or locked out, and toes should be pointing forward. Hold onto the top band with both hands where your thumbs are pointed up to the ceiling. Your hands should start slightly on the outside of the hip that is on the same side as the foot which is standing on the band. Your torso should be slightly turned outward.
Step 1: Twist - Keeping your arms straight twist your torso moving the band across your body and up over your opposite shoulder. Make sure to have a good tall posture, follow your hands with your eyes, and do not shrug your shoulders. You should be using your core muscles to control these movements, not your arms or back. Your feet can pivot slightly ask you do this exercise.
Step 2: Rest - now that you are facing away from the band, return to the set up position by reversing the twist and bring the band back down as if you were chopping wood. Do not rush this movement, focus on controlling the band and making sure it is a smooth transition.
Step 3: Repeat - Now that you are back at the start of the exercise, feel free to repeat as many times as you like. Once done on the first side put the band under your other foot and repeat as many times as you like on the opposite side.
Looking for a challenge? Shorten the length of the band or do the exercise in reverse! Start at the top of the twist, and slowly control the band back down to the set up position. See if you can slowly control the movement to last for 20-30 seconds before you get back to the set up.
As always, as a quick reminder before starting any of these fun new exercises, make sure that you consult your physician or trusted health care professional before starting this or any other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs. If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain or shortness of breath at any time while exercising you should stop immediately and contact your physician immediately.