Workouts Library

This intense core routine pushes you through more work than you could normally do on your own in a short period of time, so that you don’t end up slogging through the more traditionally structured abdominal routines. It forces you to push into a higher exertion zone than you would be likely do on your own, which will give you gains in strength and tone much more quickly than in a more customary routine would. A combo of intermittent cardio and toning moves like this is great for burning off extra body fat, which means a lean frame and a flat belly. Program Structure This HIIT workout video starts out with four minutes of fairly intense warm up cardio; you will do sixty seconds of four different bodyweight cardio moves. Warm Up Cardio: 1 Minute Slow Butt Kickers with Arm Swings 1 Minute Lateral Jumps 1 Minute Butt Kickers 1 Minute Toe Touch Jacks Once your muscles are warmed, we move into a series of core exercises done in a Tabata style; three rounds of 20 seconds on, and 20 seconds off. We do 2 rounds of the entire high intensity interval training for abs section, below. HIIT/Tabata Abs Workout: • Flutter Kicks • Bicycle Crunches • High Knees • Toe Touch Crunches • Russian Twists Active Rest: In between the two rounds of core exercises, you will get 2 minutes of active rest before you jump back into action. During this interval, keep moving; do not sit down and rest. You can do something as high impact as jumping jacks or as easy as pacing back and forth, just don’t sit down. How many calories does this routine burn? We estimate that this 22 minute routine burns between 6 and 11 calories a minute, or 132 – 222 calories total. Your exact expenditure depends on how fit you are, how much muscle you have, and your weight (among other things). When should I do this workout? Our HIIT Abs and Obliques workout is quick & easy to fit into a busy schedule, making this video a great go-to for when you are short on extra time but still want to work up a sweat. You can do this core-themed high intensity interval training workout at any time in the day. How often should I do this routine? We recommend that you do this between 2-4 times a week. Can this routine help me lose weight? If you are trying to lose weight and you are doing only this routine, try and add in an extra bout of cardio on the opposite end of the day, in addition to this routine. For example, if you do this video in the morning, add in a walk or light jog in the afternoon. Remember, too, that eating habits and moderation in consumption are both critical to losing weight. There is a great deal of truth to the saying that “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet”. Make sure that you don’t undo all of the hard work that you do by overeating. Is it okay if I can’t do all of the repetitions? It’s perfectly fine to stop whenever you need to, at any point, in any workout. Push yourself, but also listen to your body. Take a breather when you need to, just aim to go further the next time before you need to stop and rest.

HIIT workouts are known for being wildly intense and wildly effective, but they aren’t notorious for catering to many fitness levels outside of that of the elite. Fitness Health Track’s Beginner HIIT Workout is by no means easy, but it does strive to accommodate those who are not quite ready to tackle those high intensity interval training routines that require full blown, 110%, total body exertion. For those that are well accustomed to regular cardio, this HIIT video will serve as a great routine to get the heart rate up and the muscles toned. On the other hand, if you are not an avid exerciser, this workout will be a great way to challenge yourself and take your fitness to the next level. This is a great routine for fat burning and muscle toning – an ideal way for a beginner to intermediate level exerciser to get the benefits of a HIIT plan without as much of the jarring impact or extreme, full out exertion periods. How to do this workout After a 4-minute cardio warm up, your muscles will be warmed and ready to work. That’s when we jump into the HIIT portion of our routine that engages the upper body, lower body, and core. Warm Up Exercises • Crossover Toe Touch Stretch • Standing Crisscross Crunches • Torso Rotations • High Kicks • Leg Swings, Front to Back HIIT Exercises • Jumping Jacks • Ski Squats + Kicks • Traveling Push Ups • Crossover Crunches • Fingertip to Toe Jacks Workout Structure: For the exercises in the highest intensity part of the routine, you will do 20 seconds on, and 10 seconds off, three times through. Then you will move onto the next exercise. After you have gone through all five exercises in the plan, you will get two minutes of active rest. For the active rest interval, make sure that you keep moving. You can march in place, do jumping jacks, or just pace around the room – just make sure that you don’t sit or lie down. Once your active rest period is