Month: April 2020

You can get a full body workout at home without weights.

No access to a gym, no worries. We got you covered.

The tools you need are right in your house.

Here are 15 exercises that anyone can do at home using your floor, bed, wall, and couch.

Floor

With a flat surface, you can do pretty much any exercise. Here are 5 that will help you to keep in shape:

Jumping jacks are a great form of cardio that engages the entire body.

Step 1: Stand with your back straight, feet together and flat on the floor and hands by your side.

Step 2: Jump upwards, bringing your hands straight above your head and landing with your feet hip-width apart

Step 3: Jump again, this time bringing your hand and feet to the original position. This is one rep.

Modification: Instead of jumping, do a side step.

This is another form of cardio, that can function as bodyweight training.

Step 1: Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your hands should be by your side.

Step 2: Keeping your back straight, push your hips back, and bend your knees to initiate a squat.

Step 3: Put your hands on the floor in front of you and shift your body weight to your hands.

Step 4: In a quick jumping motion, extend your feet backward and get into a plank position.

Step 5: Jump your feet forward, back into step 3’s position, and jump upwards quickly, landing flat on your feet. This is one rep.

Modification: Replace jumping with a gentle step back in step 4 to make it easier. Make your burpee more advance by doing a push up when you are in the plank position

Squats help to tone the leg muscles and glutes. They also help to improve stability and lower body strength.

Step 1: Stand upright with your legs shoulder-width apart and toes parallel (or outwards if it helps you to stay balanced.

Step 2: Contract your abs and push your butt backward as if you’re sitting in an imaginary chair. Do not concentrate on bending your knees.

Step 3: As you descend, look straight ahead and avoid hunching over. Extend your hands in front of you to maintain your balance, or bend your elbows to clasp your hands. Your knees should not pass your toes.

Step 4: Keep your body tight and push through your heels to get back to your original position. This is one rep.

Modification: Use a chair for guidance

Calf raises are great for toning the legs and improving stability.

Step 1: Stand flat on the floor, or on the edge of your steps, or anything that can keep your heels off the floor.

Step 2: Straighten your back, contract your abs, and use the wall or railing or a piece of furniture that is taller than you for stability.

Step 3: Raise your heels off the floor by getting on your tippy-toes, and hold for 3 seconds.

Step 4: Lower your body to stretch your calves. This is one rep.

Modification: Try doing calf raises with one leg at a time.

Planks strengthen the core, promote balance, and can improve posture.

Step 1: Lay flat on your stomach and place your forearms parallel to the floor.

Step 2: Extend your legs outwards onto your tippy toes and press your forearms into the floor to raise your body above the floor.

Step 3: Squeeze your glutes, keep your neck neutral, and engage your abs. Your head should be in line with your back and your body should be as stiff as a piece board. Hold this position for at least 30 seconds.

Modification: If you cannot manage to hold this pose, bend your knees to the floor. If you want to make this harder, straighten your elbows and place your palms flat on the floor as if you were going to do a pushup.

Bed

Getting out of bed in the morning sucks, so why not stay in bed while you do your workout?

Bicycle crunches work both the upper and lower abs, along with the thighs and obliques.

Step 1: Lay flat on your back, bend your knees and place your arms behind your head.

Step 2: Lift your bent legs off the floor and pull your navel in. Raise your shoulder blades off the floor slightly.

Step 3: Pull your left knee in towards your chest and meet it with your right elbow while extending your right leg. Repeat by pulling your right knee in towards your chest and meet it with your left elbow while extending your left leg. This is one rep.

Modification: If you can’t manage to extend your leg for each crunch, rest the soles of that foot on your bed.

Scissor kicks work the core, glutes, abs, and legs.

Step 1: Lay with your back flat on the floor with your legs extended.

Step 2: Place your palms beside your hips or below your glutes.

Step 3: Raise your legs, engage your core, and tuck your pelvis. Lift one leg above the other and alternate in a scissors motion. Each alternation is one rep.

Modification: Keep your legs barely raised above the mat to relieve the pressure on your lower back.

This exercise engages the glutes and helps to increase hip stability.

Step 1: Lay on your back with your palms flat and knees raised off the floor.

Step 2: Lift your hips off the floor until your knees and shoulders are in a straight line.

Step 3: Brace your core and raise your right leg off the ground. Do the same with the left leg. Do not drop your hips.

**You may also try this exercise at the edge of your bed. These are flutter kicks.

Modification: Instead of placing your palms flat on the floor, extend them to a T-shape for greater stability.

This targets the legs, hips, lower black, and glutes.

Step 1: Lay on your side with your feet together. Your right forearm should be braced against the bed and your left arm should be by your side.

Step 2: Lift your left laterally and lower it slowly. This is one rep.

Step 3: Repeat on your right side after a couple of reps.

**You may also try this exercise by laying flat on your back and doing leg lifts towards the ceiling to target the abs.

Modification: None

This is an exercise that targets the core, glutes, hamstrings, hips, and upper back.

Step 1: Lay flat on your stomach and assume superman’s flying position. In other words, raise your head slightly and extend your legs and arms. Lift your chest as high as you possibly can and hold the pose for at least 3 seconds. This is one rep.

Step 2: Release and repeat.

Modification: None

Wall

If you’ve managed to get out of the bed, good for you! These are some excellent wall exercises:

Wall push-ups are the same as regular pushups, but instead, you do them on your wall. They’re much easier and target the shoulders, upper back, chest, and arms.

