Sick of doing sit ups and crunches?  

Not only can those exercises be bad on your back, but there are so many more core exercises that will give you better results.  

Plank jacks for example, will challenge you to engage your.  Check out the instructions and video below for details on proper form.  

**Wondering what it means to engage your core?  Get the down low on engaging your core in Jill's blog. 

Instructions

1. Begin in a plank position, with your shoulder over your wrists, your body in one straight line, and your feet together
2. Like the motion of jumping jacks, jump your legs wide and then back together 
3. Jump as quickly as you want, but keep your pelvis steady and don’t let your booty rise toward the ceiling 
4. Complete three to four sets of 12-30 repetitions ** Challenge yourself to do more reps each week!

Looking for more great core exercises?  Check out are full list of ab workouts in the LivRite Fitness Exercise Library. 

Stationary lunges are a great exercise to do if you are looking to tone your legs and don't have a ton of space to work with. 

Another great thing about stationary lunges is this exercise will work most muscles in your legs. 

Add dumbbells for an extra challenge!  

Instructions:

1. Stand with your torso upright holding two dumbbells in your hands by your sides 
2. Step backwards with your right leg around 2 feet or so from the foot being left stationary behind and lower your upper body down, while keeping the torso upright and maintaining balance. 
3. Inhale as you go down 
4. Using mainly the heel of your foot, push up and go back to the starting position as you exhale. 
5. Repeat for 10-15 reps then perform with the left leg. Complete three to four sets on each leg. 

Muscles Worked

• Glutes
• Quads
• Hamstrings
• Calves

It is finally spring here in the Midwest! The warmer weather, flowers starting to bloom and trees starting to bud can bring about lots of motivation to get moving and start fresh.

Don’t stop at spring cleaning your house, think about a spring clean for your health too!

Whether you kept up your workouts all winter, are still working hard on your resolution to get fit or are just starting out on your fitness journey, now is a great time to refresh your workout regiment.

It doesn’t have to be a complete deep clean, you can make small adjustments that will add up to big benefits.

Make A Schedule

 This is especially helpful for those just starting out or getting back into a routine.

Each Sunday look at your calendar and plan your workouts. Be realistic, if you have taken a break from exercise most of the winter, don’t say you will workout an hour six days a week.

Start out with something more like a 30 minute session on three non-consecutive days.

Put your workouts on the calendar along with all of your other important appointments. And don’t cancel those appointments!

Check Your Gear

 Spring is a great time to clean out your closet as you are transitioning from a winter to a spring/summer wardrobe.

Don’t forget your workout clothes and shoes! Recycle, reuse or donate any old worn out workout clothes and shoes.

Ladies, don’t forget your sports bras too. A typical bra has a lifespan of about six months depending on how often you wear it.

Running shoes last between 4-6 months depending on how many miles you put on them.

Now might be the time to go into a running store and get fitted for new kicks.

New workout clothes can be motivating and other gear (like your shoes) can help prevent injury.

Change Your Workout

If you have been doing the same workout for months, it might be time to switch it up.

Not only can the same old routine become boring, your body gets used to the stimulus which can prevent you from progressing.

There are many ways to change your training, like the number of sets or reps you perform, changing exercises or even changing your training schedule completely.

Altering the frequency, intensity, time or type of your workout will get your body and muscles challenged again.

Tidy Up Your Thoughts

 Instead of creating goals based purely on weight loss, think about how you feel.

If counting calories has become a drag, think about your portion sizes instead. Dreading your workout?

Chances are you need to find a workout you enjoy. Check out different classes or work with a trainer to get new ideas on what type of exercise you will look forward to (or at least not dread!).

Take the opportunity with this new season to look at your workout routine and see if any of these tips will help you get energized about your health and wellness!

If you haven’t already, sign up for a free fitness assessment and talk with a trainer about how to spring clean your workouts and get ready for spring and summer.

Bent Over Fly

Shoulders are one of the most often overlooked muscle groups and I had no idea why! That's why I asked several of my clients why they had never incorporated moves for their shoulders into their workout plan before training with me. The most common response I got was "I don't know how." 

This is the reason we started doing instructional videos on the LivRite website! That excuse isn't going to cut it anymore.  You can find a full list of our shoulder workouts here.  

Take a look at the video and instructions below to learn how to correctly do the bent over fly. This move will target your posterior deltoids (the main muscles on the back of your shoulders) and it will also work your rhomboids and traps.   

Instructions: 

1. Hold dumbbells in each hand, stand with knees slightly bent. Keeping your back flat, bend forward at the hip joint.
2. Exhale and lift both arms out to the side, maintaining a slight bend in the elbows and squeezing your shoulder blades together. 
3. With control, lower the dumbbells back toward the ground
4. This completes one rep
5. Complete three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions 

Our shoulders have a wide range of motion which makes them more prone to strains or injury. It's important to make sure you are doing exercises correctly. Some stretches we recommend for shoulder tightness are neck stretches, shoulder rolls, cross body arm swings, cross body stretch and child's pose. Adding in these stretches may help increase flexibility or prevent injury. Plus sometimes it just feels good to stretch!

Looking for more great moves to add to your workouts? Check out our full list of exercises in our exercise library. 

Elevated Shoulder Taps

Getting bored of planks but don't know what core exercises to add  to your workout plan?  Give elevated shoulder taps a try.  This is a great move that will really test your core strength and endurance.  Check out the video and instructions below and try it out today. 

Instructions:

1. Place feet on box and get into a plank position 
2. Tap the opposite shoulder with one hand 
3. Repeat with the other hand
4. Complete three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions on each shoulder