over, you are going to repeat the HIIT exercises once more. How many calories does this Fitness Health Track HIIT workout burn? One of the biggest factors in how many calories any given program burns is the fitness level of the individual who is doing it – it’s all relative. For example, if you are out of shape, this routine may have you gasping for breath and sweating up a storm (actually it might even do that if you are in fairly good shape!). If you do this workout and find that that is the case for you, you are likely burning a higher number of calories per minute than the avid exerciser who just breezes right through the routine without feeling much of a challenge. With that said, we estimate that this video burns between 7-12 calories a minute, or 152-252 calories. This number will vary depending on your weight (if you weigh more than 190 pounds you will likely burn more than is given in the estimate above), your gender (men burn up energy at a higher rate), and lean muscle mass. How often should I do this workout? This is technically a HIIT routine because of the way that it is structured, but because it is for beginners, the exercises are not remarkably high impact. Because of that, you could do this workout video more often than you would a more typical high intensity interval training routine (three to four times a week, max for traditional versions). You could use this routine 5-6 days a week, though we do recommend that you choose a combination of other Fitness Health Track videos in order to keep your muscles guessing and the workouts maximally effective.

Balance is an aspect of fitness that is often wrongfully underestimated when it comes to both competitive athletic performance and everyday quality of life. This Fitness Health Track Balance Workout is meant to challenge and improve the control that you have over your own body, making you a stronger, faster, and more agile competitor (or fitness fanatic). The exercises in this video are deceptively difficult. If you take just a quick glimpse at any given part of this video, you might find yourself wondering what the big challenge is. Try an exercise for yourself – the Single Leg Head Nods, with Eyes Closed, for example – and you will more likely than not find yourself struggling not to fall over. Why you should do this workout: Maintaining stability and being able to exert control over one’s body is a huge part of avoiding injury and falls, for both the elderly and the athletic. This workout also improves your coordination and your sense of spatial location. Aside from turning you into a more agile individual, this program will also help tone your body. To do this routine you will need: An exercise mat and a physioball How this workout is structured: This video has 5 different advanced balance exercises. There are two rounds of the entire routine for a workout that comes in at just over twenty minutes total. Advanced Exercises for Balance: Single Leg Head Nods; Eyes Closed – Deceptively difficult with your eyes closed, you may find that you need to get the hang of this motion with your eyes open first. Make sure that you do this in a safe place where you cannot fall or trip over anything, because you will lose your balance while attempting this one. Take your time; you don’t have to go at the same speed as we do in the video. Do 5 on each leg. Single Leg Agility Dots – Do 20 on each leg; 10 in each direction. If you don’t have tape or agility dots, just imagine that you are jumping around the box pattern. This one is a high calorie burner and great for toning the calves. Superman Lifts – Tap into your inner superhero with this one and hop onto that physioball. Again, make sure that you don’t have any breakables (or things that can break you) around while you do this. If you need to, do this on a Bosu ball to make it easier. Do 4 lifts of each limb, total. Physioball Kneeling Rotations – This one is tricky, and meant only for those who already have a solid foundation of coordination and core strength. If you want to make this one harder, hold onto a medicine ball or weight while you do the slow rotating motions. Plank Extension Tucks – From a push up position, tuck the right hand and left foot inward towards your core, and then back out into an extension. Do 8 repetitions on each side, without touching the ground in between repetitions, and the repeat on opposite sides of the body. If you want to make it easier, you can rest your limbs on the ground in between reps. How many calories does this workout burn? The exact numbers for each person will be different, but we estimate that this 20 minute workout ends up burning roughly 140-170 calories total. This routine would be great to do in combination with a cardio workout (see Fitness Health Track’s entire library of full length workout videos for ideas on cardio that you can do at home without any equipment). If this workout is too hard, try our Beginner Balance Workout.