Step 1: Stand 2 feet away from the wall and extend your hands in front of you. Your palms should be touching the wall.

Step 2: Bend your elbows and lean your body in towards the wall, bringing it as close as you can without touching.

Step 3: Push your palms into the wall to straighten your elbows and return to the original position. This is one rep.

Modification: None

This exercise helps you to tone your legs and abs, strengthen your calves and thighs, and improve balance.

Step 1: Stand upright with your back facing the wall.

Step 2: Slowly slide into a squat position with your knees at a 90-degree angle.

Step 3: Hold this position for at least 30 seconds.

Modification: None.

Legs curls strengthen and tone the muscles in your legs and help to stabilize the knee joints.

Step 1: Lay flat on your stomach with the soles of your feet pushed up against the wall.

Step 2: Slowly kick back your right leg towards to glutes then lower it to the wall. Repeat with the left leg. This is one rep.

Modification: Curl both legs at once.

This is an exercise that engages the core, glutes, and stabilizes the hips and lower back.

Step 1: Lay flat on your back with your palms on flat on the floor.

Step 2: Bend your knees to a 90-degree angle and press the soles of your feet into the wall.

Step 3: While squeezing your glutes, lift your hips off the floor as high as you can then lower it to the floor. This is one rep.

Modification: Hold the position for 30 seconds.

Lunges target the legs and the glutes. They also help with stability.

Step 1: Stand 3-4 feet away from the wall with your back facing it.

Step 2: Bend your right knee slightly behind you until it touches the wall. Press the balls of your foot into the wall and tighten your abdomen.

Step 3: With your back straight, bend your left knee to 90 degrees and dip. Your knees should not pass your toes.

Step 4: Press your right heel into the wall to slowly raise your body to the position in step 2. This is one rep.

Modification: None.

Summary

12 Triceps Workouts Without Weights You Can Try Today!

We taught you how to exercise and build your biceps without weights, now it’s time to talk about how you can get your triceps in shape.

You can’t work one muscle and not work the other. It doesn’t work like that. The biceps and triceps are like yin and yang and if you want well-toned and balanced arms, then you have to check out this article.

In this article, we’ll discuss 12 different triceps workouts you can do today without using any weights. But first, let’s talk about what the triceps are and how they are different from your biceps.

Where are Your Triceps?

Like biceps, triceps are located in the upper arm between the shoulder blades and elbows. However, instead of lying at the front of the upper arm, triceps lie at the back. They are pushing muscles and oppose your biceps.

Biceps are used for pulling or bending the arm at the elbow while triceps are used for pushing or extending the arm.

1. Triceps Push Ups

These are similar to normal push ups, however, you’ll have to position your arms slightly different to target your triceps

Step 1: Get into a plank position with your shoulders directly above your wrists, body straight and on your tippy-toes. Your feet should be together.

Step 2: Bend your elbows in line with your shoulders to lower your body to the floor. Do not extend your bent elbows outwards, they should be tucked at your sides.

Step 3: Straighten your arms to return to the plank position. This is one rep.

Modification: Instead of extending your body to your tippy toes, bend your knees.

2. Triceps Dips

Tricep dips are one of the most common exercises used to tone the triceps without weights. All you need to do it is a flat surface.

Step 1: Sit on the floor with your back straight and legs extended.

Step 2: Position your arms shoulders width apart behind you and bend your knees, keeping the soles of your feet flat on the ground.

Step 3: Use your arms to push down into the floor, and raise your glutes off the floor to create tension in your triceps. Your knees and arms should never change position.

Step 4: Slowly bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle to return to your original position with your glutes hovering the floor slightly. This is one rep.

Modification: This is the simplest form of the exercise, but if you want to ramp it up, use a chair to elevate your arms for a deeper dip.

3. Diamond Push Ups

This is another variation of push ups that targets the triceps better than traditional push ups.

Step 1: Assume a tall plank position with the body extended to the tippy toes with your feet together.

Step 2: Place your hands together to form a diamond or triangle by touching your thumbs and index fingers.

Step 3: Exhale into bending your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor, and by extension your entire body.

Step 4: Inhale and straighten your elbows to assume your original position. This is one rep.

Modification: Bend your legs at the knees or separate your feet.

4. L-Sit

This exercise requires tremendous strength so don’t be discouraged if you can’t maintain it right away.

Step 1: Sit on the floor in a piked seated position, i.e. with your back straight and your legs extended in front of you.

Step 2: Place your palms on the floor beside your hips and straighten your locked arms.

Step 3: Squeeze your glutes and press your palm into the floor to lift them.

Step 4: Your body should be supported from your shoulders all the way to your palms. Next, tighten your core and slowly lift your legs off the floor, keeping them straight and together, while pointing your toes.

Step 5: Bring your hips slightly in front of your hands and hold for at least ten seconds.

Modification: There isn’t any, we told you it was a challenge!

5. Dive bomber

The diver bomber is primarily an upper body and core workout

Step 1: Assume the downward dog position. In other words, your belly should be facing the floor and your body should be in an inverted V position by extending the arms and feet while raising the hips.

Step 2: Slowly bend your elbow to lower your chest while keeping your hips raised.

Step 3: Straighten your arms again, but instead push your chest outwards in front of you with your hips hovering above the floor.

Step 4: Return to the original position by pushing your hips upwards, causing your chest to face the floor. This is one rep.

