While plenty of people struggle to exercise on a regular basis, there is another group of people (or “freaks” as my husband calls us) who actually struggle to take breaks from exercise. For this type of exerciser, completing every workout with 100% effort is the norm. In fact, working at 100% is something this exerciser comes to expect.
But what happens when he catches a cold, or he doesn’t sleep well or he’s just tired? He may still push himself to the usual levels of intensity despite the fact that his body (and, perhaps, his mind) just isn’t up for it. That can lead to unsatisfying workouts, poor performance and a feeling of failure.
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As a personal trainer and a fitness writer, I spend a lot of time thinking about exercises – specifically, new exercises (or at least twists on the old exercises) that will keep my clients and readers challenged and motivated. That means wondering things like, “How I could incorporate even more muscle groups during pushups?”
My clients are always thrilled when I come to them with new pushup exercises, shouting things like, “Oh my gosh! Another new pushup? When do we start?”
Okay, I might have heard that wrong.
The plank pushup is the latest exercise my clients love to hate because it incorporates even more core strength than traditional pushups.
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are one of my favorite exercises because they pretty much work the entire back body – the lower back, glutes and hamstrings. My clients like these, too, because they can feel their glute muscles engage and they get a nice stretch at the bottom of the movement. Also? They’re happy they’re not doing squats or lunges.
One version they tend to whine about (and I do encourage whining if it helps you get through the workout) is this one-legged deadlift. There are versions where you keep for balance, which is a great transition move to try before moving on to this one.
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