Day 27 - Skullcrushers

Difficulty - Moderate
Muscle Groups Addressed - Delts, Triceps, Lats

A favorite I picked up from a friend in college, these are named for the absolute opposite of what you're supposed to do! In the gym, pick a dumbell or barbell weight that you can curl comfortably. Lie down on a bench and put your feet flat on the floor. Grip the weight with both hands and hold it above your chest.

To execute this exercise, you can perform it one of two ways.

1.) Keeping your upper arms and elbows locked in place, slowly bring the weight directly down to your forehead (hence, skullcrushers) but do not touch your forehead and, goes without saying, definitely don't DROP it to your forehead, unless you're training for a headbutting competition. You should feel tension solely in your triceps. The motion looks like this:

2.) To take some tension out of your elbows, and to work more secondary muscles, you can also perform the exercise by keeping your arms locked and bringing the weight behind your head in a sweeping motion. You should still feel this in your triceps, but also in your lats (upper back) and delts (front shoulders).

Perform the same motion with a ream of papers or a heavy book at your desk. Sit up tall in your chair. For the first variation, bring the book from behind your head, straight to the ceiling. For the second variation, bring the book from behind your head down to your lap and up again. Good luck, and in the immortal words of Tony Horton... "Don't smash your face!"

Day 22 - Falling Pushups

Difficulty - Advanced
Muscle Groups Addressed - Pecs, Triceps, Deltoids

The falling pushup is a fun, plyometric version of the classic...

Be careful attempting this. I prefer to start in a squat position so that you're falling from a lower plane, lessening the chance of boo-boos. The squat start is also primed to work the glutes and quads simultaneously.

Start in a quat with your hands up, like you're ready for someone to snap a football at you. Make sure your butt is down and your back is straight. Contracting your core and inhaling, slowly fall forward and catch yourself, keeping your lower body locked in the squat position. This should not be the difficult part of the motion. Fall gently, and give with your shoulders as you allow your hands to absorb the force of the impact.

Now, with your body prone over the floor, shift the power to your pecs and shoulders and explode up as you rock your body backwards. Come back to your initial squat stance with your hands still raised. Repeat 8-10 times.

Day 21 - Corn Cob Pull-ups

Difficulty - Advanced
Muscle Groups Addressed - Delts, Lats, Pecs, Biceps, Back

Had to throw another P90X favorite your way. The corn cob pullup is a juiced up version of the timeless classic. Before we dive in, perhaps a little basics tutorial on the multiple variations of grips you can use for a pull-up. Based on your grip, you can target multiple different muscle groups and adjust the intensity of the exercise.

Supinated (palms up) grip = Chin-up (more biceps, easier)

• Chin-up with narrow grip - 4-6 inches apart; engages forearms more
• Chin-up with neutral grip - ~12 inches apart; overloads elbows, heavy use of biceps
• Chin-up with wide grip - 12-24 inches apart; engages

Pronated (palms down) grip = Pull-up (more back, harder)

• Pull-up with narrow grip - Emphasizes lower lats and works biceps due to ineffective angle
• Pull-up with neutral grip - Overloads forearms and shoulder stabilizers, heavy use of the back
• Pull-up with wide grip - Emphasizes upper lats and upper pectorals

If you're not at the stage where you can do a full pull-up, put a chair underneath and support yourself with one or both feet.

Just make sure no matter which variation you're performing, you come all the way to the bottom and fully extend your arms. If you don't, you're not getting the most out of the exercise and you're neglecting all your synergist and dynamic stabilizer muscle groups. Also, try not to "kip", or use a jerking motion (momentum) to get yourself over the bar. Nice, slow, controlled movements will maximize the benefit of this exercise.

For corn-cobs, choose your grip and hang down with your arms fully extended. Slowly raise yourself up until your head is over the bar. Once you reach the top, in an isometric hold, shift your body to the left, then shift your body to the right, then come back to the center. Now, slowly release and lower your body down to a full hanging position. Repeat as many reps as you can. Again, the home/work version is exactly the same, you just have to find a doorframe or a pipe to hang from (careful to make sure it's not a heated pipe...)