Modification: Bend your knees as you lower your body from the plank position 

6. Renegade row with towel

For this exercise, you will need a long towel

Step 1: Assume a tall plank position. Your hands should be a bit wider than shoulder’s width apart and your legs should be hip-width apart

Step 2: Grasp the towel tightly with both hands and brace your core.

Step 3: Bend one arm back as much as possible while grasping the towel. Your bodyweight should be focused on one hand and your elbow should be pointed upwards.

Step 4: Hold this position for at least 15 seconds then return to the starting position. This is one rep. Repeat with the other arm for another rep.

Modification: Bend your knees 

7. Inchworm

Inchworm is great for your triceps but it also works as a great body stretch.

Step 1: Stand up straight. Your legs should be together and your feet should be flat.

Step 2: Bend over and touch your toes while keeping your feet straight.

Step 3: Use your hands to start walking your body forward until you are in a plank position.

Step 4: Take small forward steps with your legs until they are near your hands. You may bend them a little. This is one rep.

Modification: Bend your knees 

8. Arm circles

This exercise is a great warm-up for upper body exercise since it targets the shoulders, biceps, and triceps.

Step 1: Stand up straight. Your feet should be flat on the ground.

Step 2: Extend your arms upwards and outwards from your side until they are at a 90-degree angle with your body.

Step 3: Move your arms in small forward circles for 30 seconds. This should be a fast motion.

Step 4: Do reverse circles for 30 seconds.

Step 5: Do larger circles in forward and reverse motions.

Modification: None

9. Wall push ups

If your floor is too hard and you don’t own a yoga mat, then you may not be too keen on floor exercises. Good thing you can do your push ups on a wall. Yup, you read correctly. This is how you do it:

Step 1: Stand about one or two feet in front of a wall with your back straight and feet flat.

Step 2: Lift your arms and place your palms on the wall, a bit wider than shoulder feet apart with your fingers pointing to the ceiling.

Step 3: Bend your elbows and bring your chest and chin as close to the wall as possible. Your feet should not move.

Step 4: Push your palms into the wall to straighten your arms and return to your original position. This is one rep.

Modification: You didn’t seriously think there was a modification did you? Let’s move on to the next exercise. 

10. Plank up-downs

Planks are great for building core strength but they also do a ton for toning and strengthening all your arm and shoulder muscles.

Step 1: Assume the tall plank position with your palms flat, back straight, neck neutral and feet extended to your tippy toes.

Step 2: Bend one elbow at a time and rest on your forearm.

Step 3: When supported by both forearms, extend your arm, one at a time to return to your original position. This is one rep.

Modification: Do a forearm plank instead. Do not extend your arms.

11. Plank rotation

Plank rotations are a more advanced form of the traditional plank and can be hard for a beginner since it requires a lot of arm strength.

Step 1: Get into a plank position. Ensure your abs and arms are tight, elbows are locked, feet are together and your body is in a straight line.

Step 2: Lift one arm off the ground and extend to the sky. While doing this, turn your entire body to the side. Your feet should still be together and your body should still be in a straight line. Try to hold this position for 10 seconds and stretch your body.

Step 3: Return your body to the original position in a smooth, controlled motion and repeat on the other side.

Modification: The only way to modify this exercise is by doing it faster, which makes it even harder. 

12. Reverse plank leg lift

Here’s an exercise that lets you work on your triceps, but also your legs, glutes, and abs.

Step 1: You will need to assume what is known as an inverse plank position. Instead of facing the floor, you will need to face the ceiling. To do this, sit on the floor with your back straight and legs extended. Place your palms flat on the floor behind your back, shoulder’s width apart. Your fingers should be pointed in the same direction as your body.

Step 2: Extend your arms by pushing into the floor. In doing so, raise your body off the floor onto your heels.

Step 3: Tighten your abs and lift one leg high in the air, then lower it back onto its heel. Repeat with the other leg. This is one rep.

Modification: Do not raise your leg. Hold the plank position. 

Committing to the triceps and biceps exercises without weights we have given you can give you the arms you’ve long for but could never achieve. Say goodbye to flabs and hello to spaghetti strap tops. What are you waiting for? Those arms aren’t going to tone themselves!

You’re probably used to seeing commercials or TV shows with fit men and women lifting weights with their strong, toned arm and based on that you assume that’s the only way to get those guns.

But, unfortunately, you’re recovering from an injury and your doctor told you to stop using weights during exercise, or perhaps you just don’t have access to a gym at the moment. Whatever the reason is, that shouldn’t stop you from working on those biceps. You can still get toned and lose arm fat.

The secret to it is using your body weight. It’s free after all, so why not? We’ll discuss 12 exercises you can try right now in the comfort of your own home!

Where Are Your Biceps?

The biceps are what people refer to as “guns”. It’s a set of muscles located at the front of the upper arm, between the shoulders and the elbow. They are considered pulling muscles and oppose your triceps.

To target these muscles, you’ll need to do some sort of forearm contractions. These contractions are more effective when there is some sort of resistance, whether from weights, body weight or resistance bands.

Since weights are out of the question, we’ll focus on exercises you can do with your bodyweight or with resistance bands. Here you go:

1. Push ups

Push ups are sometimes known as press-ups since you are using your arms to lower your body to the ground, then pressing against them to push it back up. To do this exercise, all you will need is a flat surface.

Step 1: Start in a tall plank position with your arms fully outstretched and your belly facing the floor. Your legs should b

e straight, and you should be on your tippy-toes.
Step 2: Use your elbows to slowly lower your chest by bending them. Your knees should not be bent and your body should not touch the flokoior.

