Happy Tuesday, friends!
I’m back for another of my favorite exercise moves! I learned this one from my friend Jess, who actually just asked me to be in her wedding next October! How cute is this?? When I opened the envelope, there were two envelopes: one held this puzzle to put together…
And the other held a piece of paper with the wedding’s date and a really sweet note. Adorable! Heart you Jess 🙂
Anyway, back to the sweating! This is a variation of my Weighted Push-Up with Arm Lift and is another great move for toning not just your arms, but also your core (including those pesky obliques!). Give it a try 🙂
Weighted Push-Up with Side Plank
Instructions:
1) As with my other push up move, you need some weights that have a square edge so you aren’t rolling all over the place. I picked these up at Target for a few bucks, but most gyms have them too. I use 5 or 6 lb weights for this move, but feel free to adjust that!
2) Get into a plank position with your hands holding/on top of your weights. Your feet should be a little less than hip distance apart. Be sure to keep your abs tight and lifted to support your lower back.
3) Next, slowly lower yourself into a pushup — try to get your body perfectly parallel to the floor in a straight line. Make sure your hips don’t droop down and that your abs are still tight. Try to hold it a few seconds if you can.
(The lighting in that room makes me look tan! I’m totally not.)
4) Raise yourself back up into a plank position, and then slowly lift one of your arms up while turning towards that side, bringing yourself into a side plank position. You have two options: you can either place one foot on top of the other, like I’ve done here:
Or you can place your top leg in front of the other, like I’ve done here. Whichever feels more comfortable! This staggered feet version is easier to do in a fluid motion, and also easier in terms of balancing.
5) Hold yourself in the side plank for 10 seconds, or as long as you can.
6) Come back into plank, hold for 5 seconds, and repeat on the other side. Continue until this happens:
And you know I wouldn’t end an exercise post without this!
CONGRATULATORY THUMBS UP!!! he he
Oh and check out how sexy my knee is now as a result of my epic wipeout last week:
The other one is scab-tastic. So hot!!
I’m off to class and lab! We’re hydrogenating olive oil today in Chem lab to make it into solid vegetable shortening… trans fat, here we come!
Give my new workout move a try and let me know if you like it! Has anyone tried the Eagle Ab or the original Weighted Push Up with Arm Lift yet?? What’d you think?
Ta-ta!