This 33 Minute Kettlebell Workout is a great option for those who are brand new to this unique kind of training. Kettlebell routines are recognized for burning a very high number of calories, all while building lean muscles. This video is no exception as it burns a good deal of energy and is also very well balanced in terms of muscle groups engaged. Make sure that you start out with slow motions and a light weight. This is important with Kettlebell training as injuries can easily occur. As you become stronger and more comfortable with the movements, you can make increases in both the amount of weight that you are lifting and the speed at which you complete your repetitions. Here’s a breakdown of the Kettlebell video: Warm Up – 3 Minutes • 1 Minute Jogging in Place • 1 Minute Slow Butt Kickers + Crossover Arm Swings • 1 Minute Jogging in Place + Forward & Backward Arm Swings Full Length Kettlebell Workout Routine – 30 Minutes • Around the World – 20 Repetitions in each direction: Stand nice and tall with feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, and swing the Kettlebell around your body, passing it from hand to hand in a wide circle around your body to make the rotation. Go as quickly or slowly as you need to. • Kettlebell Figure 8’s – 14 Reps in each direction: Just like it sounds, you’re going to make a figure 8 around your legs. Focus on throwing the Kettlebell from hand to hand with your fingers facing towards one another. It’s a catching motion more than it is a passing-off. Start slowly with this exercise and speed the motion up once you become more confident. • Two Handed Kettlebell Swing – 20 Repetitions: Hold onto the weight with both hands, palms facing in towards your body. Go into a deep squat and use the power of your legs to drive the weight up to about shoulder height. Your shoulders will also be working to control the movement of the weight. Make sure that your back stays flat during this exercise. • Kettlebell Cleans – 14 Reps on each Side: Keeping your back flat, use the force from your legs to drive the Kettlebell upwards so that it lands on the outside of your forearm & bicep. Let it rest there just briefly before you drop it right back down for another rep. This one is great for your glutes, biceps, and shoulders. • Kettlebell Halos – 10 in each Direction: Hold onto the outside of the handle and bring it from one shoulder, behind your head, back down to the front of the opposite shoulder (making a halo shape). As soon as you reach the opposite side of your body, go back the other direction to end up where you started. Keep an even pace and keep the “halo” circle relative small and tight around your body. • Straight Leg Dead Lifts – 20 Reps: Keep a perfectly flat back and your legs straight. Use a slow and controlled motion to tip forward, so that the weight hangs dead a few inches from the ground, and then squeeze your glutes to come back up to a standing position. You will feel this predominately in your glutes and your lower back. • Squat Curls – 14 Reps: Dip into a deep squat, curling the Kettlebell at the bottom of the motion. Come back up from the squat, and let the weight hang as you extend your arms again. This is great for the upper body (particularly the biceps), the glutes, and thighs. • Bent Over Rows – 14 Repetitions on each Side: Again, you need a straight back for this one, aiming to keep your upper body parallel to the ground. Our intro warm up is relatively short; you may want to do a bit more cardio to prep your muscles for the workout. Make sure that you cool down and stretch thoroughly after this workout.

