Lower Body Workouts

• Wide Squat: Stand straight with your feet apart, a little beyond the shoulder width, toes pointed slightly outward and arms stretched forward. Lean the upper body forward a bit, lower the buttocks as if trying to sit on a chair. Do not go further than the knee level. Take care that the knees do not flex forward beyond the toe line.
• Narrow Squat: Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing straight ahead, and arms stretched forward. Do the same squat movement as in the wide squat.
• Stationary Lunge: Stand straight with one foot a large step in front of the other and hands on your hips. Bend your knees until the back knee is about 5 centimeters above the floor. Keep your upper body erect and do not let the front knee go beyond the toe line. Straighten, reverse the position for opposite leg and repeat.
• Advanced Squat: While performing the wide or narrow squat, lift one leg slightly outward on the upward movement. Repeat with the other leg. Use a stationary object to maintain your balance, but avoid putting your weight on it. If this is stressful, add heavier hand-held weights to advance your workout.
• Advanced Lunge: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Step forward with one leg, landing heel first. Simultaneously, slowly bend both knees and lower your body until the back knee is about 5 centimeters above the floor. Keep your upper body erect and do not let the front knee go beyond the toe line. Return to the upright position by using a scissors kick to bring the front leg back to the starting spot. Reverse the position for opposite leg and repeat.
• Ski Squat: Place your feet shoulder width apart, about two feet out from the wall and lean your back against the wall. Bend your knees to a half squat position. This is position one. After 10seconds, lower down to position two, about two inches lower. After another 10seconds, lower another two inches down to position three. This equals one rep.
• Side Lunge Slide: Stand with feet hip-width apart, left foot resting on a paper plate. Bend the right leg while sliding the left foot to the side, torso upright and abs in. Slowly slide left foot back to starting position, repeating 8-12 times. Switch legs and repeat for 2-3 sets.
• Lunge Slide:Stand with feet hip-width apart, left foot resting on a paper plate. Bend the right leg while sliding the left foot back into a lunge position, keeping the right knee behind the toe, torso upright and abs in. Slowly slide left foot back to starting position and repeat 8-12 times. Switch legs and repeat on each leg for 2-3 sets.
• Front One Legged Squat: Stand on a step or small platform. Lift left leg out in front of step and bend the right leg, bringing the toe of the left foot to the floor. Touch the floor lightly and keep the knee of the bent leg in line with toes. Straighten the right leg and repeat 8-12 times. Switch legs and repeat for 2-3 sets.
• Chair Squat: Stand in front of a chair with feet hip-width apart, abs in and torso straight. Slowly bend your knees and lower and until you're almost touching your butt to the chair. Hold for 2-3 seconds, knees behind the toes, and straighten. Repeat for 12-16 reps, 2-3 sets.
• Heel Drops with Leg Extension: Stand on step or platform with left leg on the step, right leg hanging off the side. Bend the left leg and lower the right foot towards the floor (a few inches). Straighten the left leg and bring the right leg out to the side, foot flexed, in a leg extension. Repeat 8-12 times, switch legs for 2-3 sets.
• Negative Squat: Stand on your left leg, facing away from a bench. Holding your arms and your right leg in the air in front of you, slowly lower your body until your butt is slightly higher than your breaking point. (Ideally, this should take 5 to 7 seconds.) Sit, then stand up using both legs. That's one repetition. Do six reps with your left leg, then six more with your right. Complete a set.
• Bulgarian Split Squat: Stand with a bench about 2 feet behind you and place the instep of your right foot on the bench. Keeping your torso upright, lower your body until your left thigh is parallel to the floor. Your left lower leg should remain perpendicular to the floor. Pause, then push yourself back to the starting position as quickly as you can. Do 12 to 15 repetitions, then repeat, this time with your left foot resting on the bench and your right foot in front.
• Stiff Leg Dead Lift: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart holding the barbell in your lowered arms, in front of you. Bend forward at the waist by flexing the hip. Keep your back flat and your head up. Tighten your buttocks and lock your knees while bending forward. Stop going down when you feel your hamstrings fully stretched and go back to the starting position.
• Plie Squat: Stand with feet wide, toes out at an angle. Keeping knees in line with your toes, slowly lower into a squat. Back should be straight, abs in, knees BEHIND toes. Push through the heels and lift back up.
• Calf Raise: Stand on the floor (or with your heels hanging off a bench or step) and hold onto a bar or wall for balance. Lift up onto your toes as high as you can, squeezing the calves. Lower and repeat.
• Standing Butt Lift: Stand in lunge position with right leg forward, left leg back. Bend front knee until it's at 90 degrees, hands behind back and torso parallel to the floor. Keeping torso in place, slowly straighten the right knee, squeezing through the hamstring and glute. Think of lifting butt towards the ceiling.
• Lying Butt Lift: Get down on elbows and knees, abs tight and back flat. Place a light weight behind right knee and bend leg to hold it in place, foot flexed. Squeeze the butt to lift right leg until it's level with hips and lower. Repeat for all reps before switching sides.