Step 3: Squeeze through your chest to straighten your arm to the original tall plank position. This is one rep.

Modification: Bend your knees

2. Shoulder taps

Shoulder taps are great because they target several muscles, strengthen the core and improve stability.

Step 1: Get into a tall plank position by extending your arms downwards and extending your body into your toes.

Step 2: Keep your hip and shoulders level and in slow, controlled motion, lift your right palm off the ground and tap your left shoulder.

Step 3: Return your right palm to the floor, then use your left palm to tap your right shoulder. This is one rep.

Modification: If you want to make it more advanced you can push ups in between each tap.

3. Standing shoulder taps

This is a simple version of shoulder taps you can use when you are new to the workout lifestyle.

Step 1: Stand with your back straight and feet flat.

Step 2: Curl your arms and place the tips of your fingers on your shoulder. Your arms should resemble wings.

Step 3: Raise your arms above your head by extending your elbows, then return them to the original position. This is one rep.

Modification: None. You can do it!

4. Side bicep extensions

This exercise is more effective with weights, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do it without them.

Step 1: Stand with your back straight, feet flat and with your hands by your side. Your palms should be facing your body.

Step 2: Extend your arms sideways and upwards until they are in line with your shoulder blades.

Step 3: Return your arms to the original position. This is one rep.

Modification: This is the most basic form of the exercise. The only way to modify is with weights or a resistance  band to make it more advanced.

5. Forearm plank

The forearm plank is similar to a regular plank, however, the weight is concentrated on the forearm rather than the palms.

Step one: Lay flay on your stomach then bend your arms at your elbows in front of you. You can lay your palms flat or roll your hands into a fist, whatever is more comfortable for you.

Step two: Extend your body until you are on your tippy-toes.

Step three: Tighten your abs and your glutes and hold for 30 seconds. This is one rep.

Modification: None. You’ll have to tough this one out!

6. Sitting knee curl

To do a sitting knee curl, all you need is a chair. For the modified version, all you need is a flat surface. If you don’t own a yoga mat, a clean floor should do.

Step 1: Sit on a chair with your legs outstretched.

Step 2: Tuck your hands underneath your hamstrings and use your biceps to pull your knees into your chest.

Step 3: Return to the original position. This is one rep.

Modification: Sit on the floor or mat

7. Inverted body row

To do an inverted body row, you will need a sturdy table with the feet at its corners that have an area you can grip from underneath.

Step 1: Sit on the floor with your legs underneath the table to chair

Step 2: Grab the grip area with your palms facing your body and pull your body off of the ground as you walk your legs further underneath the table. At this point, your head should be hanging out and your chest should be in line with your grip area.

Step 3: Your elbows should be far apart. Slowly lower your back and by extension the rest of your body to complete one rep.

Modification: If possible, bend your knees.

8. Chin-ups

This exercise will only work if you have a chin-up bar, and it’s pretty easy to make one if you’re handy. If not, you can easily do this in an area of your house with a sturdy horizontal surface that is taller than you, like a door frame or handrailings. Be sure to test if it is strong enough to manage your body weight before going all out.

Step 1: Find an area to grip if you aren’t using an actual bar. This should be an underhand grip, meaning your palms should face you. In other words, you should be standing on the opposite side of the grip surface.

Step 2: Pull your body up to the bar until your chin is at the height of the bar.

Step 3: Lower your body to your starting point smoothly. This is one rep.

Modification: This doesn’t get easier, but you can make it more advanced by pulling your body high enough that your chest is in line with the bar.

9. Jump rope

For this exercise, it is good to have a jump rope, but you can always make a makeshift jump rope with an old piece of rope, a flexible old cable or a PVC cord.

Step 1: Stand with one end of your jump rope in each hand. The rope should be behind you, held at waist height.

Step 2: Bend your knees, get onto your tippy toes and prepare to jump. As you do, spin your wrists to lift the rope off the ground, over your head and behind you again. Your elbows should not move. You can jump with both feet at once or jump in a hopscotch motion (hop with one leg), whichever works best for you.

Step 3: Don’t stop at one jump. Even if you step on the rope or trip on your first try, the more you practice it the better you get so keep going.

Modification: None really, try jump rope at a slower pace until you are comfortable.

10. Resistance band bicep curl

For this exercise, you’ll have to have resistance bands at home already. If you don’t, they’re pretty cheap and you can get a good pair on Amazon in no time.

Step 1: Kneel on the floor with your buttocks touching the heels of your feet.

Step 2: Relax the upper body and sit up straight.

Step 3: Tuck the resistance band beneath your right knee and hold the excess with your right hand.

Step 4: Pull the resistance band towards your right shoulder by bending your arm whilst keeping your shoulder stationary and your back straight.

Step 5: Slowly release the band by straightening your elbow to a 90-degree angle without letting the resistance band go. This is one rep. After one set, switch to the next leg.

Modification: None.

11. Standing bicep curl

This exercise requires a resistance band as well.

Step 1: Place the resistance band beneath your feet and grab both ends, one with your right hand, and the other with your left hand.

Step 2. Stand up, as you do so, pull up the resistance bands until your hands are at your hips.

Step 3: Keeping your chest tall, bend your elbows. This will bring your hands along with the band up to your shoulder. This is slow, controlled motion.

Step 4: Slowly lower your hands by straightening your elbows. This is one rep.

Modification: None.

12. Handstand push ups

This exercise should only be performed if you are athletic, have done handstands before and can support your body weight.

