I’ll be honest, I’ve fallen into a bit of a workout slump lately. I’ve been majorly reorganizing my apartment, dealing with a sick dog, tackling the first phase of wedding planning, and hosting out-of-town guests… so fitness has fallen to the very bottom of my priority list (so much for that #bridebod, right?). Well this week I’ve vowed to take control of the situation, and since I’ve been out of the game for a few weeks, I feel like I need to ease into it. Today’s fitness tutorial is the perfect place to start… click through for three moves you can do at home to work your entire body at once.
*photography by Molly Winters; instructions and location courtesy of MOD Fitness; featured image from BLDG 25
Low Squat with Weights
This exercise will sculpt your thighs, lift your seat and tone your arms.
- Stand with feet slightly outside hips with toes angled out. Grab a set of weights and bring your arms shoulder height to make a 90 degree angle.
- Bend knees and lower into a seated squat position while simultaneously extending arms overhead for an extra challenge and arm work. The goal is to bring your hamstrings parallel to the floor or go as low as you can while maintaining a neutral spine.
- Extend legs straight, driving hips forward and return to starting position pulling weights down to 90 degrees.
Do 20 reps and repeat 3x.
Single Leg Tricep Kickback
We like to incorporate isolated standing leg work anytime we can at MOD Fitness for the extra burn and challenge. Single leg tricep kickbacks is a great exercise to tone your standing leg, triceps and upper back, while using your abdominals for stability.
- Start with your left foot on the floor with knee bent, right leg extended back, and elbows against ribcage. Hinge forward from hips as you balance on your standing leg and lift your back leg off floor.
- Extend arms straight behind you for a tricep kickback to work the back of your arms and upper back.
- Lift arms and right leg another inch – this will further challenge your triceps and glute. Maintaining the lift in your arm and leg, bend your standing leg to work your left thigh.
- Return back to your starting position for 1 rep. Do this 20x and switch sides.
Oblique Side Plank
We love this exercise because it works your obliques, shoulder, arm and thighs. It’s easy to modify as you start to build up your strength.
- Start in a forearm plank position with elbows under shoulders, forearms pressed into mat and toes curled under.
- Turn into a side plank position with shoulders, hips and ankles stacked and bottom forearm pressed into your mat for stability. (Lower to knees if a modification is needed.) Engage your abdominals for balance while raising your top leg away from the floor and reaching your top arm overhead.
- While maintaining your side plank bring your knee and elbow towards your waist and extend straight for 1 rep.
- Do 10 reps and switch sides.
