News flash: Your daily jog or 30-minute session on the elliptical is actually doing very little for your total-body fitness and strength. These forms of exercise only employ a singular, repetitive movement. You may not feel winded on a run, for example, but you’d be surprised to experience fatigue after bear crawls!
What’s the difference? Diversity of movement. The body is designed to move in eight directions: over, under, around, sideways, rotation, flexion, extension, and push/pull. Moving in all eight directions with full range of motion simulates common movements you might do at home, at work, or in sports. And that is the very definition of functional total-body fitness.
The three simple exercises below fire deep core muscles that promote symmetry in body and strength in key muscles groups so that you can be stable and functional in your everyday life. Give it a try and feel what a difference this type of workout makes.
Elev8d Crunches | 20x
- Lie on your back, knees up, feet flat, fingers interlaced behind your head with your elbows flat.
- Cross your right ankle over your left then keeping your legs straight, lift them as high as you are able.
- Do crunches for half the allotted time, lifting from the mid-section, not the head and keeping your elbows straight.
- Repeat process with left ankle crossed in front of the right, doing crunches for the remaining half of the allotted time.
Wobbles | 15x
- In a seated position, bend your knees and pull them towards your chest.
- Hug your knees tightly, then roll backwards on your hips and spine then roll forward back to the seating position.
- As much as possible, avoid using momentum on the roll and focus on using your abs to return to the seated position.
Static Squat | 30 Seconds
- Spread your feet just wider than your hips, pointing them straight, and extend your arms directly in front of you, palms down.
- Drop your hips but keep your pelvis rolled forward so that there is a small arch in your back.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds. Try to be mindful of the firing in your hip-flexors.
Feel this great every day and transform your body in a little as 8 minutes a day! Try Elev8d Fitness, the revolutionary new approach to fitness that helps you achieve better results by doing less. The innovative At-Home Total-Body Workout Series burns more calories, boosts energy, and strengthens and tones from head to toe.
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