Step 1: Stand in front of a wall and kick your feet up to assume the handstand position

Step 2: Tighten your entire body by squeezing the abs, glutes, and thighs.

Step 3: Lower your body to the floor by bending your elbows. This motion is slow and controlled.

Step 4: Extend your elbows to raise yourself off the floor again. This is one rep.

Modification: None

What are you waiting for? It’s time to workout!
Get those biceps ready for questions like “Wow, have you been working out?”.

Of course, you’ll let them know you got a little help right? Be sure to share where you got the secret to great arms without using weights.

If you’ve been wanting to experience a home yoga practice for strength, here is a flowing yoga practice that you can do to help build strength in your core. The poses featured in this sequence include:

Boat Pose

Side Plank Pose

“Dolphin Plank Pose”

Bridge Pose

Each posture will be described and the benefit of each movement. Let’s begin.

Start your practice by standing at the top of your mat. Be sure to have your feet about hip distance apart with your toes pointing forward to create alignment in the lower half of your body. For good posture, slightly roll your shoulders back and gaze forward. Hold here in Mountain Pose to focus on your breath. Take slow inhales and slow exhales to tune into your body. Standing in stillness at the beginning of your practice creates a mindset of awareness and connection.

Pay attention to each breath. As you inhale deeply, feel the breath rise to fill up your lungs. Also feel the lengthening in your spine. As you exhale, draw your navel inward toward your spine to engage your abdominal muscles. This is called the Abdominal Lock. This will be a focal part of your yoga for strength practice.

Half Salute to the Sun

When you’re ready to move, inhale and extend your arms overhead. Exhale to fold forward. As you fold, hinge at your hips and keep a slight bend in your knees to protect your back. When you touch your toes, this is Standing Forward Fold. Inhale to slide your hands up to your shins and extend your spine so that your torso is parallel to the ground. This is Half Forward Fold. Exhale to lower back down to Standing Forward Fold. Feel free to hold this posture for a few breaths. It creates a nice release in your entire back, neck, and shoulders.

To come out of the pose, lean back gently onto your heels, bend your knees, inhale deeply, and rise up to a standing position. Lift your arms overhead. Exhale to lower your arms back down by your side. This short series is called the Half Salute to the Sun.

Sun Salutation (Series A)

To continue, inhale and raise your arms overhead, exhale to lower to Standing Forward Fold. Inhale to slide your hands to your shins and extend your spine: Half Forward Fold. As you exhale, bend your knees enough to place your palms on the floor. Step both feet back until you are in a high push-up position. This is Plank Pose. Inhale to feel the breath move through your entire body, exhale to lower yourself to Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose). Do this by bending your elbows as if you’re completing a push-up.

On your next inhale, press your hands firmly into your mat to straighten your arms, and lift your upper body. Your legs will remain long behind you as you lift just the upper portion of your body. You’ll be in a backbend position called Upward Facing Dog. As you exhale, tuck your toes, bend your knees, press your hands into your mat, and lift your hips into the air. You’ll arrive in an inverted V-shape position. This is Downward Facing Dog. Hold this posture for at least five breaths.

Inhale to lift and extend your right leg up into the air. Exhale to bring your right foot to the floor next to your right hand. You will be in a lunging position. Turn your left heel to the floor then inhale to lift your upper body. Extend both arms into the sky and face forward. This is Warrior One. Exhale to lower both hands down to the floor, returning to the lunging position. Step your right foot back to me the other: Plank Pose. Take a breath in, and as you exhale, complete the push-up, moving into Four Limbed Staff Pose. Inhale to lift your torso into Upward Facing Dog. Exhale, lift your hips, and return to Downward Facing Dog. Repeat this segment on the other side.

Inhale and extend your left leg upward. Exhale and send your left foot to the floor next to your left hand. Turn your right heel to the floor behind you. You want to create a firm foundation for your body. Inhale to lift your whole upper body while extending both arms into the air as you move into Warrior One. Exhale and lower your hands to the yoga mat, slide your left foot back into Plank Pose. Breathe in deeply and as you exhale lower your body by bending your elbows into Chaturanga Dandasana. Inhale to Upward Facing Dog. Exhale into Downward Facing Dog. Hold this pose for at least five full breaths.

Side Plank Pose

Slowly shift your body by lowering your hips to return to Plank Pose. To work your obliques, you will move into Side Plank Pose. Keep your right hand firmly planted into your yoga mat as you raise your left arm into the air turning your body sideways. Flex your feet to keep your legs straight and strong. Make sure your left hip stays lifted to maintain alignment in your body. Hold the posture for 5-10 breaths. When complete, return to Plank Pose, then perform the pose on the other side. While keeping your left hand on your mat, turn sideways, and extend your right arm up towards the ceiling. If you need to, you may stagger your feet; one in front of the other to maintain stability. Keep your right hip raised. By holding static in this posture, you gain more strength in your side bodies. After 5-10 breaths, return to Plank Pose and complete the Vinyasa (flow): Chaturanga Dandasana, Upward Facing Dog, and Downward Facing Dog.

If you need to rest during your practice, you may come down to your knees, sit back onto your haunches, and lower your upper body toward the floor. This is a restful posture called Child’s Pose. Hold for 10 breaths before moving to the next yoga position.

