Are you a professional who is always busy and short of time? Do you keep your fitness routine on the back-burner of your day’s to-do list and often give it a miss? If so, combination moves are ideal for you as it requires less time and will enable you to get fit and burn more calories.
Burpee
Benefits
The burpee is a full body exercise, working most major muscle groups. It also improves cardiovascular fitness along with burning tonnes of calories.
Target Muscles – Whole body
How to do it
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, with arms at your side. Bend your knees and lower your body into a squat. Place your hands on the floor directly in front of you and shift your weight on to your hands. Jump your feet back to land on the balls of your feet into a high plank position with a straight body and tight core. If possible try to do a push up. Then, jump your feet back so that they just land outside your hands, reach your Arms over head and explosively jump up in the air, land back and repeat.
Common mistakes
Collapsing knees as you squat
Arching back and sinking hips at top plank position
Thrusters
Benefits
Being a compound movement, it involves more than one joint and combines the front squat and over head press. It strengthens the whole body, especially the lower body and core.
Target Muscles – Lower body and core, along with shoulders and triceps
How to do it
Stand with feet hip-width apart, with a pair of dumbbells at shoulder height, with palms facing each other. Hold the dumbbells at shoulder height and lower into a squat position with a neutral spine and tight core. Press your heels into the floor and bring your elbows up as quickly and powerfully explode into a pressing movement to return to starting position.
Common mistakes
Not doing the whole movements smoothly in one go
Losing balance and shifting the base during the move
Knees caving in and rounding of spine
Step up
Benefits
This is an excellent exercise to strengthen the quadriceps. Step up also helps build the posterior chain, including hamstrings and glutes. This exercise is very functional as people climb stairs very often in their daily life.
Target Muscles – Lower body and core
How to do it
Hold a pair of dumbbells (for beginners no dumbbells) and stand next to a step (chair/bench). Step up with your right foot, pressing up through heels to straighten up the right leg, bring the left foot to meet your right foot on top of the step.
Bend your right knee and step down with the left foot. Bring the right foot down to meet the left foot on the ground. Do a number of reps on the right and then repeat with your left foot, or alternate your feet. Build up your repetitions to do sets of 12-15 reps for 2-3 sets.
Common mistakes
Knee passing toes (protect the knee of your active leg by ensuring the knee is not pushed past the toes)
Pushing up with your lower leg
Rounding the back
Knee out of alignment (make sure the knee stays aligned with the ankles of the active leg)
V ups
Benefits
Stronger abs and core. Improves balance and stability. Helps prevent back pain and injury
Target Muscles – Abs and core
How to do it
Lie on your back and extend your arms behind your head, keep the feet together and toes pointed. Keep your legs straight or slightly bend and lift them up as you simultaneously lift your upper body off the floor to reach your toes with your hands. Slowly lower your self to return to starting position to complete one rep. Aim for as many reps as possible, since it is a body weight exercise. Generally few sets of 15 or more repetitions.
Common mistakes
Swinging of arms
Rounding back and shoulders
Not raising the legs and upper body enough
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