Squat Thrusts

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Again from high in the Austrian Alps, daughter Jennifer demonstrates the exercise of the month, Squat Thrusts.

Squat Thrusts are a total body exercise that can really get your heart pounding and lungs gasping. Sound like torture? Nah, just a heck of a good workout. Still, if you're unfamiliar with this one, enter with some measure of caution. Senior beginners should wait until they've built a reasonable fitness base. Or do just a few reps to see what they're like. For more advanced trainees -- accept the challenge!

First, Jennifer shows a few plain vanilla Squat Thrusts (tough enough!). Then she demonstrates a few that include a push-up. Enjoy!

One Arm Rows

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One arm rowing is one of the finest mid- to upper-back exercises. Secondarily, it works your biceps and forearms and, to some degree, your abs and lower back because you must stay tight to row properly.

Watch the video a couple of times (daughter Jennifer demonstrates). Then take a solid stance, resting one hand on a sturdy bench. With your opposite arm extended, pull the dumbbell toward your hip. Lift and descend smoothly. Exhale as you pull. Inhale as you extend.

No hunching over. Keep a nice normally flat back.

If you are super-setting opposing muscle groups, the one arm row works perfectly by alternating sets with chest press exercises.

Windshield Wipers

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Forget those little bitty crunches and "going for the burn." Real core exercises like old fashioned bent-legs sit-ups, wood choppers with weighted cables, and windshield wipers (no equipment needed) are the real way to a stronger, firmer gut.

If you're a beginner, enter slowly. Use the bent-knees side to side motion first. Then graduate to straight legs once you get the hang of it. Work up to a few sets of 20 and feel the muscles of your trunk get stronger and a whole lot firmer.

Do them with control, always. And breathe smoothly.

Bulgarian Split Squats

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Bulgarians are real "thigh busters." Play the video and little explanation will be needed. Daughter Jennifer demonstrates and prefers a 3-count on the descent and a 1-count coming up. Try varying the tempo and reps. And if your body weight alone isn't challenging enough, hold a pair of dumbbells. A few sets of these and your thighs will scream for mercy!

USMC: Uncle Sam's Mountain Climbers

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The Marines love this little gem of an exercise called Mountain Climbers. I was a jarhead so I speak from experience. But my guess is that the other branches appreciate its conditioning merits, too.

If you are in fairly good shape, MCs are good ones to add to your cache, especially when they are used as part of a circuit or interval workout. Senior beginners, however, or those who are very overweight, should put MCs on hold until they’ve reached post-beginner stage.

That said, here is what to expect:

High repetition MCs will really get you huffing and puffing and fit nicely in a resistance/cardiovascular combo workout. As you watch the short video (Jennifer demonstrates), you will see how maintaining a solid push up position while chugging away engages your entire body: abs, back, chest, arms, shoulders, and of course your legs.

The following is a quick little body weight only workout that will demonstrate what can be accomplished on those days when you can’t get to the gym.

1. Mountain Climbers: Do them fast and with vigor for 20 reps, 10 each leg.
2. Flip over onto your back. Do 10 standard sit-ups.
3. Flip back over to the push up position. Do 10 standard push ups.
4. Stand and do 10 squats.

Catch your breath and repeat. Do as many rounds as your time and fitness level allow.

The One-Arm Dumbbell Press

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Daughter Jennifer lives near a small village in the foothills of the Austrian Alps, not very far from where a well-known California governor and former Mr. Universe grew up. There must be something in the water.

The one-arm dumbbell press of course develops shoulder and arm strength. Maybe even more than pressing a barbell or two dumbbells at once, one-arm pressing requires serious tightening all of the muscles of your lower back and abdominals (currently known as the "core"). And that is a good thing.

I always recommend exhaling as you press and inhale as the weight returns. If you are a beginner, develop a smooth style and tempo similar to Jennifer's before moving up to heavier weights. Give it a try. I think you'll realize right away its value as a compound exercise movement.

Walking Lunges

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There are many varieties of lunges (all of them good), but I like walking lunges best. They are great for building muscular quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. Walking lunges look simple to do; nevertheless, there are some things to know to get full benefits.

In the beginning, get comfortable doing them by traveling short distances with bodyweight only. Then, gradually, increase the difficulty by traveling farther and/or carrying a weight. If you carry a weight, you can hold two dumbbells, arms down and vertical, or carry a barbell across your back and shoulders; or in front above your chest, with elbows high, as you would doing a front squat.