“Dolphin Plank Pose”

Rise up to your hands and knees. Place your forearms onto the mat parallel to one another. Step your feet back holding steady on your toes with your knees off the ground. This is another version of Plank Pose, but you are performing it on your forearms. It has a nickname: “Dolphin Plank.” There is a pose in yoga called Dolphin Pose where your forearms are on the mat while your hips are in the air like Downward Facing Dog. With this variation you put more emphasis on your abdominal system. Hold for 10-20 breaths. You will certainly feel your abdominal muscles engage to hold you in this position. Feel free to pause after the breaths and repeat this plank posture two more times.

Bridge Pose

The last posture you’ll practice for strength is Bridge Pose. It is a backbend that strengthens your back muscles. Roll over onto your back. Lie down with your knees bent and feet flat on the mat. Take a full breath in to fill up your lungs. As you exhale, press your feet firmly into your yoga mat in order to lift your hips into the air. As your are able, bring your arms slightly underneath you by squeezing your shoulder blades together. This will engage your upper back muscles to help you support your body in this position. This is Bridge Pose; your body forms the shape of an arching bridge. For greater support, you may bend your arms at 90 degrees. Press the back of your arms (your triceps) into the mat so that you stay lifted. Meanwhile, you are taking deep inhales to fill up your lungs, and as you exhale, squeeze your glute muscles and engage your abdominal muscles. Hold Bridge Pose for 5-10 breaths. You are welcome to release your body from this pose allowing your muscles to disengage then repeat the posture two more times.

Savasana

When you are complete with your strength yoga practice, it is time to move into Savasana which means “Corpse Pose.” This is your resting yoga position to finish your work. In this reclining posture, you lie on your back with your legs extended straight out in front of you on the floor. Your arms will rest down by the sides of your body. You want to be able to fully relax. It is the opportunity to review the hard work you have done in this practice to build strength. It is a reminder, too, that it is important to rest your mind and body after your accomplishment. Lie in stillness and focus on your breath. Let the ease of your breath sweep over your body, calming you, and relaxing you. Your are welcome to stay in this meditative position as long as you’d like.

Namaste

This could complete your yoga practice, or you may eventually rise to a comfortable seated position with your legs crossed and hands at your heart. Keep your eyes closed and continue to focus on your slow deep breathing. There is a word that is often said at the end of each yoga practice; that word is “Namaste.” It is a salutation that literally means “to bow.” But ii holds deeper meaning. One translation of the word is this: “I bow and honor the Light in you, as you honor the Light in me.” Bow and honor yourself as you finish your yoga practice. Namaste.

How many times have you put getting fit on your list of New Years Resolution? How far did you get into it? Were you one of those who signed up for a gym and never went? How about going for a couple of days then quitting?

If you’re still signed up, cancel that membership ASAP. We both know that the gym just isn’t your scene, whether it’s because you feel intimated or have a busy lifestyle, and you’re probably just wasting your money.

So now what? If not the gym, how can I possibly lose weight? Well, you can:

If you have a smartphone, tablet or laptop, you have a wealth of knowledge and content at your fingertips. All you have to do is go to your app store, and type in “workout app”.  It’s as simpleas that.

When you do this, you’ll come across numerous apps so it will be left up to you to read the reviews and features in order to choose the best one for you. You may even have to download 2 or 3 just to find the right fit but that’s no big deal since you can always delete it after.

Some apps allow you to choose from a series of workouts, or difficulty levels, while others have one set routine to follow. You’re better off with one that has varying levels of difficulty.

The good thing about this is that you don’t have to leave your house to get a workout. You can do it anytime and you probably won’t have to pay for it. The drawback, however, is the annoying ads that you’ll probably have to pay to remove. If they aren’t too disruptive and won’t pop up during the workout then you can probably ignore them and click away when they appear (if you have that option).

If you don’t want to use an app, you could always go on YouTube to find a workout video. If you’re a beginner, you can specify by typing “workout videos for beginners” and a bunch of beginner-friendly videos will pop up.

Again, you’ll have to scroll through the videos to find a good one and even read to comments to see how manageable or helpful the video is.

If you have equipment like weights at home, you can follow along with them, but there are plenty of workout videos on Youtube that doesn’t require equipment.

The good thing is you are not limited to standard workouts and the content creators on Youtube always come up with fun new ways to get a workout done inside or in your yard, where you can utilize household items and furniture such as stairs, chairs, tables and even your kitchen counter into your workout routine. These videos are all free and easily accessible as long as youhave a steady internet connection.

Workout DVDs are where it all started when it comes to at-home workouts. If you have some at home, brush them off and pop them into your laptop. They’re still useful!

While you can still find some of them online, usually they’re low quality or have some pieces missing. Many people still prefer to use old Jillian Micheals, Jane Fonda, Leslie Sansone, and P90X DVDs. If you don’t know who these are, your parents probably do! They were and still are fitness guru whose workout videos helped to change the lives of many Americans, and other persons across the world. They’re intense, motivational and when done correctly, get the job done.

While many fitness programs are affiliated with gyms, many others are independent and are geared towards fitness outside of the gym environment. Some of these include dance classes, group cycling, 5K runs, martial arts, and sports tournaments.

Some fitness programs also include dietary regimens that help you to lose weight even faster. Many are for a limited period, but you can carry over what you learned into your daily life and continue the activities as best as possible.

Taking up a new sport or continuing to play one that you were really good at is a great way to lose weight and stay fit. No, this doesn’t mean that you need to be a track and field star to use sports to lose weight.

If you enjoyed swimming in high school, go by your local pool or swim club for a couple of laps as much as you can. Swimming is great for toning and building muscle, boosting endurance and encourages a healthy heart and lungs.