Abdominal Workouts

• The Bicycle:
  1. Lie face up on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head.
  2. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the ground without pulling on the neck.
  3. Straight the left leg out to about a 45-degree angle while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee.
  4. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.
  5. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion for 12-16 reps.
• Captain's Chair:
  1. Stand on chair and grip handholds to stabilize your upper body.
  2. Press your back against the pad and contract the abs to raise the legs and lift knees towards your chest.
  3. Don't arch the back and remember to breathe smoothly.
  4. Slowly lower back down and repeat for 12-16 reps.
• Vertical Leg Crunch:
  1. Lie face up on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed.
  2. Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet.
  3. Keep the legs in a fixed position and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement.
  4. Lower and repeat for 12-16 reps.
• Long Arm Crunch:
  1. Lie on a mat and extend the arms straight out behind the head with hands clasped, keeping the arms next to the ears.
  2. Contract the abs and lift the shoulder blades off the floor.
  3. Lower and repeat for 12-16 reps.
• Reverse Crunch:
  1. Lie on the floor and place hands on the floor or behind the head.
  2. Bring the knees in towards the chest until they're bent to 90 degrees, with feet together or crossed.
  3. Contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling.
  4. Lower and repeat for 12-16 reps.
  5. It's a very small movement, so try to use your abs to lift your hips rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum.
• Full Vertical Crunch:
  1. Lie on your back and extend the legs up towards the ceiling.
  2. Place hands behind your head (lightly cupping it) and contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor.
  3. At the same time, press the heels towards the ceiling, creating a 'u' shape with the torso.
  4. Lower down and repeat for 12-16 reps.
• Plank:
  1. Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor.
  2. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows.
  3. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels.
  4. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air.
  5. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps.