Our Chair Workout can be made very easy or fairly difficult, with just the tweaking of a few simple details. It targets all major muscle groups and is almost literally impact free. This is an excellent routine for anyone of any fitness level or age. From those who are trying to workout at work to those who are injured or trying to stay active with a health condition such as fibromyalgia or arthritis, this low impact workout is easy on the joints but still very effective for toning. Another bonus of this video is that it is built using moves that would be perfect desk exercises. It just happens to be the perfect length to squeeze into that lunch hour, which is quite possibly the best time to sneak in an exercise session (even if you only get a short lunch, you can just cut it a few reps short & clock back in on time). For those that want to increase the challenge of this largely seated workout routine, we recommend that you grab a pair of hand weights. Even if you don’t use extra resistance, you may still feel a challenge, particularly if you have not worked out in a while. Options to make this workout more difficult: • Focus on contracting the targeted muscle group throughout the entire range of motion for each exercise • Hold onto hand weights Exercises in this Chair Workout • Seated Toe Stretch – Stretch those hamstrings and lower back by scooting to the edge of your chair, leaning forward and reaching for your toes. Be careful with this one if you are using this as a cubicle workout & you have a chair on wheels! • Seated Toe Raises + Chest Presses – Keep your back straight and press your hands together as hard as is comfortable. While maintaining that inward pressure on your hands, drive your hands outward as you extend both arms. At the same time, rise up onto your toes so that you feel a contraction of your calf muscles. Bring your arms back in while at the same time dropping your heels back to the ground – all the while maintaining the pressing of your palms together. • High Knees + Lateral Raises – You will feel this one in both your hip flexors and shoulders. Keep a nice steady motion going and don’t “throw” your limbs or use momentum. • Seated Leg Extensions + Overhead Presses – One leg at a time, lift your thigh from your chair and then extend at the knee so that your leg is straight. At the same time, push both hands up above your head in a press. Come back down and immediately repeat the motion. • Seated Side Bends – Place one hand behind your head and extend the other arm out straight. Lean as far as you can control to the side with the extended arm, then squeeze through the obliques and abs in order to pull yourself back over for a stretch on the opposite side. Really focus on getting a squeeze in on each lean. • Russian Twists – Turn sideways in your chair so that you can lean back without the back of the seat being in your way. Lean back as far as you can control and rotate your shoulders as far as you can to the left and then right. Keep your hands in front of your body and your back straight. • Seated Swimmers – Tilt at the waist so that you are leaning forward from the edge of your seat, with your arms hanging loosely at your sides. Using as full of a range of motion as you can, bring your arms in a full circle so that they meet together, up above your head. Bring them back down along the sides of your body so that they return to their starting position; repeat. • Assisted Sumo Squats – These squats are very deep and very slow; you will feel them in your glutes and thighs. Use the chair for balance if you need to. Remember to keep your back straight and stick your butt out behind you in an exaggerated way. • Assisted Side Leg Lifts – Alternating from left to right, use a slow and controlled motion to lift each leg out to the side, using the chair for balance if necessary. Do not use a swinging motion to complete the movement. You will feel this in your outside thigh, obliques and glutes. • Assisted Hamstring Curls – Using a very deliberate movement, bend at your knee and contract your hamstrings to bring your foot up to your butt. Use the chair for balance if you need to, or increase the demand on your core by using minimal assistance to stay steady. How many calories does this Fitness Health Track Chair Workout Burn? We estimate that these low impact chair exercises burn between 4-7 calories a minute, or 128 and 224 calories total. If you use additional resistance or weights to do this routine, you could burn more than that.

Though we like using a Tabata style High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) structure for many of our interval workouts (20 seconds on 10 seconds off) it is always a good idea to switch it up on a regular basis to challenge your body in different ways. This Pyramid HIIT workout does just that by taking the idea of a timed set that is typically used in intervals and blending it with a pyramid workout structure commonly used with a repetition based strength routine. A typical Pyramid workout structure looks like this; using an odd number of sets (5-11 or more per exercise) you start with a small number of repetitions then add repetitions every set until the middle set, then work your way back down until you end with the same number of repetitions you started with. For example a 5 set pyramid might look something like this: Set 1: 6 Repetitions Set 2: 10 Repetitions Set 3: 14 Repetitions Set 4: 10 Repetitions Set 5: 6 Repetitions With this routine we have taken that idea and turned it into a HIIT workout by using the same structure but with timed intervals instead of repetitions. So the structure for each exercise of this routine will be this: 15 Seconds Active 15 Seconds Rest 30 Seconds Active 15 Seconds Rest 45 Seconds Active 15 Seconds Rest 30 Seconds Active 15 Seconds Rest 15 Seconds Active 10 Seconds Rest/Set up for next exercise By the time you are done you will have completed a total of 2 minutes and 15 seconds of each exercise but using varying lengths of effort. By using this structure and breaking up your effort into