Day 17 - Suspended Leg Raise

Difficulty - Moderate/Advanced
Muscle Groups Addressed - Core, Shoulders, Lats, Biceps

The first suspended/pull-up exercise! Wooooot! To those of you who would retort, "but I don't have a pull-up bar!" I say pish-posh. There's always something to hang from. A doorframe, tree branch, a tall friend's bicep. Just find something above your head and get to danglin'!


We'll start with a simple hang. With hands shoulder-width apart, just hang down from your surface of choice. Here, I'm suspended from my door frame, with my toes on the floor. For this exercise, it's fine if you toe-tap in between reps, if only to keep yourself from swinging.

Now slowly lift your feet upwards. Attempt to keep your knees locked, legs straight as you do so. Lower your legs back down to a hanging position (tap your toes to steady yourself) and then repeat. Shoot for 8-10 repetitions.

For an advanced version and to really engage your lats, pull yourself up part way, so that your biceps and forearms are locked at a 90 degree angle. Now perform the leg lift exercise the same way, but keeping your arms locked at the top. Yikes!

Day 12 - Handstand Pushups

Difficulty - 2xAdvanced
Muscle Groups Addressed - Shoulders/Upper Pecs

So I'm kind of obsessed with handstands now... they're insanely fun. Trust me, you'll get there if you start smart and slow. Today's move is definitely for the more advanced audience. Think of it as a fully elevated decline pushup...

See the previous day's post for the basics of how to get into a handstand. Once again, make sure you're warmed up and in the right mindset.

Once your butt is where your head should be and vice-versa, take a few deep breaths and tilt your head up a little bit. Unlike the picture, you should try to keep your legs straight... I'm playing with keeping my feet off the wall which is why my legs are flayed out a little bit for balance (next step is doing these away from the wall entirely!) Now, unlock your shoulders and your arms and slowly lower your nose towards the ground. Now come back up into a straight arm position, and repeat. Don't do too many of these, especially at first, since you want enough energy left in your core to come out of the handstand gracefully. Focus on putting all your weight in your hands. Keep your butt tucked in and your spine straight. You'll get a great shoulder/pec workout if your body is a straight line. Do these pushups nice and slow. Mix in a few isometric holds at the bottom once you're comfortable.

Day 11 - Handstands

Difficulty - Advanced
Muscle Groups Worked - Shoulders

There are a lot of factors that go into a successful handstand, so be sure you're ready for it before you attempt it. The stand we'll do is against the wall, so the balance portion doesn't play in as much as it would on an open floor. It also eliminates the fear of toppling over your head. But you should still feel confident that you have a strong core and shoulders before you attempt this. "Muscle Groups Worked" should really read "Core, Shoulders, Core" because the process of getting in and out of the stand is entirely core-related. That said, trust me, a handstand is 100% attainable with a little practice and a little courage.

Start by warming up with a few pushups and holding a plank for ~30 seconds. First, determine which leg is your "kick-up" leg. This is your dominant foot that you would default to kick a soccer ball or punt a football with. This is the leg that you'll use to kick your body up into the air. Find a sturdy, picture-free wall (far away from grandma's ashes) and begin in a sprinter's stance, with your hands just a few inches from the wall. Keep your arms locked straight. Take a few practice "kicks", just launching off of your dominant foot a little bit. Keep your core contracted and your non-dominant foot pulled in slightly and bent at the knee. When you're ready, kick (explode!) off of your dominant foot. Don't be afraid to put some extra oomph into the kick... since you're against the wall, there's no way you're going to topple over backwards. Concentrate on putting your energy into your core as opposed to your legs. This will help you land as lightly as possible on the wall with your non-dominant foot. Once you hit, or rather, lightly graze the wall, pause for a second and ensure you have your balance. When you're confident that you can support yourself in this position, straight your non-dominant leg to join your other straight leg. Keep your body straight. Now pause and breathe... slowly. Feel the weight in your hands. As you hold this position, you'll start to feel a burn in your shoulders. When you're ready to come out, ensure your core is tightened, and slowly bring your body back the same way you came up. Think of it almost as a reverse crunch. You should not be landing with any sort of velocity on the ground if you're tightening your core properly. You just did a handstand! Wait... you just did a freaking handstand?! As you get more comfortable, you can start playing with floating away from the wall a little bit to assess your balance. You'll be popping handstands in the hall at work in no time :)

