Day 24 - Ab Twists

Difficulty - Moderate
Muscle Groups Addressed - Rec

Now come on, baby... and do the twist!

Why anyone would purchase this nonsense is completely beyond me: http://amzn.com/B004G7D5GO

Let me show you a much easier (and arguably more effective) way to work your abdominals and obliques, right in the comfort of your very own desk chair!

Rotate around the ribcage. Any weight under 10 pounds will do. Keep your knees glued together. Stabilize from your hips to your ankles. Exhale as you rotate, inhale as you come to the center. Avoid rounding out the back. Remain in a tall, upright position. Avoid hunching forward at the shoulder blades.

To perform at your desk, sit tall in your chair and lift your legs up so that they are parallel to the floor (see Day 4 post!). Now slowly rotate your torso from side to side, tapping your arm-rests with your elbows if you have them (arm-rests that is... hopefully you have elbows).

Day 23 - Wrist Stretch

Difficulty - Moderate
Muscle Groups Addressed - Wrists, Forearms

You may be thinking to yourself, "Desk jockies must have jacked wrists from all that typing and clicking!". And I would say to you, "Nay, sir, we do not." Repetitive motions in the hands and wrists lead to inflammation of the muscle tendons and the compression of nerves leading to tingling, numbness, and pain over time - a familiar condition known as carpal tunnel syndrome. To stave off any nasty, nagging pain, might I recommend a simple and effective stretch to elongate your wrist muscles and reduce inflammation? I'm going to assume you said "yes".

Hold the palm of one hand up and cup it with the other hand. Pull gently back with your cupping hand while you push the heel of the covered hand away from you. You don't need a ton of pressure here, just enough to feel a stretch. Think about pulling your fingers towards your forearm. Hold for ten seconds then release and switch hands.

A slightly more effective way to perform the same stretch is to do it on a surface like the floor or your desk. Turn your palms down and the heels of your hands away from your body. Slowly shift your body backwards so that you feel pressure on your wrists, such as in the picture here. You can slowly rock your body back and forth or hold the stretch then release. Bye bye wrist pain!

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 20 - Frog Stretch

Difficulty - Moderate
Muscle Groups Addressed - Inner Thighs, Groin, Hips, Lower Back

A great stretch for anyone that has tight thighs or shares my strangely specific New Year's resolution: side splits by the end of 2012. A move I haven't been able to do since I was 7 or 8 years old, the side split is my unicorn. Seemingly unattainable, but I know it's out there somewhere... if I just keep looking... and keep stretching.

This is a slightly more advanced move in the gym but very easy to do at your desk - just sit on the edge of your chair and push your knees out with your elbows. Or assume a butterfly stretch (remember, the one from gym class years ago?) by bringing your feet up to your chair, the soles of your feet together, and pushing your knees down with your hands until you feel a stretch.

At the gym, make sure you have a nice soft surface or a mat so as not to hurt your knees when you do this. Start on your hands and knees and then come to your elbows. Slowly start to inch your knees apart from one another, but as you slide out, keep your back flat and your feet pointed strait backward. It's also very easy to want to lean forward, but push your butt back to maintain the stretch in your groin. When you've come to a point where you're feeling the stretch, stop and hold it. Keep your eyes pointed down at the ground, your arms soft, butt back, back flat. Breathe. Hold here for 30 seconds. If at the end of the 30 seconds you feel like you can stretch more, push your knees slightly wider with your hands (or just slide them out further) until you feel that familiar level of stretch discomfort again. Hold for another 30 seconds. Breathe deeply. Bring your body forward to come out of the stretch. You'll be ready to pop a split on the dance floor in no time :)

Day 19 - Inner Thigh Press

Difficulty - Easy
Muscle Groups Addressed - Inner Thighs, Abductors

Been hankering for a great thigh-buster exercise? Shout out to my good friend, Coutts for relaying this one to me. If you're concerned about someone walking by and catching you doing headstands in your cube, this move shouldn't arouse too much attention in the workplace.

You'll need something sturdy but small to squeeze between your legs. Something like a durable water bottle (empty, please!) or a ream of paper. Let's say we used a water bottle.

1. Sit up tall placing the bottle between the knees/shins.
2. Squeeze the bottle lightly to keep it from dropping to the floor.
3. Slowly squeeze the bottle, contracting the inner thighs.
4. Release just slightly, keeping some tension on the bottle.

Perform 8-10 repetitions, for 3 sets.

Day 18 - Seated Glute Stretch

Difficulty - Easy
Muscle Groups Addressed - Glutes

Been sitting in that desk chair for umpteen hours and feel like your back is going to explode? Part of your problem is that your gluteal (butt) muscles are tightening and pulling on your lower back. It's all inter-connected.

This is a simple and effective way to loosen up your glutes and take some of that tension out of your lower back and improve your sitting posture.

Sit up tall, ankles below the knees, with an open chest. Cross one leg over your other thigh, as in the picture on the right. The ankle of your raised leg should be just over the knee of your planted leg. Inhale deeply.

As you exhale slowly, keeping your chest as big as possible, hang your hands down to your planted foot until you feel a stretch. You can hang here or attempt a neuro-integrated stretch. This technique has you create an isometric contraction against a resistance barrier in your stretch, helping you achieve an optimal state of neuro-flexibility and a much deeper stretch. It's much simpler than it sounds... so let's just move on.

For the neuro-integrated stretch - Take another deep breath in this hanging position and drive the knee of your raised leg towards the ground (you can use your forearm or elbow to push it down). Hold this for 5 seconds and then relax your knee. As you exhale, knee in neutral position, you should be able to dip down slightly further towards your planted foot. Do this one more time - inhale, push your knee down, dip further. This may be enough for you to get your hands to the floor. If not, don't worry, as with all stretches - it will come with time.

Don't forget to switch legs to address the other side. Back feeling any better?