manageable sections and only taking minimal rest periods you can effectively do more work and burn more calories than is possible by simply completing the exercise once through without stopping. The key is not completely exhausting yourself as this slows your ability to burn calories because you are too tired to continue performing the motion to its fullest extent. This concept is why any HIIT program (especially this one) is better at burning calories than a traditional set and repetition based workout program. Workout Structure This routine consists of a warm up followed by two groups of three exercises (6 total) then a short cool down. The following is a quick rundown of the exercises we will be using and what muscle groups they target. Group One • High Knees: This simple exercise is fantastic for getting your heart rate up fast. To get the most out of it be sure to quickly transition one foot to the other while driving the knees up as high as you can. • Toe Touch Crunch: This abdominal exercise is great for effectively targeting the upper and lower abs as well as forcing the hip flexors and quadriceps (front of thigh) to work, increasing your over all calorie burn. • Burpee Push Up: If you have ever done a Burpee you know this is an effective total body exercise that leaves you panting in no time. By adding in a push up you increase your intensity by using even more large muscle groups, drastically increasing your overall calorie burn. Group Two • Squat and Pass: This exercise couples a traditional squat with a shoulder exercise to not only increase the overall effort of the squat, also to change the leverage of the motion to work your legs just a bit differently than a squat alone. • Back Bow: This Pilates exercise targets almost every muscle group through the back of the body, from the rhomboids and deltoids on the shoulders and upper back all the way down through the lower back to the butt and hamstrings. It may look like a simple motion but is killer for back strength and a great calorie burner. • Mt. Climbers: This exercise is right up there with burpees as far as difficulty and calorie burn goes. This is a killer for the core, hip flexors, and quadriceps and also gets a good burn in the shoulders. To get the most from this exercise be sure to keep your feet moving as quickly as possible and once you burnout don’t stop, just switch to moving one foot at a time rather than simultaneously. Calories burned We estimate that this cardio & abdominal routine burns between 9 and 14 calories a minute. The exact expenditure will depend on your weight, gender, muscle mass and many other variables.

If you have ever worked with Kettlebells before, you know that they can provide a very intense workout in a little amount of time, similarly if you have ever done High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) then you know that it also has the ability to quickly and effectively burn a lot of calories. With this routine we have combined these two powerhouse training styles to create one quick and effective calorie-burning workout. With this style of workout you need to be sure that you do not overtrain. It’s important to be careful that you do not do this routine more often than your body can handle, which would lead to stress injuries that can slow down your progress or even keep you from exercising at all. Since everyone’s body is different when it comes to it’s ability to heal and avoid injury, you will have to listen to your own body when making the call as to how often you can get away with performing this workout. We generally suggest that this style of routine not be done more than 2 to 4 times per week. Because many Kettlebell exercises are explosive in nature they should never be used as the sole component of a workout regimen unless the routine has been properly built to include non-explosive movements as well, as using only explosive movements will inevitably lead to injury. The same can be said for the HIIT routines as well, so just be sure to incorporate an even amount of moderate, lower impact activity throughout your weekly fitness program. For this routine we start out with a short 7 minute warm up designed to not only increase blood flow to the extremities but also to open up the joints (increase range of motion) that will be used the most through this workout. Once your heart rate is elevated a bit and your body is warmed up we will start into the Kettlebell HIIT workout. This portion consists of only three different motions (which are explained in detail below) with a 40 second active period with a 20 second rest in between. As you become stronger you can change this interval to 45 seconds on and 15 seconds off or even 50 to 10. Once the intervals are done we have a short stretching section that targets the muscles most heavily used in this routine. You can stop here or add in a cardio or core workout to extend your calorie burn even more. The exercises used in the Kettlebell HIIT routine are as follows: 1. Clean and Press: This motion is done with one arm at a time and is a two stage motion. The first motion brings the Kettlebell up to the shoulder and the next presses it over the head. This is a great leg and shoulder workout that primarily targets the quadriceps, glutes, lower back, deltoid and tricep. 2. Full Swing: This full body motion is a double-handed swing that brings the kettle bell directly above your head at the top of the motion. Driven from the legs, back and shoulders this motion is a great totally body exercise that will get your heart pumping and burn massive amounts of calories. 3. Figure 8 Curl: This motion is not only a good calorie burner but it is also great for building core control and overall coordination. This figure 8 motion also incorporates a quick jerk/curl motion to add an extra arm and core component. This half hour routine burns calories to varying degrees throughout but on average burns around 8-14 calories per minute depending on your height, weight, and muscle content as well as the amount of weight you use for the Kettlebell exercises.

