No exercise is known specifically as a "personal trainer" exercise, although most personal trainers have a large bag of tricks to pull from when putting together a workout. Trainer certifications and continued education provide a steady stream of exercises to choose from. Getting into the gym, playing with equipment and creating new exercises are also ideal ways to keep fitness fun. Whether you're a personal trainer or fitness fanatic, try new equipment, use old equipment in new ways and manipulate sets and reps to create a personal trainer inspired workout.
The Paddle
The paddle is a great exercise for toning the obliques and deep abdominal muscles. To perform the exercise sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Extend your arms and hold a towel at arms length with the arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lean back 45 degrees and lift your feet off the floor, knees together, until legs are parallel with the floor. Rotate to the right side using a slow and controlled movement then back to center, then to the left side. Start with six to eight repetitions using excellent form. Be sure not to round the back and focus the work on the deep muscles of the abdomen and obliques.
Med Ball Push Up
The push up is king of exercises when it comes to strengthening the chest. You can adjust the push up to suit every fitness level and add equipment to make it more challenging. The med ball push up strengthens the pectorals, shoulders and triceps while adding instability to challenge the core. To perform the exercise, place a medicine ball on the floor. Place your toes or knees on the ground with a straight back, one palm on the ground, the other on top of the medicine ball. Assume push up position. Inhale and lower your torso to the ground, pause for 1 second and return to starting position. Perform six to eight repetitions using one side of the body; switch hands and perform repetitions on the other side.
Curtsy Lunge
The curtsy lunge sculpts your glutes and quadriceps in one move. To begin the move, stand with your feet side-by-side, shoulder width apart. Step the left foot forward and across and bend both knees to 90 degrees. Hold this position for 1 to 2 seconds then return to starting position. Perform 12 to 15 repetitions using the left foot then switch and perform repetitions using the other leg. Add a lateral raises or biceps curls to boost caloric expenditure and sculpt the upper body.
Straight Arm Lat Pull Downs
The straight arm lat pull down strengthens the lattisimus dorsi, teres major and long head of the triceps muscle. Attach a straight bar to a cable machine and position the cable at the top. Stand and face the machine with the feet slightly apart. Grip the bar with an overhand grip, arms extended, back and abdomen contracted. Inhale and bring the bar to the thighs, hold this position for 2 to 3 seconds then return the bar to starting position. Perform eight to 10 repetitions of the exercise. This exercise is used by swim coaches to improve the crawl stroke.
References
- "Strength Ball Training 2nd edition"; Lorne Goldenberg; Peter Twist; 2007
- "Strength Training Anatomy 2nd edition"; Frederic Delavier; 2006
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