YO!! Better backside with a step up!

The step up is steptacular. It is easy. It is hard.

Like most things, FORM is the key. This is a great complimentary exercise to do with squats. Single leg squats (aka lunges) are very difficult and this is a good alternative.

Now before you get all…. My knees, my back…. Geesh people calm down, we are gonna have FORM and you are gonna be amazeballs.

SO pic 1: FULL FOOT… look at your foot, is it ALL THE WAY ON THE BENCH? Really, all the way? Your heal needs to be completely on the bench so that you can press your heal into the bench. This is the most common mistake: you don’t actually put your full foot on the bench so you have your weight in your toes, causes you to lean forward, causes your knee to align past your toes, and causes more knee pain and back pain….

So this whole foot on the bench thing is pretty important

Get your foot on the flippity flappity bench

Then it is simple, climb up on the bench.

Check out picture second set of pics: these are for when you cannot get up without hoisting, jarring, swinging or dying... The alternative 

Picture 1 second set: This is a great alternative... See how I am using the back of the bench to help? Yep... But let's look at the form... I am leaning over the bench, but my foot is still flat and my knee is not forward... Pic 4 shows BAD YUCKY NASTY form that is common :( the knee is way far forward... the heal is up... the back is arched.... 

avoid being pic 4!!!

Look at the second set pic one.... chin up, back flat, heal down, knee back... then BOTH pic 2's show slight variation of heal, BUT they are down, back flat, knee back!! It is totally doable.

The key to avoid looking like 3 and 4 is to use the leg to lift you up NOT the arms :)

So here is your workout (aka round):

2 min walk/jog

10 step ups right, 10 step ups left

2 min walk/run

15 step ups right, 15 step ups left

3 min walk/run

20 step ups right, 20 step ups left

5-7 walk/run

and repeat that bad boy:

beginner try for three rounds

intermediate 5 rounds

advanced 7 rounds

What the Squat man..

Squats.... almost my fav exercise
Burpees always win, mainly because everyone  hates them, they are hard and well when you are done (whether it is one or 75, you feel like a bad ass).

But squats are amazeballs

and since have a big firm booty is all the rage EVERY ONE WANTS TO DO THEM

but then I hear how they hurt my knees, they hurt my back, I can't do them. 
Honestly, everyone has an excuse as to why they can't.... you need to find your WHY YOU CAN.

Or your "HOW CAN I NOT?"

You need a simple squat solution.

Guess what I have?? A simple squat solution.
Back when dirt was new, we called these "sissy squats".. It is a reference to being a "sissy" and not being able to do a squat properly.
Well, I can do a squat quite well, and honestly, the sissy squat is amazing! 

It is SO EASY
you engage the butt
you protect the knees
you protect the back
YOU CAN DO SQUATS!!
Yay!!!

Pic 1 shows standing..(duh) I am standing with my feet a little wider than hip width. I am pretty close to the bar I am holding... (btw, you can hold any fixed object... a tree, column at your house, stair case rail... as long as you can hold on to it, it works :)
Anyway  pic 1 I am standing, holding on to the bar, feet a little wider than hip distance.

pic 2 is the squat. notice that my arms have weight in them.. you can tell I am holing on, BUT I am not leaning INTO the pole, in fact, I am leaning OUT of it! my knees are behind my forefoot (they are over my heals), my back is TALL, eyes and head are forward facing :) check out those knees and feet again.... they are in a line.... my knees are not bowing out, caving in, my heals are DOWN :)

Pic 3 is an advanced option... look at those feet, look at them: the are TOUCHING!!! OMG!!! this is a great advanced move :) ~~ the thing with bringing your feet in close to each other is this: you need to keep your feet and knees in the same line.  

(side note.... even as a trainer I fail and fall: look at that flabby arm. It happens, I eat dirty and indulge more than I should... but like YOU, I am going to get back at it!)

here's your work out:
Monday   Wednesday   Friday:
10 sissy squats
20 jumping jacks
10 sissy squats
20 jumping jacks
10 sissy squats
20 jumping jacks

do this "set" 3 times as a beginner and try to progress to 10 sets over the course of 30 days!!!!

You got this!!!!!

Easy, like seriously people Pull Ups

Ok
Pull Ups are no joke. They are a great way to strengthen your upper body and get rid of some flippity flab.
But DUDE, they are hard.
And you need equipment.
And the ability to actually life your arse up off the ground.

Let's be honest, you can get a pull up bar at wally world, you can go to the park and if you have a gym membership you can use theirs!! (Some of them even have a fancy assist machines!) 

Pull ups are one of those exercises that even some advanced worker outers will avoid, because it is hard :/ But let's see if we can't add some to our routines!!!