Day 8 - Super Wide Pushups/Crucifix Rolls

Difficulty - Advanced
Muscle Groups Addressed - Pectorals, Deltoids, Lats

Let's throw in an advanced move for kicks. Start slow with this one, as there is a distinct possibility that you may smash your face. The gym version employs the use of 2 round dumbbells (don't use hex, you won't be able to roll them...). Start in a close-grip position, back straight, head down. Slowly roll your hands out as wide as you can and hold the position for a second. Keep your core tight... this is a very difficult hold. Then, with all the might of He-Man, keeping your arms fairly straight, start to bring your hands back to the starting position. Tough, eh?

A simpler variation that doesn't work the shoulders nearly as much is the pec fly. You can do this easily with dumbbells on a bench, as shown here. For this modification, keep your back flat on the bench (push down with your pelvis and resist the temptation to arch your back), and do not let your hands fall below the plane of the bench. Over-extending here will hurt your shoulders.

The office/home version is as follows: start by lying face down in a T-position. Be aware of how much force you'll have to exert to lift your body off the ground in this position. As a general rule, I'll start with arms fully extended (as big a wing-span as I can muster), and I'll note where my wrists lie on the ground. Then I'll pull my hands inward until the tips of my thumbs rest where my wrists were. This position allows me enough leverage to get my body off the ground but is still wide enough to mimic the move. Put all your energy into your hands and force your body upward... hold for 3 seconds, then come back down. If this is too much, do pushups with your hands slightly more than shoulder width apart and work towards getting wider and wider.

Day 5 - Weighted Overhead Lunges

Difficulty - Moderate
Muscle Groups Addressed - Glutes, Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Shoulders

The lunge is a ubiquitous exercise... perfect training for every sport and great at improving general mobility. Here, we'll add an overhead weight to simultaneously work the upper body. At the gym, start in a comfortable standing position, with either a dumbbell or a medicine ball held at your chest. Now, step one foot forward so that your front knee forms a 90 degree angle and your back leg is parellel (but not touching!) the floor. Simultaneously during the stepping motion, lift your arms up, driving the medicine ball or weight to the sky. Hold the lunge position for one breath, then, using power from both the front and back leg, lift up and bring the weight back to your chest. You should feel tension mostly in your glutes and shoulders as you hold the lunge position and extend your arms. Keep your back perpendicular to the floor the whole time... if you pitch forward or backward, you'll put unwanted pressure on your lower back. At work, it's the exact same principle. Either try it with a ream of paper, a book, or a box full of random desk junk. You can always do this exercise unweighted as well.

Try for 8-10 lunges per leg in the gym with good form. Keep it to 4-5 at the office to avoid grunting noises and sweating on your co-workers. 

Day 2 - Chair Pose

Difficulty - Easy
Muscle Groups Addressed - Thighs, Shoulders, Chest

Utkatasana, or the Chair Pose, is an excellent beginners Yoga pose that can be performed anywhere, especially at your desk. Start the pose in a standing position with your feet close together. Drive your heels into the ground as you extend your hands upward and bend at the knees. Lower your butt down to a seated position and tilt your body forward, taking care not to over-bend. The empty space between your thighs and your stomach should form ~90 degree angle. The natural tendency is to over-arch the back, so do your best to keep your back straight and your ribs out. Breath gently as you hold the position for at least 30 seconds. You should feel the burn in your thighs and your shoulders as you extend your hands to the sky. If you need to lessen the tension in your shoulders, bring your arms down and hold them parallel to the floor.