Sciatica, also know as Piriformis Syndrome, can be down right miserable and can be, quite literally, a pain in the butt (and leg, and back). The pain can range anywhere from a minor annoyance to a debilitating ache targeting various areas in your legs, hips, butt, and lower back. No matter where it chooses to rear its ugly head, sciatica can be treated quite effectively with some simple low back stretches. As always, but especially with injuries and conditions like this, talk to your doctor or a physical therapist before you start any kind of exercise program – even stretching. This stretching video includes 8 moves that focus on all of the main areas in which sciatica pain can arise, helping to release the built up tension. It leads you through each exercise for the recommended holding time and gives verbal queues on form. When done regularly this stretching routine for the lumbar and legs can also help prevent further Piriformis Syndrome flair ups from arising in the future. When using this video to help recover from a current bout of sciatica, use a rotation of ice and heat before stretching. Alternate between a heating pad and an ice pack on your low lumbar region and upper hips for 30-45 minutes leaving each on for 5-10 minutes. Make sure you end your cycle with heat, then start the video while your back is still warm. It takes a bit of extra time but can drastically reduce your recovery period. Tips: You can always hold these positions for a longer time period to get more benefit. Repeat this routine multiple times a day if needed. Never push for more range of movement than is comfortable; it should never be painful. Stretching for long periods of time can loosen joints and temporarily increase your chances for injury during physical activity (do not stretch before a workout).

A tight, sore neck and achy shoulders have become a regular occurrence for many people, especially those with desk jobs who spend most of their time on a computer. The constant strain on the neck, shoulders, upper back, and lower back from sitting in the same position all day long is something that is difficult to avoid, but with a little work, this strain can be minimized and kept from turning into a full blown pain in the neck. This neck and shoulder workout routine has two separate parts to help prevent and alleviate the tension and pain caused by prolonged desk work. The first section addresses neck and shoulder strength and endurance, as the neck is a common weak spot for most people. This section is specifically designed to build overall strength without building mass by keeping weight low and repetitions high. Here is a short description of what each exercise is for. Prone Chin Tuck: This strengthens the muscles through the front of the neck, building endurance as well as helping to maintain and/or improve flexibility. Supine Head Raise: This reverse motion of the Prone Chin Tuck focuses on the primary muscle used to keep the head up, and builds strength and endurance for prolonged use. Side Head Raise: The muscles in the sides of the neck also help to support the neck and when strengthened can help relieve the stress on the back of the neck. Back Bow: This motion targets the lower back to help alleviate the stress associated with sitting or standing for long periods of time. Reverse Fly: When done in high repetition and with light weight, this exercise helps to build endurance in the trapezius, rhomboids, and rear deltoids, pulling the shoulders back and up to hold the shoulders in a more natural position. Rotating Shoulder Shrug: This trapezius exercise helps hold the shoulders up, keeping them from drooping, which is a common cause of pain and fatigue. The second section addresses flexibility, not only as a means of relieving the symptoms of tight neck and shoulder muscles, but also preventing the muscles from becoming tight in the first place (especially when done on a regular basis). Use this section on its own to get immediate relief from tight muscles or use it in conjunction with the strength component to reduce the severity of future issues or to prevent them all together. Here is a short description of what each stretch is for. Wall Chest Stretch: The chest muscles are generally stronger than their opposing upper back muscles, and can pull the shoulders forward, causing extra strain on the neck and back. This stretch reduces that strain by loosing the chest and allowing the shoulder to move back into a more natural position. Wall Shoulder Stretch: The Latissimus Dorsi and other muscles that connect to the shoulder and arm can pull the shoulder down when tight and this stretch increases their flexibility, reducing the stress on the neck. Three Way Neck Stretch: This stretch