“How To” Exercise Videos

How to do Decline Push Ups with Dumbbells

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNmrr4IimFs[/youtube]

Decline Push Ups with Dumbbells works in a quite similar way as your regular push ups but with notably 2 major differences: one is the presence of additional dumbbells to increase the challenge and the resistance and second is that your feet are in an elevated position as you do them.

In fact, it is often recommended that you regularly change your push up routine to make it more effective and also so your muscles will not easily adapt to the stress any exercise gives that makes them effective. To get all around core training for your six pack abs, you have to keep your muscles pumped up all the time. And decline push ups with dumbbells is one way to add a bit of variety to your training.

Like any other push ups, decline push ups with dumbbells works on your chest and shoulders for the most part. The use of dumbbells also ensures that your triceps receive additional strength training.

Because of your elevated position, more pressure is applied to your upper body as you lower yourself to the ground. So all the more you need to avoid the temptation of bending your back while doing this exercise.

Instructions

Preparation

1.       Kneel in front of an elevation or exercise bench.

2.       Bend over and position your hands on the floor, shoulder width apart or slightly wider.

3.       Prop yourself up with a heavy dumbbell in each hand.

4.       Put both feet up on the elevation or bench, arms extended and feet flexed, so your body is parallel to the floor and only your toes are touching the bench.

Execution

1.       Bend your elbows to lower your body to the floor while still maintaining a straight body.

2.       Slightly pull your head back to descend fully between dumbbells.

Return

Push your body up until your arms are back in the extended position.

Repeat

 
Do you know of other steps to performing decline push up’s? Share them with us by entering your comments below.

How to do Close Hand Push Ups

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEVDmjU-65c[/youtube]

Instructions

Preparation

  1. Start off by lying face down on the floor, palms flat on the ground on each side of your chest, feet straight out, toes touching the ground.
  2. Push against the floor with your palms until you’re in a push-up position.
  3. Move palms closer to each other so that your index fingers and thumbs form a triangle on the floor.

Execution

Slowly drop to the floor by bending at the elbows, keeping your palms flat on ground, and your back and legs as straight as possible.

Return

Push against the floor with both palms until you’re back to the push-up position.

Repeat

 
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How to do Burpee

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdswYJkNvpA[/youtube]

If you are looking for one of the most intense workouts for your quads, doing the burpee would be hands down. The burpee is often seen in military or football trainings because aside from developing your quadriceps, they can also serve as a total body workout, combining strength training and aerobics.

If you have done burpee in the past, you may have felt your legs sore but without you probably knowing it, you have just received a complete body package training—starting with your upper body from your forearms, shoulders, chest, abs, middle back and triceps all the way down your lower body comprising your lower back, glutes, hip flexors, calves and hamstrings. It will not even take a professional to realize how burpee can contribute to your fat burning goals with such a wide range of motion and powerful intensity required.

With this maximum workout for your entire body, you would think that burpee requires additional equipment or needs to be performed in particular venues. Well, fortunately for everyone who want to gain benefits from this exercise, this is never going to be a problem as with burpee, all you need is yourself and loads of endurance to keep up. The more you can do in quick successions, the better.

So, are you up to the challenge?

Instructions

Preparation

  1. Start off by lying face down on the floor, palms flat on the ground on each side of your chest, feet straight out, toes touching the ground.
  2. Push against the floor with your palms until you’re in a push-up position.

Execution

  1. Without taking your hands off the floor, jump inward so that your knees are bent and your feet are right below your torso, as if in squatting position.
  2. Leap upward as high as you can go, straightening out your limbs, so that both your arms are raised above your head and your feet are off the ground.

Return

  1. Drop your arms and land on the balls of your feet.
  2. Go back to the squatting position while planting your palms firmly on the ground.
  3. Kick your feet back until you’re in a push-up position again.

Repeat

 
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How to do Body Weight Squat Holds

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkyAd9AYFDo[/youtube]

You often engage your back when picking up things or lifting objects in your daily activities. The problem is, most often, this is done incorrectly; rather than bending your legs and keeping your back straight while picking or lifting, there is the natural tendency to use the lower back and bend it. This leads to unnecessary back aches and could potentially injure it in the long run.

The squat is one of the most effective leg exercises that aims for you to make it a habit to lift or carry the proper way. And the body weight squat holds is one of the basic squats where you can start.

The body weight squat holds seems like the old way of punishing students in school. However, when done correctly, this serves as an effective exercise for your glutes as well as training for your leg muscles like quadriceps, calves and hamstring. Holding your position during a body weight squat holds may seem hard at first but this is actually one way of strengthening your lower body.

As soon as you have mastered body weight squat holds, you can begin to challenge yourself further by adding weights to have more resistance in the process.

Instructions

Preparation

Start off by standing upright, arms straight on each side, feet shoulder width part, and toes pointing outward.

Execution

  1. Press your hips down into a squat as if you’re about to sit on a chair while simultaneously raising your arms in front of you. Keep your back straight at all times. Stop as soon as your thighs are parallel to the ground.
  2. Keep arms straight out and parallel to the floor. Push your hips back so your knees don’t go over the line of your toes.
  3. Hold it for as long as you can.

Return

Slowly go back up to your original position.

Repeat

 
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How to do Barbell Push Crunch

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHaz3eRgb5c[/youtube]

Instructions

Preparation

  1. Place your barbell next to your exercise bench.
  2. Lie flat on the inclined exercise bench and hook both your feet underneath the foot pad.
  3. Reach out for the barbell and hold it up directly above you with both arms, shoulder width apart. Use overhand grips and keep your arms straight at all times.

Execution

  1. Raise your upper body until you’ve reached a 45 degree angle with the bench, push the barbell toward the ceiling while keeping all the weight above your shoulders, and hold that position for a couple of seconds.
  2. Keep lower back, hips, and thighs in contact with the bench at all times.

Return

Slowly go back down to your original position.

Repeat

 
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