Twistin’ Like It’s Stir Fry: A Kitchen Workout


You know when you are at home, starving and rummaging through your pantry in hopes that whichever ingredients left in the fridge and cupboards can somehow come together and form this evening’s leftover stir fry du jour?  This workout is kind of like that.  We don’t always have the ideal environment or time frame for hitting the gym, and the key to your consistency with exercise is in its accessibility!  So sometimes you throw together an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink stir fry (which is somehow always made better with a simple egg), and sometimes you use the tools at your fingertips, get creative and work up that well deserved sweat!

Sliding lunge:  10 reps right and left

All you need here is a kitchen towel (rag, hand towel).  Standing upright, you will place the towel beneath a foot.  With most of your weight on your working leg, slide the towel back until you reach a deep lunge position.  Your back knee will be as bent as necessary to be pain free, as well as to keep your hips tucked under and maintain an arch free back.  Return by slowly creating tension from the back foot and working legs heel drawing back up to standing position.  You want 90% of your weight on that front working leg.  Belly pulled in, and hips staying straight forward, make sure your front knee does not go over your toes.

Lateral lunge:  10 reps Right and left

Same starting position as the sliding lunge, but this time we are moving laterally.  This helps strengthen your glute med (side but muscle).  As you slide to the side in your lunge, make sure you are pushing your hips back and focus on keeping the working legs knee from going over your toes.  As you come back to your standing position, feel like you are squeezing your inner thighs in towards each other from your heels.

Pushup to knee-up:  10 reps

With your hands between two steady surfaces (preferably a counter top that does not move), begin in a pushup position lowering down towards the counter, and return back up to your plank.  Hop up on to your hands, trying to lock out your arms (really squeeze your triceps), shoulders away from the ears, and pull your knees up to your chest.  Begin slowly.  Once you are stable and comfortable, you can build on increasing tempo.

Hollow hold hip lift:  10 reps

Lying on your back between two stable surfaces (this can be tried between two sturdy chairs), squeeze your legs together and raise your arms overhead.  Begin by slowly lowering your hips in towards a pike position, then press hips high and squeeze your butt.  This is for butt and abs, it may look odd- as its a less traditional gymnastics training tool, but it is lethal!

Knee up twist: 10 reps

Again starting with your hands on two stable surfaces, prop yourself up to a supported position squeezing your triceps and pushing shoulders down away from the ears.  Twist your knees up towards opposite elbow, trying to get your feet as high as your knees.  The secret with these is the wink in the hip, try to really hike up each hip as you lift and you’ll really feel this in your obliques.

Obliques?  These are essentially your side abs, but since these muscles run both down as well as up and around your lower back (you have internal and external)- strong obliques act as a corset to help draw the waist in.

Side plank hip lift: 10 reps right and left

Prop your self up on your elbow and slide your feet away from the counter making a side plank.  I would suggest putting a towel underneath your elbow.  Slowly lower your hips only a few inches, drawing navel up towards your spine, and lift hips as high as you can squeezing in to your obliques.   Make sure your hips stay square facing outward and not turning up or down.  Inhale as you lift, exhale as you lower.

 

Head of Video; Tina Rosh  DP: Paul Terrie

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