Body Squats. Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your toes pointed slightly outward (about 10-30 degrees) to allow your hips to open as you squat. Engage your core, keep your chest up, and look straight ahead. Inhale as you start the movement by pushing your hips back, as if you’re sitting down into a chair. Bend your knees and lower your body, keeping your chest up and your back straight. Your knees should track in line with your toes but not cave inward. Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below, depending on your mobility. At the bottom of the squat, your chest should remain upright, and your knees should stay behind or in line with your toes.
Keep your weight evenly across your feet, focusing on pressing through the heels.
Exhale as you push through your heels to stand back up, straightening your legs.
Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement as you return to the starting position.
Form Tips:
Keep your chest up: Avoid leaning forward or rounding your back. Imagine you have a proud chest throughout the movement.
Ensure your knees follow the same direction as your toes to avoid putting strain on your knees. Initiate the squat by pushing your hips back rather than bending your knees first. This ensures you engage your glutes and hamstrings properly. Keep your heels down: Your heels should stay grounded throughout the movement. Avoid letting them lift off the ground. Common Mistakes: Knees caving inward, this strains the knees and can lead to injury. Focus on pushing your knees outward during the movement.
Leaning too far forward: This places unnecessary stress on the lower back. Keep your torso upright and your core engaged. Shallow squats: Not going low enough reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. Aim to lower your thighs to at least parallel or slightly below.
Lifting heels: Keep your heels firmly on the ground throughout the movement to maintain balance and proper muscle engagement.
Variations:
Narrow stance squats: Bring your feet closer together to target your quadriceps more.
Sumo squats: Widen your stance and turn your toes out further to emphasize the inner thighs and glutes.
Pulsing squats: Add a small pulsing motion at the bottom of the squat to increase time under tension.
Glute Bridges. Lie on your back on the floor or a mat. Bend your knees and place your feet flat, hip-width apart. Your feet should be about 6–12 inches from your glutes (close enough to lift comfortably). Keep your arms at your sides with your palms facing down for stability. Engage your core and keep your lower back pressed into the floor. Exhale as you push through your heels and lift your hips off the floor in a one-Mississippi count. Squeeze your glutes as you raise your hips to form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Avoid overextending your back; focus on lifting your hips until your body forms a straight line. At the top of the movement, hold and say two Mississippi, continuing to squeeze your glutes to maximize the contraction. Inhale as you lower three Mississippi, four Mississippi, your hips back down to the floor. That’s one rep
Single leg extensions. Sit on the machine and adjust the seat so that your knees are aligned with the machine’s pivot point (axis of rotation).
Adjust the leg pad so it rests comfortably on the lower part of your shin, just above the ankle. This is important for targeting the quadriceps effectively. Sit back in the seat with your back flat against the pad. Hold onto the handles beside the seat to stabilize your upper body. Place one foot firmly on the floor or on the machine’s platform if available. Exhale as you extend the working leg using a one Mississippi movement, straightening your knee. Focus on squeezing your quadriceps as you lift the weight.
Lift until your leg is almost straight (but avoid locking your knee). Inhale and lower one Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi back down to the starting position. That’s one rep
Leg Press Sit on the leg press machine and adjust the seat or backrest to be comfortable and secure. Your back should be pressed against the seat, and your feet should have room to move on the platform. Place your feet shoulder-width apart on the platform. Your toes should be pointing slightly outward (about a 30-degree angle) to engage the inner thighs better.
Make sure the balls of your feet are firmly planted, with your heels in contact with the platform as well. Push the platform away from you to release the safety stops, keeping your knees slightly bent (do not lock them out). Your knees should align with your feet, and your hips should stay in contact with the seat. Inhale and bend your knees to lower the platform towards your chest, counting one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi. Keep your knees aligned with your toes, and avoid letting them collapse inward. When your thighs are about 90 degrees to your torso or until you feel a good stretch in your hips and thighs, explode up on a four Mississippi count back to the starting position. Do not lock out your knees. That’s one rep.
Seated Calf Raises.Sit on the seated calf raise machine with your knees under the knee pads. Adjust the knee pads to be snug against your thighs but not too tight. Place the balls of your feet on the edge of the foot platform, allowing your heels to hang off. Your toes should point forward. Push through the balls of your feet to raise the weight in a one Mississippi count, lifting your heels off the ground. Disengage any safety stops if your machine has them. Keep your back straight and engage your core. Inhale and slowly lower, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi your heels towards the ground, allowing them to drop below the platform level for an entire stretch of your calf muscles. That’s one rep.
Standing Overhead DB Tricep Extensions. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and core engaged. Hold a dumbbell with both hands, gripping the inner side of the top weight plate or holding the handle with your palms facing upward (a diamond grip). Raise the dumbbell overhead, fully extending your arms so that the dumbbell is directly above your head. Your elbows should be close to your ears, and your upper arms should be almost vertical. Inhale and slowly bend your elbows to lower the dumbbell behind your head, one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi. Keep your elbows pointing forward (close to your head) and avoid letting them flare outward. The movement should be focused on the triceps, not your shoulders. Lower until your forearms are parallel to the floor. Exhale and press the dumbbell back up by straightening your elbows, bringing the weight back to the starting position overhead, saying four Mississippi. That’s one rep.
V-Bar Cable Pushdowns. Attach a V-bar to the high pulley of a cable machine. Stand facing the cable machine. Grip the V-bar with a neutral grip (palms facing each other) and your hands close together. Step back slightly from the machine for a comfortable stance. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and your core engaged. Stand upright with a slight lean forward from your hips.
Your elbows pressed into your sides and bent at about a 90-degree angle. Keep your upper arms stationary throughout the movement. Exhale and say one Mississippi as you extend your arms downward by pushing the V-bar down until your elbows are fully extended. Focus on squeezing your triceps at the bottom of the movement. Keep your elbows close to your torso, and avoid flaring them out. Inhale as you slowly allow the bar to rise back to the starting position with a two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi count, bending your elbows and stopping when they reach about a 90-degree angle. Keep control of the weight to maintain constant tension on the triceps. That’s one rep
Seated one arm wrist curls. Sit on a flat bench with your feet on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in one hand with your palm facing upward (supinated grip). Rest the forearm of your working arm on your thigh or the bench, with your wrist hanging just past your knee. Your palm should be facing up, and your wrist should be free to move. Let the dumbbell roll down to your fingertips to stretch the forearm muscles. This is the starting position. Keep your elbow firmly resting on your thigh, and ensure only your wrist and hand move during the exercise. Exhale and curl your wrist upward by flexing your forearm muscles. Roll the dumbbell back into your palm, squeezing your forearm at the top of the movement. Bring your wrist as high as possible while keeping your forearm stationary. Inhale and slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position by extending your wrist. That’s one rep. Does many as you can in 30 seconds.