12 Days of Amazing Moves! Day 1: Power Push-Up

Including today, there are exactly twelve days before we hit Christmas, and I couldn’t be more excited! It’s around this time of year that most people either put their fitness into gear and step it up or decide to wait until the new year to start fresh with getting in shape. So, for those who’ve decided that Christmas dinner and desserts, candy canes, fruit cakes, cookies, hot chocolate and cider would not completely sabotage all their hard work, I’ve put together a “12-day challenge” with amazing moves that are modifications to traditional exercises (push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, lunges, squats, curls, etc.) Each day will feature a different move.

You can use these moves however you want! Whether you add them to your normal routine, try them once and never again, choose a few to do with a workout buddy, or challenge yourself to create a circuit out of them, it’s up to you! The best part about all of these moves is you  DON’T NEED A GYM to do them in. (yaaayyyy!!) As you will see, I did these right in my living room!

Ready for a challenge? Let’s GO!

So, the first move is what I like to call a “Power Push-Up“.

Materials Needed: Stability Ball (If you don’t have a stability ball, you can prop your feet up on a chair.)

Targeted Muscles: Chest (pectorals), upper back (traps), shoulders (deltoids) and core.

Power Push-Up Step 1

Begin in push-up position, placing your wrists directly under your shoulders and your shins on top of your ball. (It may take a few seconds to gain your balance, while the ball helps to engage your core.)

Power Push-Up Step 2

Lower your upper body by bending your elbows outward, keeping your legs straight and knees locked. Breathe out on your way back up to push-up position.

Try and do 10 Power Push-Ups to complete the challenge. If that’s too difficult, try just 5.

Be sure to check back to tomorrow for Day 2 of these amazing moves!