The Nerdist Way_ How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life) - Chris Hardwick [55]
■ Place your palms on the ball apart from each other with your hands pointed outward; I can’t tell you exactly where as this is a balancing thing that will vary slightly for every person.
■ Get into push-up position and begin.
■ Your arms may feel a little wobbly, so go SLOWLY.
■ This balancing act will also strengthen your core.
■ TRY 10 REPS, AND IF THOSE ARE EASY, GO TO 20 REPS.
CHEST PRESSES ON THE BALL
■ Start seated on the ball and slowly walk your feet out until your neck and shoulders are resting on the ball.
■ Your body should be parallel to the floor and your feet directly under your knees.
■ Hold your body firm; don’t let it droop.
■ Use your appropriately selected dumbbell weight.
■ Push the weights up and away from your chest, like a bench press.
■ DO 2 SETS OF 10 REPS.
Back
LOWER BACK EXTENSIONS
■ Squat in front of your exercise ball.
■ Facing down, fold your body over the ball so that your midsection is around the equator of the ball.
■ Your knees will almost touch the floor on one side and your face on the other (depending on how tall you are).
■ I rest my tiptoes on the floor and my heels against the wall for support.
■ Now put your hands behind your head like you’re on Cops.
■ Using your back, lift your upper body until you’re parallel with the ground.
■ Slowly fold back down.
■ DO 2 SETS OF 15 REPS.
DUMBBELL ROWS
■ Standing up, bend over like a downhill skier, your torso not quite parallel with the ground.
■ Keep your knees bent.
■ Hold a dumbbell in each hand and start with your arms hanging, elbows bent slightly.
■ Raise your elbows back toward the ceiling, contracting your upper back to pull them up. Think of it like you’re trying to pull your shoulder blades closer together.
■ Alternate between keeping your elbows close to your body for narrow pulls and bringing them out perpendicular to your body for wide pulls.
■ DO 2 SETS OF 15 REPS.
Shoulders
SEATED MILITARY PRESSES
■ Sit on the exercise ball.
■ Keep your back straight, your eyes forward, and your knees over your feet.
■ With a dumbbell in each hand, hold your wrists over your elbows in the air in an “I give up!” pose.
■ Raise the dumbbells over your head, coming in slightly toward each other on top.
■ Lower back to starting position.
■ DO 2 SETS OF 15 REPS.
DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISES
■ You can do these seated on a ball or standing. If standing up, bend at the knees slightly to remove pressure from your back.
■ Keep your back straight and your eyes forward.
■ Start with the dumbbells in your hands resting at your sides.
■ Lift both arms perpendicular to your body until they are parallel with the ground.
■ Keep your elbows slightly bent.
■ Now go like this: “A-WOOOOO-gah!”
■ Lower back to starting position.
■ DO 2 SETS OF 15 REPS.
Biceps
Biceps! One of our most unused muscles. Shoving multiple hot dogs into your food hole doesn’t count as “curling.” Fortunately, they are easy to work out and will build quickly. You can increase the effectiveness of the exercise by changing hand position and switching from doing both arms at the same time to alternating in a left arm, then right arm, then left arm, then right arm fashion.
DUMBBELL CURLS
■ You can do these standing or seated on the ball.
■ If standing, bend your knees slightly and keep your upper body straight and locked.
■ If seated, keep your back straight and your feet shoulder-width apart and under your knees.
■ The motion should be isolated to your biceps; don’t flail to complete reps.
■ Do one set with your palms facing forward, then try another set with your palms facing away from your body; this will target different parts of the biceps.
■ DO 2 SETS OF 15 REPS.
Triceps
The main thing to remember is to keep the elbows STILL. You should only feel your triceps while performing these.
DUMBBELL TRICEPS KICKBACKS
■ Just like the dumbbell rows for the back, assume the downhill skier position.
■ Your lower back should stay flat (in other words, keep your spine in one straight line).
■ With your elbows