Situps with Abmat

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  • Lay down on the floor or on a matt with ab mat supporting your lumbar spine, bend your knees until your feet are flat on the floor and anchor your feet under some dumbbells (optional).
  • Sit up off the floor without lifting your feet or butt off the ground.
  • At the top of the sit-up your back should be vertical and your eyes forward.
  • Lower your body down slowly until you are laying flat and repeat.

Box Jumps

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  • Start with both feet on the ground in front of the box.
  • Jump on top of the box attaining full extension at the top (lock out your knees).
  •  Jump or step back down and repeat.
  • Note: You may attain full extension of your body in the air after jumping off of the box as long as it is attained while your body is still over top of the box and not behind the box.

Don’t forget, nearly all exercise is scaleble – in this case, you can modify the Box Jump to be a Box Steps or Step Downs.

And here’s Dr. Paul at age 55 doing ‘rock jumps’:

Alternating Lunges

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  • Start from a standing position and lunge forward and slightly to the side with one leg.
  •  Sink your body into the lunge until your knee touches the ground.
  •  Keep your chest tall, hands on your hips, and keep your forward knee balanced over top of your foot careful not to let your knee surpass your toe.
  •  Drive back off the heel of your forward foot and return back to the top.
  •  Repeat with the other leg.

Box Jumps with Step Down

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Box Jumps are fantastic core exercises that very quickly become aerobic. Combine them with doing push ups, pull ups, and/or squats and you’ve created a very quick yet demanding workout.

You can use a box like in the video below, or you can jump onto a ledge, stone wall, etc.

  • Start with both feet on the ground in front of the box.
  • Jump on top of the box attaining full extension at the top (lock out your knees).
  • Step down and repeat (alternate right and left with which leg you step down with – this video doesn’t demonstrate that). For greater intensity, you can also jump up and down.

Box Steps

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  • Start with both feet on the ground in front of the box.
  • Step on top of the box attaining full extension at the top (lock out your knees).
  • Step back down and repeat by alternating legs.

Deadlift with PVC

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The beauty of the deadlift is that it’s not just for bodybuilders. It is for lifting your groceries, your kids, bags of mulch, morning furniture…you name it. Its for life. If you don’t have a weightlifting bar, you can still practice this very important movement and build your strength. Grab a couple of books, a heavy rock, or a kettle bell if you have one. Practicing this movement in a controlled environment, paying special attention to your form will help build new neuropathways and you’ll find it natural to lift things properly and without injury. Give it a try.

    • Begin lift by taking a grip on the pvc bar or wooden dowell just outside your hips.
    • Bend your knees so they are slightly over the bar.
    • Keep your chest tall and your weight in your heels.
    • Be certain that you maintain the curvature in your lumbar spine throughout the lift by contracting your midsection and low back.
    • Initiate the lift by standing up with the weight using only your body to lift the bar and not your arms.
    • Lock your knees and hips out at the top by standing tall, and return the weight back to the ground with prudence using the same mechanics discussed above.

Here’s Dr. Ryan with the real deal:

  • Begin lift by taking a grip on the bar just outside your hips.
  • Bend your knees so they are slightly over the bar.
  • Keep your chest tall and your weight in your heels.
  • Be certain that you maintain the curvature in your lumbar spine throughout the lift by contracting your midsection and low back.
  • Initiate the lift by standing up with the weight using only your body to lift the bar and not your arms.
  • Lock your knees and hips out at the top by standing tall, and return the weight back to the ground with prudence using the same mechanics discussed above.
If you don’t have a barbell, you can also substitute with dumbbells.

Jump Rope: The Magnificent

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In this aptly titled video, fitness maven, journal queen, and jump rope aficionado Alexis shows not only great technique for mastering Double Unders – a very demanding exercise by the way – but also how to use your jump rope for some overhead strength and flexibility work.

The jump-rope is an incredibly versatile piece of equipment. It travels light, serves multiple roles, and always promises a heart pumping workout!

Suggested Workouts:

Beginner
3 Rounds:
15 OH Lunges Left Leg
15 OH Lunges Right Leg
60 Single Jumps

Intermediate
3 Rounds:
15 OH Squats
15 OH Lunges, each leg
20 Double Unders

Advanced
5 Rounds:
25 OH Squats
15 OH Lunges, each leg
20 Double Unders

 

Here’s Dr. Stephen cruising, skipping along on one foot at a time:

  • Jump on the balls of your feet.
  • Don’t jump too high. Control is more important than speed. Just get a steady rhythm.
  • Jumping rope is more about flicking your wrists than moving the rope with your shoulders and arms.

Lunges

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  • Step as far forward as possible while keeping your torso erect.
  • Knees, toes and eyes should track forward at all times.
  • Sink your hip downward until your knee touches the ground.
  • Keeping your torso erect, stand up.
  •  Repeat the movement with your other leg, with the alternate knee touching the ground.
  • Repeat for as many reps as the workout demands.
To increase the difficultly, you can do the movement with dumbbells or add a weighted vest if it’s available.

One Arm Overhead Squat with Dumbbell

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You can’t say too many positive things about the Overhead Squat – it’s a full body, full range-of-motion, demanding yet safe exercise, that is easily modified by simply holding your hands overhead, a PVC pipe, a pole or, as in this video shows, a dumbbell in one hand. As you get stronger, you can hold any type of weight: two-handed bar or dumbell – it’s all good!

  • Hold a dumbbell with one arm at full extension.
  • Use your other arm to counterbalance yourself.
  • Perform a squat.