focuses directly on the neck, targeting the front, back, and sides all at once. Cobra Stretch: Having tight hip flexors and abdominal muscles pull the torso forward, increasing the stress on the lower and upper back, especially while standing. This stretch increases the flexibility of the hip flexors and abdominal muscles, lowering the strain on the upper and lower back. Doing both parts of this routine four times a week for a month will quickly build endurance, strength and flexibility to alleviate chronic neck and shoulder pain. After the first month, drop down to one to two times per week to maintain your endurance and flexibility. When first starting the strength component of this routine you may not be able to do all 14 repetitions of each exercise. If not, just do as many as you can and increase the reps as you get stronger. As 14 repetitions becomes easy for you, you can start to increase your repetitions to build even more endurance. As long as you increase repetitions and don’t add any weight to the exercises you will never have to worry about building the size of your neck. However, if you are looking to dramatically increase the strength (as well as size) of your neck, build up to 20+ repetitions on each set, then drop back to 14 repetitions (or less) and add a small amount of weight (1-2 lbs) by holding it on your head supporting it with your hands.

There are multiple advantages to using a PhysioBall to supplement your exercise routines. One is that it allows for more range of motion than you would get from most exercises without the use of the ball. For example, PhysioBall back extensions allow you to work a more full range of movement by allowing you to enter a plane of movement that you otherwise can’t without some kind of equipment. PhysioBall workout routines also burn more calories than the same exercises done without the ball. This is largely because of the instability that the piece of equipment creates. Any time you make your balance more instable, your body and muscle have to work harder to complete a motion without falling over, which uses up more energy (calories). The extra demand for balance also forces the body’s small controlling muscles to work harder, which actually serves to improve muscle tone and increase your overall balance and coordination as well as control over your own body. Yet another benefit of this simple piece of equipment is that it helps you target muscle groups that are otherwise hard to thoroughly engage without a piece of equipment. For example, the PhysioBall Hamstring Curls are a fantastic way to really get the backs of those thighs burning. Most of the other exercises that target hamstrings so specifically are big bulky pieces of equipment. Exercises in this routine: Wall Oblique Crunches – This one can take a little getting used to as you learn how to both balance and find a comfortable way to stack your feet. This is probably the exercise that takes the most practice so don’t be afraid to use the tips in the video and pause it if you need to while you let yourself get familiar with the position. This one is great for your obliques and is a good example of an exercise where the PhysioBall significantly improves the range of motion available. Back Extensions – Tone up the lower back muscles & strengthen the back. Because you have to stabilize yourself on the wobbly ball, your glutes & hamstrings also get a workout. Crunches – This takes a regular abdominal move and drastically improves its effectiveness and scope in terms of number of muscles engaged and depth of engagement. Wall Squats – Using the physioball to do this exercise works the muscles in a different way than a regular squat does. It also makes it easier to keep the knees from going into potentially compromising positions. Hamstring Curls – Between the balance required to complete this motion, and the strength it takes to get your heels under your butt, this is one of the best exercises for toning the backs of thighs. Push Ups – Again, because you have to work to balance yourself, this engages muscles in a different way than a regular Push Up does. Rows – The Row targets the rhomboids and deltoids in the upper back, offsetting the Push Ups that target the chest muscles. All in all, this PhysioBall workout routine is a fantastic total body plan that will tone you up fast. You will also be burning calories at a higher rate than if you were doing the traditional version of each exercise, and you are going to be improving your balance and overall comprehensive core strength, which is important for good posture and avoiding injuries as you move through exercises and every day activities. For best results, do this routine 2-4 times weekly along with a cardio component.

