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This strength-training exercise can be used to challenge your chest, shoulders and biceps at the same time. All you'll need is a set of light dumbbells (3 to 5 pounds each). Remember to stand tall with your abdominals pulled in to support your lower back throughout the move.
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Use this stretch to release your back and hips if you've been seated for a long period of time or after brisk walking, hiking or biking. You'll stand taller and feel more energized once your spine and hips have been loosened up.
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Performing this abdominal exercise correctly is important so you don't strain your neck or compress your spine. In the beginning, break it down into two separate actions so you can focus on form and technique.
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With the addition of light resistance, you'll make this classic exercise more intense, allowing you to perform fewer reps. You'll feel the work in your buttocks and hamstrings right away, but remember to fully stretch your leg and pause for a moment at full extension.
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It's very easy to cheat when performing some of the more popular stretches. But without proper form, we can end up wasting our time or worse -- creating undue stress on our joints. When done correctly, this is an excellent way to stretch the muscles in the front of the thigh.
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For most people, lower back pain is a cumulative process, creeping up on us through poor posture and bad habits when lifting and bending. Here is an easy exercise you can do throughout the day to help strengthen your back muscles while sitting for long periods of time.
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Even everyday activities require upper body strength, especially in the biceps (which help bend the arms), the triceps (which straighten the arms) and the deltoids (which lift the arms). The traditional push-up is an excellent way to strengthen all these muscles at once. And for an extra challenge, try doing it with a yoga block.
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If you perform regular squats and lunges in your workouts, be sure to include a hip stretch at the end of your routines. This popular yoga position, the pigeon pose, will help loosen your hips and keep your buttock muscles flexible. If you're very tight in your hips, use a yoga block to support your weight; it will make holding the stretch more comfortable.
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This classic yoga pose, downward facing dog, increases the blood supply to the brain and stretches the muscles in the legs, torso and arms. If the backs of your legs are tight, bend your knees so you can lift your hips and lengthen your spine.
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When work has you glued to your desk and you feel your back stiffening up, try this simple torso stretch for a few minutes. It helps loosen those tight areas and counters the effects of prolonged sitting.
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An important component of fitness is flexibility, especially for your leg, back and hip muscles. Here's a stretch that targets all three areas in one simple move.
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Most of us know that a good way to protect our knees is to strengthen the muscle above the knees with simple quad exercises. But, for added support, it's also important to keep your hips and hamstrings flexible. Here's a side-lying stretch that targets your hips and hamstrings.
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Much of yoga is about practicing proper alignment and focus, so be precise when performing yoga postures. You should strive to feel centered while developing strength and stability in each pose. Here are two variations of a simple yoga move called the side angle. Stick with the first variation until you feel comfortable, then progress to the second.
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Perform this yoga pose to help your body find a balance between effort and ease. It will strengthen your lower body and provide a deep stretch in your back muscles. Move into it slowly to allow time for you to find your center and feel a sense of strength and stability while holding the posture.
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Get more out of your workouts, whether at home or at the gym, by practicing moves that challenge you. For example, if you're familiar with this basic yoga posture, called triangle pose, kick it up a notch and progress to the more advanced version. Doing so will boost your strength and flexibility while improving your focus and balance.
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Here's a dynamic way to strengthen your abs, shoulders, arms and legs. The most important part of this move is to contract your abs fully before you start to lower your hips. Move slowly and think of using your abs to "scoop out" (make concave) the front of your torso.
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Exercise the muscles in front to correct an imbalance in flexibility.
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Most of us are stronger on one side of our bodies than on the other, so it's a good idea to train one side of the body at a time to correct any muscle imbalances. In this exercise, you'll move one arm at a time and use a staggered leg stance to direct more of the work into the forward leg.
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Simple move helps maintain balance and flexibility.
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Spice up your weight-training routine by working various muscle groups with a single exercise, like this one. Just remember to move slowly so that you don't rely on momentum to move your arms through the full range of motion.
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The fronts of our thighs are often stronger than the backs because the fronts get used more often in everyday activities. To balance your leg strength, add this move to your workouts. You can wear ankle weights for more of a challenge.
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Balancing on one leg helps us to find our center of gravity and develops our focus and concentration. Here are two stages of a balancing exercise that you can try at home. Other benefits of this pose include strengthening our core and leg muscles, which will improve the way we walk and stand.
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Get double the payoff by combining two exercises into one super-effective move -- tightening your buttocks and thighs while strengthening your core muscles. You'll save time and make your workouts more challenging and fun.
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Here are two variations of torso stretches to relieve tension and tightness in your back, waist and hip muscles. Practice the first version of this stretch on a regular basis and then once you see progress, try the advanced version. Consistency and patience will bring you further along than forceful or aggressive effort. (Our bodies need time to adjust to new positions, so don't get frustrated and quit.) Each time you do the stretch, focus on feeling a deep release between each of your ribs and along the sides of your body.
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Doing rows in a different hand position shifts muscle focus.
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Here is a challenging leg-balancing move to help you develop concentration, strength and balance. You'll need to focus on core muscles so you'll feel confident in the pose. Lift your torso away from the floor as you root your standing leg.
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If you suffer from low-back pain, the most important thing you can do is consistently perform a safe and effective exercise to strengthen the muscles supporting that area.
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Practice straight-leg crunches when you want an extra challenge to your obliques, the abdominal muscles at the sides of your waist. With this move, you'll have to work a little harder than usual to keep your hips completely still as you rotate only your upper body.
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To see some improvement in your strength-training workouts, concentrate on the specific muscles when training them. This will recruit more muscle activity than thinking about other things when you are working out. For example, in this exercise, focus on using the muscles in your shoulder to raise your arms.
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Just sitting upright properly can be challenging if you try to hold the position for a period of time. It requires both strength and flexibility in the muscles of your legs and back. Think of forming a 90-degree angle with your body with a hinge at your hips.
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It's easy to get discouraged when practicing twists because your progress may be slow. But be patient and persistent because — even though you may get only a small range of motion — consistently performing twists will stretch important muscles that run along the spine and help stretch your side abdominal muscles.
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It's easy to get stuck in a rut, doing the same exercises the same old way. The problem is that you might get bored — and your results might not be as good as they could be.
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Incorporate this simple exercise into your daily fitness program. Moves like this one challenge your core and help you build strength in the muscles that stabilize the spine. This one targets your abs, back and butt, and trains them to work together to protect your spine. With a strong core, you're less likely to be injured and your posture will improve.
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Here is a terrific move to safely strengthen your back, butt and the backs of your thighs all at the same time.
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Your triceps make up the rear part of your upper arm and work in opposition to your biceps. The biceps bend the arms; the triceps straighten them.
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When standing, we often make the mistake of tipping the top of the pelvis forward. Over time, this puts undue stress on the back.
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Burn unwanted calories while you tone and shape your legs and butt with this multitask exercise — a variation of a side lunge.
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This exercise targets the rotator cuff muscles, located underneath the shoulders.
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When it comes to training your abdominals, the stability ball is a must-have tool.
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If you're new to yoga, the stability ball can be an excellent tool to help you progress. Instead of avoiding positions that seem too difficult and extreme for your body, practice with a large ball to get you familiar with, and more comfortable in, various positions.