Workout 17: Chest & Abs
Chest Exercises
- Starting out in a regular push-up position, hands slightly more than shoulder-width.
- Engage your core and lower the body all the way to the ground in a slow, controlled movement.
- With your chest on the ground, lift your hands off the ground, squeezing shoulders together.
- Place your palms back onto the ground and complete the push up. This is one rep.
- Stand upright with your knees slightly bent.
- Place your hands together in a praying position in front of your chest. Your elbows should be pointing out to your sides and your fingers pointing ahead of you while pushing tightly against each other.
- Slowly move your hands outward away from your body so that your arms fully extend, town toward your hips and away from your chest, while your hands are still positioned together and pushing tightly against each other.
- To feel this movement to its highest extent, you want to be pushing your hands together as tightly as you possible. You can try putting a weighted plate between your hands to increase the difficulty.
- Bring your wrists back in toward your chest.
- Starting out in a regular push-up position, lower the body until the elbows are bent 90° and chest is one to two inches from the ground.
- Exhale, pressing up explosively so that the hands leave the ground. While in the air, bring the hands slightly in and back landing in close-grip push-up position, lowering down smoothly.
- Exhale, pressing up explosively so that the hands leave the ground again and widening the grip again to go back into a regular push-up.
- Using a sturdy box or other object, get into push up position with one hand on the box and the other hand on the floor. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart.
- Lower yourself down as you would a typical push up, focusing on putting more of a bend in the elbow of the arm on the box than your floor-arm. The goal is to keep your chest as close to parallel with the ground as you can.
- Push yourself back up, place the floor-hand on the box and move the box-hand onto the floor. Once both arms have performed the push up, you’ve completed one rep.
- Stand upright with your knees slightly bent.
- Place your hands together in a praying position in front of your chest. Your elbows should be pointing out to your sides and your fingers pointing ahead of you while pushing tightly against each other.
- Slowly move your hands outward away from your body so that your arms fully extend while still positioned together and pushing tightly against each other.
- To feel this movement to its highest extent, you want to be pushing your hands together as tightly as you possible. You can try putting ad weighted plate between your hands to increase the difficulty.
- Bring your wrists back in toward your chest.
Abs Exercises
- Get in plank position by placing your elbows and toes on the floor. Hold your body up off the floor in this position.
- Bring your right knee on the outside of your body to your right elbow.
- Straighten your right leg back to the floor.
- Complete the same movement with your left leg and keep alternating sides.
- Lie with your back flat on the floor (or on a bench) with your legs extended in front of you.
- Place your hands to your sides with your palms facing down. To keep your hands down for support, you can place them under your glutes.
- Keep your legs fully extended and as straight as possible (it’s okay if your knees slightly bend). Hold the contraction at the top for a second.
- Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
- Lie on your back with your arms and legs stretched out into an 'X' position.
- In one movement, bring one arm straight up across your body while simultaneously lifting your opposing leg and lifting your head.
- Attempt to touch one arm to your opposite ankle, or try to come as close as you can.
- Alternate sides.
- Place your forearms on the ground with your elbows aligned beneath your shoulders. Keep your arms parallel to your body at about shoulder-width distance. (You should be in a push up position, only on your forearms rather than your hands).
- Ground your toes into the floor and squeeze your glutes to stabilize your body. Be careful to not to lock or hyperextend your knees.
- Neutralize your neck and spine by looking at a spot on the floor about a foot in front of your hands. Your head should be in line with your back. Contract your abdominals to keep yourself up and prevent your booty from sticking up.
- Keep your back flat and hold the position for as long as possible without compromising form.