How to Correct Your Posture

• L-sit - sitting on the floor, legs outstretched, toes pointed to the sky, sacrum, shoulders and head pressed into the wall, hold for 30-120 seconds.
• Wall Slides - head, shoulders and sacrum pressed against the wall, raise arms above your head and connect the whole of your arm and hand to the wall. Slide the arms down keeping the forearms vertical and the elbows as close to your trunk as possible without breaking contact with the wall and without causing excessive increase in your low back arch. Perform 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
• Scapular Pushups - Starting in the up position of a standard pushup from the toes, keep the elbows locked and body straight while pinching and releasing your shoulder blades. Be sure not to shrug your shoulders towards your ears. Perform 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
• Pull-downs - Gripping a towel overhead with your hands shoulder width apart, maintain a constant pulling force as if trying to elongate the towel, or trying to separate your hands apart while bringing the towel down behind your neck then back up again. Make sure to try and bring your elbows as close to your body as you can and to stay tall and upright throughout the movement. Perform 1-3 sets of up to 8 repetitions.
• Flying Cobras - Lying face down, arms extended over your head with your thumbs pointed to the sky, raise your upper chest off the floor, concentrating the movement from the mid back, not the lumbar region. Once off the floor bring both arms down to your sides as close to your body as you can while keeping the thumbs pointed to the sky at all times, then returning them to the starting position and lowering yourself back to the floor. Perform 1-2 sets of up to 8 repetitions.
• Pushup Stability Progressions: Perform 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions of one of these exercises. With each pushup performed, stay on your toes, not your knees, and keep your body straight and the elbows in towards your sides. If toe pushups are too difficult, elevate your upper body (eg. use your kitchen counter or a pair of chairs for your hands). As you get stronger, lower your elevation until you can do them off the floor.
  1. Hand Slides - in the up pushup position slide one hand over to touch the other hand, hold for a moment then return to the starting position. repeat both sides for reps.
  2. Side Shuffle Pushups - start in the up position with the hands close together. Alternate moving one hand out, performing a pushup then returning to the starting position. Repeat for reps.
  3. T-Twist - Starting in the up pushup position, shift your weight to one arm and turn your body to face one side swinging your free arm out to the side to form a T shape. Return to the starting position and perform the same movement on the other side. Repeat for reps.
  4. T-Pushups - As in the T-Twists but perform a push up each time you return to the start position.
• Squat Stretch - Drop into a deep squat. With your arms on the inside of your knees, hook your fingers over your toes. Without letting go of your toes, straighten your legs and let your buttocks rise to the sky. Hold the position for a moment before dropping back down into the deep squat. Perform 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
• Loaded Squat - Perform standard squats while holding a weight plate with both hands keeping your arms extended forward. It is not necessary for the weight to be heavy, only enough to trigger the abdominals to stabilize. Perform 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
• Dead Bug Progression: Perform 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions of one of these variations, depending on your ability.
  1. Basic - Lying on the floor, face up, knees bent, tilt pelvis back and activate your lower abs and obliques to press your lower back flat into the floor. Take one leg and extend it straight out and let it hover just above the floor for a count of one without allowing your lower back to come up off the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Perform for reps.
  2. Basic with Arms - as basic, but start with the arms held above the head. With each leg movement, swing the arms down so the point in the same direction as the leg, then swing the arms back as the leg returns to the starting position.
  3. Intermediate - start with the legs in the air, hips and knees bent and 90 degrees.
  4. Intermediate with arms - Arm movement with each leg movement.
• Shoulder Bridge: Perform 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions of one of these variations, depending on your ability.
  1. Basic - Lying on the floor, face up, knees bent, lift your pelvis off the ground and squeeze your buttock muscles as you press your hips towards the sky. When you drop back down do not rest on the ground. Repeat for reps.
  2. advanced - Hug one knee to your chest and perform the movement one leg at a time. Perform all reps with one side before moving to the other side. Always start with whichever side is known to be weaker.
• Split Squat - Begin in a forward lunge position with the rear foot elevated on a bench or chair. Lower yourself so your rear knee comes close to the floor. Either hold for a quad stretch or perform 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions. Remember to step deep and drive with your lead heel to return to the up position. Stay tall and do not lean forward or round your back. S
• traddle - Split the legs as wide apart as possible from a standing position, keeping the toes pointing forward. Hold for a static stretch or perform an isometric hold by pressing your feet into the floor as if you were trying to slide your feet back together simultaneously. Stay upright.
• Sumo Squat - From a standing position with your feet wider than shoulders, toes pointing 45 degrees outward, drop down into squat, staying tall, then return to the starting position. Keep the knees moving over the toes. Do not let your knees fall inwards. Narrow your foot position slightly to help keep good knee alignment. Perform 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
• Leg Whip - Perform the advanced shoulder bridge and hold in the up position but instead of hugging one knee, point the leg to the sky. Allow the leg to fall in a strict arc out to the side as far to the floor as possible then whip the leg quickly back to the starting position. Perform 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions on each side.
• Shin Curls - While sitting with both legs extended and holding a dumbbell between your feet, flex and extend your ankles. Perform 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
• Knee Shoot - standing in front of a wall, one leg forward, knee slightly bent, toes about 2-3" from the wall and pointing directly forward, try and touch your knee to the wall keeping the movement very strict in line with the toes and leaving the foot firmly planted. As mobility in the ankle improves move the foot farther away from the wall or start with a book/board under the ball of the foot. Perform 1-2 sets of 8-15 repetitions on both sides.