Form (Patty, aka Mrs. Gray Iron, demonstrates):

1) Take a fairly big step forward so that your ankle and knee are in a vertical plane, and the knee of your trailing leg almost touches the ground. Keep your chest high and look ahead. In other words, maintain an erect posture. Don’t bend over;

2) Drive off the heel of your forward foot as you take the next step;

3) Keep moving forward. Don’t stop after each step.

Dumbbell Curl & Arnold Press

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Here is a neat upper-body combination movement that works biceps, triceps, and shoulders.

The dumbbell press portion was a favorite of Arnold (you know the one). He liked to start the press with his palms facing him, and as the weights are pressed overhead they rotate to face forward. Retrace the movement in the reverse coming down. Try it. It has a nice flow.

Now, what I've added is to first simply curl the weights to shoulder level, and then begin Arnold's overhead press. Curl, press, return. Curl, press, return. The entire compound movement can be done either sitting or standing. I like to stand because it forces me to keep my abs tight, as they should be when doing overhead presses of any kind.

As always, don't hold your breath. Get a nice inhale-exhale rhythm going.

The Deadlift

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[Daughter Jennifer, who lives and trains in Austria, demonstrates the Exercise of the Month, the Deadlift.]

Can there be a more basic power lift than the deadlift? You bend, grasp a weight and stand up with it, a simple, direct power move requiring overall body strength. Yes, there are some things to know about proper form, but let’s not get overly analytical, either.

Before we begin, note that in the video Jennifer is working with well over 200 pounds (she has been training all her life). If you are a beginner, and especially if you are woman beginner, or if you are unfamiliar with the lift — start with a much more moderate weight. Then train for awhile to get used to the lift before putting yourself to any sort of power lifting test.

Here’s how to do it

Stand behind the barbell at your shins; feet at shoulder about width apart, or slightly wider; hands just outside your legs. Now, looking straight ahead, bend equally at the waist and knees, a bit like sitting down and back into a chair; grasp the bar with an alternate over/under grip.

Keep your back flat (not hunched over), abs tight. Take a breath and then exhale as you straighten your knees and push your hips forward to stand, always keeping the bar close to your shins. Hold for a second in the full standing position; then, with control, bend at the knees and waist to return to the beginning of the lift. Breathe throughout the movement — but stay tight.

To start, use a weight that allows you to complete 8 to 10 reps. Eventually, you may want to test yourself, to see how much you can lift for one rep. Let that come later. For now, practice your form so that it becomes second nature. In the process, enjoy the strength increases in your back, hips, legs, and grip.

Hanging Knee Raise & Hanging Leg Raise

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[The video was shot outdoors. The background noise is the sound of wind blowing.]

Muscles worked: Primarily abdominals and hip flexors; also elongates and decompresses the spine; strengthens your grip.

Grip a horizontal bar that is high enough so that your feet do not touch the floor.

Knee Raise: With control, bring your knees up toward your chest. Then lower them. Do not let your body swing to gain momentum. Be smooth. Inhale and exhale with control. Do not hold your breath. Work towards 10 to 20 reps.

Leg Raise (more difficult): With almost straight legs, bring your feet up to the bar, and with control lower them. Do not allow your body to swing for momentum. Work up to 10 to 15 reps.

Note: Most gyms have dual arm harnesses hanging from the chinning bar. If your grip is not strong enough to hold your bodyweight for an entire set, slip your arms through the harnesses and do the exercises without having to use a hand grip.

Flexible Legs of Steel

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Make this martial arts exercise a regular part of your leg workouts and watch your strength and flexibility skyrocket. Twelve to 20 reps will do the trick! Count one rep each time you shift to the opposite side. Do multiple sets or mix-in a single set with other leg work.

Beginners may have trouble at first with strength and balance; that’s to be expected. Two or 3 times per week, practice developing the movement as demonstrated in the video and soon you’ll be in the full down position and shifting side-to-side.

Pushup/Rowing Combo

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Most sports or daily activities involve the movement and coordination of your whole body, rather than, for example, your biceps alone. I think you’ll see the value of the Pushup/Rowing Combo and how your body works as a unit.

To begin, you must be in a position similar to the Plank, where your body has to be firm and tight from head to toe. You simply cannot do the P/R Combo if you let your abs and spine relax and sag.

The first part of the exercise is the standard pushup, requiring pecs, frontal deltoids and triceps to work in unison. Then, you balance on one arm, while keeping tension on your chest and shoulder muscles, as you pull one dumbbell up to one side; and then change arms and do the same on the opposite side. The rowing motion works your lats, rhomboids and biceps. It's a wonderful compound movement.

Now, before trying it, here are a few things to remember:

1. You should use hexagon dumbbells or kettlebells. Standard circular plate dumbbells will roll and are therefore dangerous.

