Plyo-Magic! Adding Some Upper Body to Your Plyo Routine (Part 2)

Written with love, by Nikki Lian

Although we refer to plyometrics as "jump-training," we can still get in a decent core and upper body workout using a Plyometric routine. Here are a few more examples of Plyometric exercises you can add to last week's routine to get a more thorough workout:

Chop Squats

Of course when we see the word "squat" we think of our legs. But this type of squat done correctly can really work on upper body and our midsection as well.

Start off with your feet together and your arms straight up in the air holding a weight (start off light and work your way up to a heavier weight. I usually start with a 5 pound weight). Keeping your back straight and your belly button in, slightly jump in the air spreading your feet apart and coming down into a deep squat while taking the weight and chopping it down as if it were an axe.  At this point you should be in a wide stance and low to the floor. Immediately jump back up into your starting position what your feet together and your weight up in the air.  Try doing this in repetitions of 10. Your legs and arms will be on fire!

Trunk Twists

Trunk twists are a great abdominal exercise to work your obliques.  It's also a fun exercise to do with your workout partner.

Standing back to back, twist your torso to the right and hand off the medicine ball to your partner. Then turn to your left, taking the medicine ball back from your partner. Do 20 repetitions clockwise and 20 repetitions counterclockwise.  Remember to pop your chest out slightly to keep your back straight and your belly button in. If you don't have a partner to work with you can simply step 2 inches away from a wall (or if you're at the park use a tree) and twist back-and-forth tapping the ball to the wall. You'll be working your same muscles with the same weight in hand, only by yourself.

Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are like Burpees.  They are something we remember from gym class and aren't always thrilled to do.  However, mountain climbers are great at working your upper body as well as your abdominals, your quads and your calves. 

Starting out in a plank position, bring your knee towards your chest using a twisting motion, then bring your foot back down it's a starting position. Alternate legs at a fast pace. Start by doing 10 repetitions each leg and work your way up.   I always consider this an upper body workout as well considering you are holding your body weight with your arms and your core as well as your legs.

So there you have it. Now you know enough exercises to make an easy plyometric routine that can be done as often as you want. Not only do plyometrics burn calories, but remember they also are stretching your muscles, therefore toning them as well while you're performing these exercises.  This type of exercise routine I like to either do repetitions 10 to 15 each set, or I like to do three rounds of one minute per exercise.  Either way, you should always do these in a circuit--one set of each exercise and repeat. 

Plyo-Magic! Jumping into A Toned Body (Part 1)

Written with love, by Nikki Lian

Plyometrics, or "plyo" for short, is also known as "jump-training."  Plyometrics are supplemental exercises used by athletes to help condition themselves to jump higher and move faster. For example, a basketball or volleyball player may add box jumps or one-legged hops to their traditional routines.  When you land from a jump it's like your muscles are getting a stretch. When you combine stretching and contracting your muscles you are actually toning those muscles.  Here are some exercises that I like to add to my routines as well as my clients':

One-Legged Hops

This exercise says exactly what it is--hopping on one leg. In the picture you can see Trina using agility hoops to work on her one-legged hops, but you can do this exercise anywhere.  A suggestion would be to make a good old fashioned hopscotch grid and hop through each square one leg at a time. The muscles targeted in this exercise are your quadriceps, aka your pretty amazing thighs. Try this exercise for twenty seconds and work your way up to a minute from there.

Lateral Hurdle Jump

Here is another challenging exercise but one that works your hip-adductors, or as we know them, the inner thighs.  Below, Trina is jumping over a hurdle moving side to side. However, once again, you can get creative as to what to jump over. Sometimes I use a jump rope tied to two trees. If you have a cone or even a shoebox, that would work as well.  Just make sure if you are a beginner, you start with something lower to the ground. Start off with jumping side to side (both feet together) over the object for 20 seconds and build your way up to a minute.

Floor Jacks

Floor Jacks are done by placing your hands on the floor and getting into a plank position.  Jump landing your feet apart and then back together just as if you were doing a jumping jack. This is a great exercise for your quadriceps, but since your hands are on the floor, it is also working your core.  You may start feeling it in your calves as well.  If you don't feel comfortable doing this exercise yet, you can stand straight up and do regular jacks until you build up your strength and stamina. This should be also tried out for 20 seconds straight, and then you can work your way up to a minute.  

Plyometrics aren't just for athletes. A 150 pound person can burn up to 500 cal in one hour doing these exercises. I love to use these with my Fit Breakers, who only do half-hour sessions with me. Plyometric exercises get their heart rate up, and help them to tone and burn fat in the short amount of time we have together (although they sometimes consider them torture devices).

Thank you to my wonderful and hard-working model this week, Trina, for helping me demonstrate this plyo workout. Next week I will be showing you a couple of upper body and abdominal exercises using plyometrics. Work hard and have a wonderful week!

Inner Thighs of Steel

Written with love, by Nikki Lian

Although you may be feeling like you’re getting a full body workout working through your exercise routine, sometimes certain areas of our body can lag behind.  Unfortunately, one of these body parts happens to be the inner thighs.  If you’re having some what of a similar problem, here are a few exercises you can add to your leg routine that will pick up the pace of this stubborn area.

Reverse Jane Fondas

One of my older clients calls her side leg lifts “Jane Fondas” so the name stuck.  A modification of this basic exercise is what I call a Reverse Jane Fonda.  Lay on your side, and put your top leg over your bottom leg with your foot flat and knee bent (see below).  Instead of raising your top leg, you’re raising your straightened bottom leg, targeting your inner thighs.  You may have done this particular exercise in a recent pilates class.

Sumo Squats with Kettle Bell

You don’t’ necessarily need a kettle bell to do this exercise, but if you’d like to add a little weight to your workout you can (or you can use a dumbbell).  Like a plie squat, get into a wide stance.  With the kettle bell in your hand and your feet slightly turned out, go into a deep squat.  We don’t turn our feet out all the way on this one because we want our butt to get as low to the ground as possible.

Fire Hydrants

You can probably tell from the picture why we call these Fire Hydrants.  I like to add these in sequence with a lower-body floor exercise such as Butt Blasters and Jane Fondas.  Down on your mat on all fours and keeping your knee bent, lift your leg (as if you were a dog doing your business on a hydrant—sorry but it’s the best way to describe it)!!  Bring your knee back down to starting position.

Side Lunges

Side lunges are basically a stretch you are doing over and over again.  Take a big step out to the side, keeping your feet squared.  The leg that is planted keep straight, and the other leg bend until you feel a stretch in your inner thigh of the leg that is straight.  Once you feel the stretch, push back up with the foot that you stepped with into starting position.

I like to do each exercise on one leg first, and then switch to the other side.  I’d recommend 12-15 repetitions each set for three sets.  You should start feeling it after the workout and if you don’t feel it’s enough, add weight!!  Leg weights are great to use and are usually adjustable to your comfort level.

A special shout out to my client Beth, who actually likes working this body part out the best and is making tremendous progress!!