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.

Day 1 - Decline Pushups

Difficulty - Easy

Muscle Groups Addressed - Upper Pectorals, Shoulders, Triceps

Let's start with something relatively simple. The decline pushup is a great, effective exercise that can be performed virtually anywhere.

All you need is an elevated surface. In this case, I simulated the incline with a staircase at work.

The standard decline pushup should have palms flat on the floor, shoulder width apart, and feet resting on a 1'-2' tall elevated surface, so that the body forms a rectangle with the floor. Keep your core tight, head down and slowly lower the body to the ground. Come down to a few inches above the ground, hold for a second, then drive the body back up to the starting position without locking your elbows.

The exercise can be adjusted in multiple ways to work different muscle groups. You can engage the triceps more by bringing the hands closer together, or the outer pectorals by spreading the hands farther apart. Based on the height of the incline, you can work higher on the pecs (high incline) or lower on the pecs (low incline). For the more advanced move and to really work the core, try lifting one leg in the air.