When doing a pull up how about this:

NO KIPPING

that is the swing thing that peeps do to get up. It is a cheat... and i like cheats, but NO. 
DO
NOT
KIP 

1. No strength to control the movement will cause injury
2. Injury sucks and if you have the opportunity to AVOID it, THEN AVOID IT
3. FORM
4. FORM
5. FORM

going off on a tangent here:
if you are kipping because you do not have the strength to pull up,  you are more likely to cause injury to your shoulder due to the fact that you have an inability IN your shoulder to dynamically stabilize (have control when you move) during the most stressful part of the exercise. 

Decker speak~So your shoulder joint will get hurt because you are not able to control yourself.

Let's find a better solution..

your legs
not momentum
your legs

The hardest part of this exercise is that you will most likely have to be in public where people can see you. I know to some that sounds silly, but for newbies, people who are self conscious about themselves or anyone embarrassed that they CAN'T do something, this is a big deal.

• So you find a straight level bar that you are taller than.
• Hold the bar while your body is close to the bar
• Place one foot in the center of your body line and step back with the other
• Let your body go down down down
• So you are holding the bar, fully extended with your legs in a "lunge" 
• now USE YOUR UPPER BODY as much as you can to lift your self up
• Let your legs ASSIST YOU!

Easy breazy

Here is your workout:

Do 5 modified pull ups
20 jumping jacks
6 modified pull ups
20 high knees
7 modified pull ups
40 butt kickers

Beginners: try to complete 3 sets
Intermediate: 5 sets
Advanced: 7 sets

Have fun and be brave :)

Simple "core" (AKA abs) EVER.. for real, it's easy

Dude This is so simple... Dont' make it hard.. and let's break down HOW to plank....  Planking is hard.. It is all the rage right now and there are plank challenges where people do this for minutes at a time!!

Yeah them

Planking CORRECTLY is hard.

Many clients cannot plank correctly for more then 5 seconds flat (meaning hands and toes on ground) So here is an option!!

Find a park bench, a table, a couch, yada yada and use it!!

 Notice that my hands are directly below my shoulders, you could even argue that they are lower than my shoulder. I would say.. THAT IS HOW IT SHOULD BE. You hands should be NO HIGHER than your shoulders... so my elbows are at the nipple line (oooooo she said nipple) and the lower park of my rib cage is over the end of the seat.....

WOW think about that...... my ABS are almost over the bench, my chest is 100% over the bench. My head is most definitely over the bench seat. My head IS NOT by my hands!!!

So you get in this position and you hold it as long as you can... then KEEP YOUR HANDS AND FEET IN THE SAME PLACE AND STRETCH!!



My hands and feel have not moved, but I am stretching and taking a break... Hold this for as long as you held the plank! SOOOOOO the longer you plank, the longer you get to rest!!!!

my hips are pushed back, so I do feel a nice stretch in my hammy's (back of leg) and my arms are stretched forward, relieving back pain... THIS IS A GREAT STRETCH FOR ANYONE WHO SITS!!

So there you go, nice and simple Ab exercise!!



Here is your workout!!! complete 3 sets of planks and stretches, then take a 30 second break: then add 20 jumping jacks, 10 second plank (do this 3 times) and take a 30 second break then finish the workout with another 3 sets of planks and stretches!!!

Have a super week!!!

30 day challanges

Ok, I have to admit, I am a little imitated by a 30 day challenge. I start thinking that on Wednesday I have a meeting and clients and shopping and I promised I would take the kids to do something fantastic. Then in 2 weeks, moon is going to be close; I want to see it, plus Netflix is going to release something great.....

hahaha

Yes, I have lots of excuses as to why I CAN'T do something. 

And let's be honest you can cheat on a 30 day challenge and who would know?? I mean REALLY? Even if you have an accountability buddy he/she will listen to your excuse.
Your S/O (how I hate that term) won't DARE tell you to get your crap together and do your days workout for fear of life so REALLY... it is up to you

You will only let yourself down if you don't do it

but 30 day challenges are all the rage right now

and there is one for everyone.....

and I cave

This one is super easy, totally doable for any fitness level and can be snuck into Netflix watching!!!
intermediate and advanced peeps... you know what's up...... 
but the beginner.... the scared person..... let me help you

TRY to complete 3 sets or rounds
simple do all the exercises (squat, bridges, donkey kicks and step ups) without stopping 
THEN
REST FOR 2 MIN
THEN
do all the exercises again

one round will take AT MOST 5 min... I promise, you can do this.....

the exercises alternate daily, but remain the same (that sentence makes sense to me somehow) and increase in number to do for the first half :) the second half there are very few increases, however, I want you to focus on going deeper, holding the move longer and JUMPING higher!!!

So don't cheat
Don't give up
Have fun.....
and get a nice butt as a side effect!