Tennis and badminton are great as well since they build arm strength and endurance, reduce body fat and increases aerobic capacity. Soccer will give you a full-body workout and will also help to increase your stamina and endurance. Gymnastics helps to increase flexibility, improve bone health and density and improve coordination.

Lacrosse, hockey, golf, cricket, skateboarding, volleyball, rugby, karate, baseball, cycling, and fencing are all great sports to try out. As long as they keep you active, work up a sweat and help you commit to a routine, they’re great alternatives to the gym.

If you can’t be bothered by the gym, you can set up your own gym at home. Of course, this will cost you money but it doesn’t have to an insanely expensive state-of-the-art gym for it to be useful.

You can get equipment at reasonable prices online or in stores on sale. You can invest in some weights, or if you have limited space, resistant bands which are quite useful for strength training. For cardio, you could buy a cheap jump rope or a cheap elliptical machine. There must be someone in your vicinity having and yard sale, just dying to get rid of equipment. Disc core sliders aren’t expensive and work just as well as expensive machines for building core strength.

If you’re handy, you can set up your own pull-up bar and use your body strength for exercise. You can build balance rails, use old tires for strength and cardio, create agility ladders from old ones or make your own with some duct tape or build your own squat rack. The possibilities really are endless once you start to think outside of the box.

The beach isn’t just for taking pictures for Instagram or getting a suntan. You can use the beach to your advantage and get a pretty good workout.

You can take a dip and swim along the shore or to a specific point if you’re a strong swimmer, or do water aerobics in waist-deep water if you don’t know how to swim.

Get out of the water and do a few laps on the sand or your regular workout routine. The moving sand grains beneath your feet activates more muscles and gives you a better workout and results ! Additionally, sand absorbs some of the shock so you’ll reduce the impact and stress on your joints.

Just be sure to wear sneakers since there may be seashells, pieces of coral or other sharp objects that can injure your feet during a run or workout. The sand may also be hot which can be very uncomfortable.

The best part about a beach workout is that when you’re done, you can take a dip and cool down!

Many persons workout in a park because it’s an open space with a cool breeze and great walking and jogging trails. Maybe they’re onto something that you should get on!

The great thing about working out in a park versus a gym or at home with equipment is that it is environmentally friendly. There’s no A/C, no equipment plugged in or anything that uses electricity. You’ll feel much better outdoors since you’ll be in contact with nature, meet a few friends and even experience a boost in self-esteem and confidence.

You may experience a reduction in stress and you’ll get the vital Vitamin D that you don’t get inside of a gym or when cooped up indoors. There’s also nothing to pay for, i.e no membership fees since these are usually community spaces that are accessible to everyone.

Stairs aren’t just for getting to your upstairs or downstairs. Nope! You can use them to get fit.
Start with simply walking up and down the stairs a few times to improve agility and build your leg muscles. When able, you can jog up and down them, and even run. Just be careful of slips on hardwood floors or tile.

There are many leg exercises you can do with stairs, such as long steps, traverses, walking on toes, crouch walks, jumps, calf raises and split squats. You can engage your arms and core with money crawls, crab walks, inclined push-ups, and tricep dips.

As best as possible, avoid doing these exercises around children who might get the wrong idea and try it behind your back since they saw mommy or daddy doing it.

The best and cheapest weight you can ever use to exercise is your body weight. These can be done anywhere at any time by using your own weight as resistance against gravity. There are many, many exercises you can try using your body weight and includes beginner-friendly exercises all the way up to the advanced and experts.

Not only are bodyweight exercises cost-effective, but they are also extremely efficient and can help to build muscle while shedding pounds, increase mobility and stability, encourage discipline, boost confidence and improve vo2 max.

Some of the most popular bodyweight exercises are:

Household chores keep your home looking neat and tidy, but they can also double as a great workout.

Mopping and vacuuming burn a ton of calories, so does unloading groceries and decluttering. If you have a room that needs a touch-up or an old shed, don’t waste your money on a painter when you can do it yourself. Painting involves a lot of squatting, standing, overhead presses, and hand movement.

Got a dirty car? Save money by washing it yourself, then by giving it a nice wax. All those motions burn calories, stabilizes your shoulder muscles and improves mobility and flexibility.

Getting yard work done is also a great exercise. Mowing the lawn gets you moving, as does edging and trimming. Raking up fallen leaves works all areas of the body, especially in a big yard where you do a lot of walking and squatting. Pruning trees is basically strength and endurance training and weeding will engage your arms and legs.

Final Word

Who needs a gym when there are cheaper, more convenient alternatives? Save that extra money and get yourself something nice as a reward for your hard work every month to help keep you motivated. It will be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make!

How to use yoga to increase your heart rate

For most of us, cardio is not an attractive form of exercise, but yoga can be! It’s an easy and fun way to get your heart rate up, and you’ll pass the time quickly whilst doing something hugely beneficial for your health.

Though yoga is technically not considered to be an aerobic exercise, there are faster-paced styles of yoga that are sure to increase your heart rate – it’s all about finding the right style of yoga for you.

Yoga can be a great workout even if you consider yourself to be relatively fit. It requires you to move your body in ways that you’re probably not used to – spend 90 minutes on the mat and you might get a cardio workout that you weren’t expecting.

Benefits of increased heart rate

Though it doesn’t always feel very pleasant, increasing your heart rate has a whole heap of benefits! Here are some of the best.