Pre-workout cardio and stretching is often grossly underestimated in importance. When warming up, a stretch position should not be held for longer than 10 – 15 seconds. When doing a preworkout stretch routine, a short hold is enough to loosen up stiff muscles, but it is not enough to loosen up a joint. Stretches done with the intention of increasing range of motion (corrective stretching) should be done after a full length exercise routine, when muscles are fully warmed – or at periods of the day when you have a significant amount of time before your next bout of rigorous physical activity. For warming up, you should never hold stretches for an elongated period of time as this can expand and loosen joints making them more susceptible to injury. Though different studies have debated back and forth about the benefit of stretching cold muscles before jumping straight into a strenuous workout, gentle cardio and working the range of motion of joints is inarguably a good way to start any kind of exercise routine. When you go from a standstill directly into some kind of high intensity cardio that raises your heart rate and engages your muscles without a warming up, it causes a greater amount of stress on your body. This is because when your heart tries to circulate your blood supply through constricted blood vessels to feed your muscle tissue, it meets resistance and causes your blood pressure to spike momentarily. Aside from potential health repercussions, this can also interfere with your fitness progress by leading to premature fatiguing, because your body has to catch up to the demands of blood and oxygen flow that your muscles are requiring. This short total body routine engages a multitude of muscle groups in a way that steadily increases blood flow and flexibility, rather than shocking your system with positions that tax the muscles before they are ready, or before you jump straight into a full blown cardio routine. This would also serve as a great cool down workout. If you want to use this as a cool down, do the cardio component at the beginning of the workout, rather than at the end.

Fitness Health Track’s lower body stretching routine is the perfect way to wrap up any kind of strength training or cardio routine. You can do this as often as you like, virtually any time, however, we recommend that you not do this workout immediately before starting straight into a vigorous exercise regime. Because the stretch positions are held for roughly 30 seconds apiece, this routine is more ideal for after a workout is complete; holding a position for this long before strenuous physical activity can be potentially dangerous because it can actually loosen your joints, raising the odds for preventable injuries and strains. Flexibility is one of the biggest indicators of quality of life as you age. Using lower body stretches like the one in this video will help you maintain or improve your flexibility and range of motion. In fact, the amount of elasticity of your muscles can even be an indicator of seemingly unrelated variables, such as the elasticity of your arteries. In recent studies, people who are capable of higher ranges of motion have been shown to also have less rigid arteries, which makes for a lower blood pressure and reduced chances of heart disease and illness. Dr Kenta Yamamoto of the University of North Texas, was part of a study published in the American Journal of Physiology – Heart and Circulatory Physiology, where it was found that those who had reduced flexibility of the trunk, as demonstrated by a simple toe touch stretch (as seen in the video above), had a higher systolic blood pressure than people who were more limber and had full range of movement. A habitual stretching component should be of upmost importance, right up there with cardiovascular training and strength training. This is both for reasons of staying mobile and agile, and for improving overall health. With that said, flexibility is not something that you should wait to work on until you are older. Maintaining your body’s full range of motion is something that you have to be proactive about protecting from time and the wear and tear that everyday activity has on your body – that is in reference from everything to running a few miles on the treadmill, or sitting all day at your desk (in a less-than-accommodating chair) staring into a computer screen. Printable Lower Body Stretching Routine Toe Touch Stretch Inside Thigh Stretch  Standing Quadriceps Stretch  Deep Glute Stretch  Butterfly Stretch Seated Hamstring + Oblique Stretch  Single Leg Hamstring Stretch  Seated Crossover Hamstring Stretch  Standing Wall Calf Stretch  If you don’t like straightforward stretching routines, you can exchange it with Pilates or yoga and get a similar benefit. If you were to do this video diligently once a day, you would be able to see a difference in your flexibility in as little as two weeks.