2. Spread your feet to shoulder width or more for balance.

3. Begin with lighter weights. Get the feel of the movement before graduating to heavier weights.

4. Although you must stay tight from head to toe throughout the set — do not hold your breath. Breathe!

5. Count 1 rep after you have completed 1 pushup and 1 row on each side. Eight to 12 reps make up a good set. Of course, the heavier the dumbbells, the lower the reps.

Weighted Pushups

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Bench pressing (for me) is ancient history. I don’t do it. It was bothering my shoulders, so I stopped. Funny thing, though; I found that I could do all sorts of pushup variations — totally pain-free.

Rotator cuff problems from excessive bench pressing are common. If you are among the afflicted, give it rest. Once you are pain-free, start with a few pushups, gradually adding reps, then weight.

Here’s another thing. When you do pushups with a barbell plate or a dumbbell on your back, you have to stay tight from head to toe. Otherwise, the weight falls off. So weighted pushups are more of a total upper-body exercise than bench pressing. Try them. You’ll see.

Dive Bombers, Hindu pushups, and declines with your feet on a stability ball are good, too. Mix them up. You may find that you don’t miss bench pressing even a little a bit. I sure don’t.

The Clean and Military Press

Looking for one exercise that involves nearly all of your body’s pushing and pulling muscles at once? Well, the clean and press qualifies, big time. Until 1972, it was one of the lifts in the Olympics, along with the snatch and clean and jerk. The reason it was dropped is interesting but for another time.

Watch the video to see how it is done. Use either a barbell or dumbbells. Points to emphasize are: Be sure to bend your knees until you are in a semi-squat position, keep a naturally arched back, your head up, and look forward as you begin the clean. Stay tight and start your pull by straightening your legs, whipping your hips forward, and then pulling with your lats, traps, and arms.

When the barbell or dumbbells reach maximum height, dip under the weight, bring your elbows forward, and catch the weight above your chest. Stand straight (that's why they call it the military press) and keep your abs and glutes tight as you press the weight overhead. Exhale as you press the weight.

Low-rep sets develop overall body power. To get your heart pumping, move into the 10 to 15 rep range. But don't let your form get sloppy and risk injury.

Note: A military press differs from a push press. With the push press, once you have cleaned the weight, you bend your knees and use leg drive to assist in driving the weight overhead.

Horizontal Pull-Ups

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Pull-ups, chin-ups, and their many varieties are great for upper-body strength and development. One of the least seen varieties is the horizontal pull-up and it is a good one. In some ways it may give you even more bang for your buck than vertical chinning.

Doing pull-ups from an almost horizontal position requires keeping your abs and lower-back muscles very tight as you pull with lats, rhomboids, biceps, and forearms. And the beauty is that all the equipment you need is a sturdy horizontal bar and a bench or box on which to elevate your feet.

Here’s how they work: Go beneath the bar and grip it with both hands at slightly wider than shoulder width; extend your legs and place your feet on the bench; straighten your body, keep it taut, and pull your chest to the bar. Later, you might try using an underhand grip.

If at first you are not strong enough to do them with your feet elevated, keep your feet on the floor and bend your knees. As you grow stronger, gradually straighten your legs. Once you can get 8 or 10 reps with straight legs, start putting your feet on higher objects, gradually working toward being horizontal.

Bonus tip for advanced trainees: For a rugged upper-body workout, try super-setting horizontal pull-ups with dive bomber push-ups. Only the strong survive!

* To see dive bomber push-ups, click on "August 2006" in the "Archives" column.

Dive Bomber Push-Ups

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Dive Bombers are great for developing upper-body strength and flexibilty. They can be difficult at first but certainly doable with practice. Be sure to master the form before adding reps.

Watch the video a few times before trying them. Begin with your feet and hands a little wider than shoulder width apart. Your hips are in the air and your shoulders back behind your hands.

In a smooth, controlled motion, lower yourself to the ground and project yourself forward and up, to the position you would be in at the top of a forward, extended push-up, looking forward and up.

Now smoothly reverse the motion to return to the starting position. Don't hold your breath. Breathe smoothly.

Repeat.

Note: Dive Bombers are similar but not the same as Hindu push-ups.

One-Legged Deadlift

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I love free weights. I occasionally use machines, but I would have no problem skipping that. I think free weights are superior, more functional to real life, and engage more muscles (mostly the core). I also love something that challenges me more than brute strength, ie. flexibility and balance. Hence, the one-legged deadlift.

Try it on your next leg day. I think it is a winner.

Jennifer in Austria