Why should I choose yoga

Maybe you’ve got your heart set on a yoga practice and are simply trying to find out how to use it to improve the health of your heart. Or maybe you’ve stumbled across this article and are unsure as to why you should choose yoga over a more traditional form of cardio exercises – such as running, cycling or swimming.

Switch it up

Though you may not increase your heart rate in the same way that a sprint would, a yoga class with little rest will get your heart rate up towards what is considered a cardio exercise. It can be a great way to switch up your exercise routine, maybe swap your Saturday morning run with a yoga class to keep things interesting for yourself. Incorporating yoga into your already existing fitness routine can help you to advance in the sport that you already practice.

Add yoga positions into your workouts

If you’re already working out and want to use yoga to add elements to your routine, consider simply adding poses to your HIIT workouts. You could stretch out the hamstrings whilst working on core and arm strength by adding downward dog into your burpees. Maybe you could do 10 rounds of sun salutations for a great warm-up and effective way to prepare your body before your next fitness class.

Stress relief

If the mere thought of the treadmill leaves you wanting to curl up in a ball and scream, it’s probably not the cardio workout for you. Yoga is known for its stress-relieving properties – spend an hour increasing your heart rate by doing something that you both love and look forward to, and your body and mind will thank you. And who knows, maybe after a few weeks of regular vinyasa classes, the treadmill won’t look quite so scary.

Using the larger muscles

Yoga classes that strengthen large muscles such as the quads and hamstrings will require your heart to work faster to deliver them all of the oxygen that they need.

Use a monitor

If you’re interested in yoga’s ability to increase your heart rate, use a wearable pulse tracker throughout your next class and see just how much of a workout you get! The great thing about doing this is you’ll see just how quickly you can improve by attending classes regularly and becoming stronger.

Intensity, duration, and frequency

These are the three components necessary for reaching cardiovascular fitness. Most yoga classes last for 60-90 minutes, and depending on the style can be quite intense. The more you practice, the easier it becomes – even though it might not feel that way after your first vinyasa class! Once your class starts to become easier, consider adding another element of cardio to your fitness routine, or trying out a different style of fast-paced yoga.

It’s up to you how you use yoga to increase your heart rate! Read on for the best styles of yoga for a cardio workout.

Types of yoga for cardio

You’ll need to consider the style of yoga that you are practicing to know whether it can qualify as a cardio workout. If you’re spending more time in floor-based classes such as restorative yoga or yin yoga, you won’t be increasing your heart rate by very much. A faster-paced class will get you on your feet, flowing through poses, and breaking a sweat in no time!

Ashtanga

Ashtanga yoga classes teach a set of movements in a specific order, often repeated many times for a very physically demanding class.

Vinyasa

Vinyasa is fast-paced and incorporates positions that will vary from class to class. Some vinyasa classes might pick a focus – such as core strength or upper body strength. During a vinyasa class, the breath is synchronized with movement and is a quick way to increase the heart rate.

Power

Power yoga focuses on the positions and the body more than it focuses on the breath. A power yoga class will definitely feel like a workout. Positions are moved through in a physically challenging way, with many of the poses being held for longer periods to increase strength.

Online classes

Though the best way to practice yoga is under the supervision of a licensed instructor, there is also a whole world of online classes to choose from. Online classes can help you to get familiar with the poses before heading to a group class, and you’ll also be able to see which style of yoga suits you best.

It can be challenging to move through fast-paced yoga classes as a beginner, start with Hatha (which is a little slower and great for beginners) so that you learn the poses and can more easily follow a vinyasa class. You may even find Hatha to be enough of a cardio workout!

Positions to increase cardio

Here are some of the best yoga poses to increase your heart rate.

Plank pose

Laying on the floor, bring your hands underneath your shoulders and push into them to lift your whole body. Engage through the legs and keep pushing the heels towards the back of the mat, as you hold your core tight. Challenge yourself to see how long you can stay here.

Chair pose

Start in a standing position, then deeply bend the knees as though sitting on a chair, bring the hands to a prayer position at the heart and stay for a few breaths. Try to get a little deeper with every exhale, and maybe move between standing and chair pose to start getting your heart rate up.

Crescent lunge

Starting from plank position, step the right foot forward so that it rests on the mat between your hands. Then lift from the torso to bring your body upright. You could switch between plank pose and lunges (alternating sides) for a great workout.

Boat pose

Sitting with the soles of your feet on the floor, start to gently lean your torso back as you lift your feet away from the mat. Keep a bend in the knees, and the shins should be parallel to the floor. Once you’re here, bring your arms alongside your shins and engage the core.

Downward facing dog pose

Though technically a ‘resting pose’, it certainly doesn’t feel that way when you first start practicing yoga. From plank pose, lift from the core to push the hips up towards the ceiling, as you reach the heels towards the ground. You’ll increase your heart rate and get a  great hamstring stretch. Alternate between plank pose and downward facing dog to add more of a cardio element to the movement.

Ujjayi breath

Ujjayi breath is achieved by making a slight constriction in the back of the throat as you inhale and exhale through the nose. Once you’re familiar with your regular vinyasa class, this can be a great way to add a little more difficulty to your practice.

Sun salutations

A few rounds of sun salutations is probably the easiest way to get your heart rate up in no time. To practice sun salutations, you flow between a set of predetermined positions, moving each time you inhale and exhale. Use a video to learn sun salutations until you’re able to do them on your own. The best part is that you can repeat them as many times as you like to increase your heart rate – they’re a great way to wake up the body and stretch out the knots in the morning!

Give yoga a try and you’ll gain much more than a cardio workout!