Begin face down on the floor supporting yourself with your hands approximately shoulder width apart and your arms extended. Your feet can be together or up to 12 inches apart. Keep your body in a straight, neutral position. Do not arch your back. Contract your abdominal muscles to stabilize your trunk and spine.
Slowly lower your body until your chest touches the floor. Push off the floor and return to the starting position. Repeat until you are fatigued.
Breath throughout the exercise. Exhale on the upward portions and inhale on the downward portion.
If this exercise is too difficult start with modified knee push ups in which you support your lower body on your knees instead of your feet. As your strength increases you will be able to graduate to standard push ups.
Do one set to fatigue.
Stability Ball Push Ups
These are similar to standard push ups except you do them with your legs elevated on an exercise ball. Place your feet and lower legs on top of an exercise ball and support your upper body with your hands approximately shoulder width apart and your arms extended. Do not arch your back. Contract your abdominal muscles to stabilize your trunk and spine.
Slowly lower your body until your chin and chest are near the floor. Concentrate on maintaining your stability on the ball. Push off the floor and return to the starting position. Repeat until you are fatigued.
Breath throughout the exercise. Exhale on the upward portions and inhale on the downward portions.
Do one set to fatigue.
Biceps Curl
Standing upright, grasp the weight with your palms facing away from the front of your body. Contract your abdominal muscles to stabilize your trunk and spine. Keep your upper arms against your ribs and perpendicular to the floor.
Slowly raise the weight by flexing your arms at your elbows. Keep your upper arms stationary. Raise the weight to the limit of your natural motion. Slowly return to the starting position.
Breath throughout the exercise. Exhale on the upward portions and inhale on the downward portion. Do not arch your back. Keep your body still and straight. Control the weight throughout the exercise.
Use a weight that takes you to exhaustion in about 15 to 20 repetitions. Do one set.
Bench Dips
Sit on the bench or step with your palms down and gripping the edge of the bench. Slide your feet out in front of you so that you are supporting yourself on your heels and hands.
Slowly lower yourself until your elbows are bent to approximately 90 degrees. Keeping your elbows pointing behind you push yourself back up by straightening your arms. Repeat this until you are fatigued. Breath throughout the exercise. Exhale on the upward portions and inhale on the downward portion.
Stability Ball Bench Dips
To perform this exercise, use the same technique as standard bench dips, except you will place your feet in front of you on a stability ball. This will add both resistance and instability which will raise the difficulty of the exercise.
Bent Over Row
Support yourself on a bench with one knee and one arm. Your back should be straight and parallel to the floor. Contract your abdominal muscles to stabilize your trunk.
Grasp the weight with your hand in a neutral position like your are holding a candle or a glass of water. Your arm should be fully extended, with the weight on the floor.
Slowly pull the weight straight up until it is approximately chest level. Keep your elbow close to your body. Slowly extend your arm and allow the weight to return to the floor. Control the weight all the way down.
Concentrate on pulling with the latissimus dorsi muscles of your back. You should feel as if you are contracting your shoulder blade.
Use a weight that takes you to exhaustion in 15 to 20 repetitions. Do one set.
Supine Lat Pull Ups
A good place to do this exercise is on your treadmill. Lie face up on the deck of your treadmill. Reach up and grab the treadmill handles.
Contract your core abdominal muscles to stabilize your hips and spine.
Keeping your body firm and straight, slowly pull yourself up towards the handles of your treadmill.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Concentrate on pulling with the latissimus dorsi muscles of your upper back.
Do one set until exhaustion.
Squats
Stand in an upright position with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold your chest up and out. Pinch your shoulder blades together. Keep your head up. Contract your abdominal to stabilize your trunk.
Slowly lower your body by allowing your knees and hips to flex. Maintain an erect body position. Lower your body until your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor. Do not allow your knees to move in front of your toes. As you lower your body raise your arms in front of you.
Slowly raise your body back up to the starting position by extending your knees and hips. Breath throughout the exercise. Exhale on the upward portions and inhale on the downward portion. Do not arch your back.
Perform one set of 20 to 30 repetitions.
Squat Holds
Perform this exercise using the same technique as standard squats, except hold your lowered body position for about 20 seconds before returning to the starting position.
Perform one set of 20 repetitions.
Calf Raise
Stand with one foot on a bench or step. Your toes and the ball of your foot should be on the step with your heel hanging off the edge. Hold your other foot up and behind you.
Extend your foot so that your heel is raised up and your foot is on its toes. Slowly lower your heel until it is slightly below the step and you feel a slight stretch in your calf muscle. Repeat for your desired number of repetitions. Repeat this exercise with the other foot. Breath throughout the exercise. Exhale on the upward portions and inhale on the downward portion.
Do one set of 20 to 30 repetitions.
Resisted Calf Raise
This exercise uses the same technique as the standard calf raises, except you add resistance my holding a hand weight in each hand.
Start with 10 pound hand weights and increase the weight as your strength increases.
Do one set of 20 repetitions.
Stability Ball Crunch
Lie on the exercise ball so that the ball is supporting your lower back. Place your feet wide and flat on the floor for balance. Cross your hands over your chest or use them to support your head. Do not pull on your head. Tuck you chin into your chest.
Slowly curl your upper body upward. This should be a rolling, curling motion. Concentrate on strongly contracting your abdominal muscles. Hold this position for a moment.
Slowly allow your upper body to curl back to the starting position.
Breath throughout the exercise. Exhale on the upward portions and inhale on the downward portion.
Use a controlled curling motion throughout the exercise.
V-Crunch
Lie face up on a mat with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor.
Slowly curl your upper body towards your knees until your shoulder blades are off the floor. This should be a rolling, curling motion. Concentrate on strongly contracting your abdominal muscles. At the same time, using your lower abdominal muscles curl your knees and feet up off the floor. This motion should be like pushing your knees straight up toward the ceiling. It should not be a rocking motion.
Slowly allow your upper body and hips to curl back to the floor.
Breath throughout the exercise. Exhale on the upward portions and inhale on the downward portion.
Use a controlled curling motion throughout the exercise.
