Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Well, you all know it is all about change for me! Keep variety & change in the workout routine to not only keep your interest BUT to keep the body responding & improving. Even after all these years, I still have been able to get my body to respond by changing things up! Not only does the body respond with changes, BUT it keeps the workout exciting! YES, I PUT EXCITING AND WORKOUT IN THE SAME SENTENCE!

So, below are a couple great moves from Oxygen Women's Fitness magazine. In fact, they have their Abs Special Issue on sale now.. and NO, I don't get paid for that. DARN! Now, we all have our probs & issues with health & fitness magazines BUT they allow us to find new ways to change not only our fitness routine but cardio & food as well. So here ya go.. ENJOY!

 

This is called a Ball Reverse Plank. Now, when I first tried this move, I used my normal 55cm ball & fell right off it! SO, do start with a smaller ball AND make sure you are on a soft surface just in case! When I first started doing this, I really had to put my whole hand down but now I am using just my fingertips and I can hold the move longer as well as put less of my back on the ball!

How to do: Start by lying face up on the ball. SLOWLY walk yourself back, keeping your body perpendicular to the floor. Keep moving back until you can put both hands or fingertips on the floor on each side of the ball. Move backwards until your feet feel light to the floor, stop there & extend your legs parallel to the floor. You may have to make small moves back or forward to get the "right" spot. This is where that MIND/MUSCLE  link is so important! Inhale & exhale as you hold this position. Work to increase you hold time and use less hand & more fingertips on the floor. KEEP YOUR CHIN TUCKED TOWARD YOUR CHEST TO AVOID NECK PAIN.



This is called a Ball Plank with alternating knee tuck. To execute this move is really harder than it looks!!

How to do: Start in a plank position with your forearms on the ball and your shoulders directly over your elbows. Both legs need to be completely extended & feet on the floor. You want feet flexed so the weight is on the ball of your toes, not the tip toes. Inhale & keep this position, then exhale & bend one knee into a tuck position toward the ball. Inhale & return to the start position & repeat with the other leg. As you get better at this, as you tuck the one knee towards the ball, simultaneously draw the ball towards the tucking knee with your arms. Again, return & repeat with other leg. Harder than it looks & sounds!!!!!!!!!!

So, I hope you liked these two moves. Tell me what you think now AND after you try them!!! Of course, the pics are from Oxygen Women's Mag... sorry for the quality. Hope to get better at that sometime!