Exercises of the Week #22 - How to Make a Workout From the Blog

Okay, choose 7 exercises that fit into what you want to workout or correct in your body. Most of the exercises are tagged with a problem area of the body: shoulder, leg, lower back. The exercises can help correct poor movement patterns in these areas if it is done over 3-4 weeks.

Do these 7 exercises as a circuit. Do 3 sets of each exercise. This should be a 45 minute to an hour workout depending on the pace. Enjoy the exercises.

Exercises of the Week #19 - An Advanced Leg, Arm, and Shoulder Move

Here is a full body move for the avid exerciser.  Happy Holidays!

Compound Static lunge/shoulder flexion. (advanced) from Live Functional on Vimeo.
If you have shoulder injuries prior to this exercise, you probably know if your shoulder can take the load and range. Please consider the current state of your shoulders and knees before attempting new unfamiliar exercise.

Things to avoid in this exercise:

+ knees do not wobble side to side, back remains strong and straight, shoulder blades stay on back and do not pull the spine into flexion at all.

+ start with low weight (5 lbs) at first, make sure the feet are properly spaced to allow for proper knee flexion, knee never dives beyond the beginning of toes. Keep range small at first, until the timing becomes clear and your body does the move with integrity and smoothness.

2-3 sets of 10-20 reps. Compound moves are multi-joint and multi-planed motions that require a great deal of awareness and can be very fun. You don't even need weights for this move, your arms generally are heavy enough to provide ample load, not to mention the addition of speed. Hehe

Things to avoid in this exercise:

+ knees do not wobble side to side, back remains strong and straight, shoulder blades stay on back and do not pull the spine into flexion at all.

+ start with low weight (5 lbs) at first, make sure the feet are properly spaced to allow for proper knee flexion, knee never dives beyond the beginning of toes.  Keep range small at first, until the timing becomes clear and your body does the move with integrity and smoothness. 

Exercises of the Week #17 - An advanced full body move

This week's move is full body with freeweights. Enjoy.

Please leave a comment and let us know what types of corrective exercises you need to help fix you. Next week, we'll post the exercise for the top comment.

Seated Overhead Press on Bench (Ab stabilization/Back Stabilization, Shoulder Power) from Live Functional on Vimeo.

Big move, watch this move carefully before doing, can be done with dumbells as well. If you have shoulder problems, this is not a beginning exercise for you. Shoulder pain means you are limited until you understand how that pain can be supported and healed!

+ Abs remain active through entire move, chest is lifted, shoulders are on the back, elbows and shoulders feel the squeeze, feel the weight drive your butt bones into the bench, low back is on strong

+Inhale as weight comes down, exhale as weight is pressed overhead, elbows never lock when over head and the weight never goes below the chin

2-3 sets of 10-15 reps (start lighter at first just to get the move understood, then push for fatigue with more reasonably challenging weight)

Exercises of the Week #5 - Free Weights, Free Weights, Free Weights

Check back next week, when we release some Cable Cross exercises. We don't want anybody to be intimidated by these machines. If you don't know what a Cable Cross machine is, feel free to explore the website to discover the photo of one. They're fun and help to execute a lot of corrective exercises.

Enjoy the Exercises of the Week.


Functional Fitness #148 Push-up off Dumbell, Twist, and Tri-cep Extension from Live Functional on Vimeo.
A very fun move.  Start with 5 to 10 lbs, make sure you use a dumbell you feel stable on, the smaller the edge the more likely the dumbell will shift.  A round dumbell will be harder to hold still.  If you have wrist pain or shoulder pains, probably not a good move for you.  Video does a good job of showing you the parameters of move.  The key here is shoulder stabilization.

Functional Fitness #142- Standing Tricep Extension from Live Functional on Vimeo.

Things to feel through this exercise
*Keep elbows still and gently reaching towards ceiling
*Not too much swinging into the torso
*Feel weight in middle of foot
*Inhale Hands Down, Exhale Hands Up
*Feel ribs expanding and loading

Functional Fitness #145 - Hammer Bicep Curl into Short Overhead Press from Live Functional on Vimeo.

Things to feel through this exercise:
*Keep shoulder blades on the back, no lifting shoulder blades toward the ears
*Keep the length in spine by reaching top of head toward ceiling, while knees are SLIGHTLY bent
* Breath is a little challenging, shorter breaths out, while keeping the breath lifted and full in the upper rib cage. You want the rib cage full of breath.
*Weight in the middle of feet.

Functional Fitness #140 - Brachio Radialis Curls aka Pronated Curls from Live Functional on Vimeo.

Things to FEEL thru this Exercise:
* Shoulder blades are stabilizing, keep them on your back and not lifting toward ears, also feel them pinch together a little bit.
(This is standard rule for all exercises using arms)
* Turn hands palm facing down 45 degrees off of ground. The knuckles remain in a fixed position. The ensures the burn is felt in the Brachioradialis muscle
* Breath Exhale hands up, Inhale hands down
* Keep spine lengthened reaching top of head up toward ceiling and knees SLIGHTLY bent.