1. Single arm side lunges
Single arm side lunges
Strengthen your abs and waist and improve your posture with these flowing Essentrics trademark lunges.
Place legs in a wide stance with feet slightly turned out. Raise the left arm reaching as high as possible towards the ceiling, bend your right knee into a lunge position, keeping your arm close to your ear and as straight as possible. Once you’ve reached to your maximum, pull the arm in while lunging to the other side and bringing the elbow towards the knee. Repeat 8 times, then change sides.
Tip: Make sure to keep the arm beside the body, never in front. This will help tone your waist.
When you pull the elbow towards the knee, imagine you’re pulling a heavy rope to create resistance in your muscles.
2. Double arm side lunge
Double arm side lunge
Place legs in a wide stance with feet slightly turned out. Raise both arms reaching as high as possible towards the ceiling, bend your right knee into a lunge position, keeping your arms close to your ears and as straight as possible. Pull the arms in, bend left knee and lunge to opposite side. Repeat 8 times, then change sides.
Tip: For maximum waist definition, lunge deeper to further engage your core.
3. Inner-thigh toners #1
Inner-thigh toners #1
Target your hard to reach inner-thigh muscles with these simple Essentrics exercises.
Lying on one side, elongate the torso and place upper arm in front of you to keep the body stabilized. Bend the upper leg and place the knee comfortably on the ground, in front of the torso. Lift the lower leg off the floor, flex the foot and rotate the heel toward the ceiling. Pump leg upwards, always keeping your leg off the ground. Repeat 2 X 8 reps, then change legs.
Tip: Keep the lower leg as elongated as possible to slenderize the thighs. To increase difficulty, lift the leg higher.
4. Inner-thigh toners #2
Inner-thigh toners #2
Lying on one side, elongate the torso and place upper arm in front of you to keep the body stabilized. Open and close the legs in a scissor motion keeping legs as high off the ground as possible. Repeat 2 X 8 reps, then change legs.
5. Essentrics plies
Essentrics plies
These Tai-chi style pliés will lengthen your quads, increase your metabolism and define your waist.
Place legs in a wide stance with feet slightly turned out. Bend knees into a plié keeping knees in line with ankles. Extend one arm to the ceiling, reaching as far up as possible. Imagine that you’re grabbing a rope and pull the elbow towards the knee, crunching at the waist. Go deeper into your plié by extending the arm towards to ground. Finish the sequence by extending the arm back up to the ceiling. Repeat 8 times, then change arms.
Tip: Keep knees in line with the ankles to protect the knees. Pliés are particularly great for runners because they increase your energy, speed and power.
Make sure to stay in your plié as you work the arms. To increase difficulty, bend into a deeper plié.
Modification: If you have tight hips, lean slightly forward to maintain balance. If you have weak knees, keep the legs slightly bent and take breaks during the sequence.
6. Kicks
Kicks
Improve posture and lengthen your legs with these core isolating kicks. Stand up straight, keeping your abs engaged. Point the foot in front with your toes on the ground. Lift leg off the ground as high as possible, pulling your leg away as you lift without moving the hips and lower back. With control, lower the leg until the toes tap the ground. Repeat 2 X 8 reps, then change legs.
Tip: The leg should be isolated and the hips stabilized. Kick the leg at a moderate speed so that you are not using momentum.
Modification: If you have trouble balancing or isolating the leg, do smaller kicks. Bend supporting leg to take pressure off the lower back.
7. Outer-thigh thinners
Outer-thigh thinners
Change the shape of your legs with these unique and powerful thigh-thinners.
Lie on one side, bend the bottom leg, straighten the top leg and place the elbow below the shoulder to support your upper body. Place the other arm in front for balance. Push your hips forward and internally rotate your upper leg. Extend your leg as far away from your body as possible . In the lengthened position, pump the leg up and down. Repeat 4 X 8 reps, then change sides.
Tip: The side of your leg faces the ceiling. When in proper position, the leg will not lift very high.
8. Windmills
Windmills
An instant posture fix and waist definer that our model clientele swear by.
Stand as straight as possible with feet apart, keeping abs engaged. Place one arm in front of you at shoulder height and pull the other arm behind you in the opposite direction, rotating on the spine but keeping the hips square towards the front. Simultaneously move the arms like a windmill by lifting your back arm up to ceiling and pushing your front arm down against an invisible force. Repeat 8 times.
Tip: For maximum benefits, extend the arms as far apart as possible from the centre of the body.
9. Glute strengtheners
Glute strengtheners
Tone and strengthen your buttocks with these bent-knee pumps.
Get down on your hands and knees with your arms positioned directly under shoulders. Keep your abdominal muscles engaged and your back straight. Lift one leg off the ground, flex the foot and make sure the sole of your foot is facing the ceiling. With control, pump the leg up towards the ceiling, without moving the torso. Repeat 2 X 8 reps, then change legs.
10. Glute lengtheners
Glute lengtheners
Lift and firm your butt with these leg extensions.
Get down on your hands and knees with arms directly under shoulders. Keep your abdominal muscles engaged and your back straight. Lift one leg off the ground, keep the knee bent and bring the flexed foot towards the glutes. With resistance, push the foot away from the body and straighten your leg. Repeat 2 X 8 reps, then change legs.
Tip: To get maximum bum-toning benefits, squeeze the glutes when you bend the knee and imagine you’re pushing away a heavy object as you straighten your leg.
11. Weight-free arm toners
Weight-free arm toners
Essentrics tones and slenderizes arms without the use of weights or equipment.
Flex your palms and imagine that you are trying to pull the arms away from the body to touch opposite sides of a room. Internally rotate the arms and dive forward, rounding the back to stretch open the shoulder blades. Stand up straight and pull arms towards the chest, imagining that you are pulling in a heavy object to create resistance in your muscles. With palms flexed, push arms out towards the wall, imagining you’re trying to hold elevator doors open. Keeping arms extended, pump them backwards 8 times. Repeat 3 x 8 reps.
Tip: For maximum toning benefits, make sure to create tension in your muscles as the arms are reaching out of the body.
12. Ab flatteners
Ab flatteners
Remove the bulk and flatten your abdominal muscles with this lengthening ab sequence.
Lift feet off the floor and bend the knees. Make sure legs are at a 90 degree angle to your torso. Reach arms up to the ceiling and raise shoulders off the ground. Simultaneously straighten the legs and lower the arms and head, keeping arms beside the ears. Repeat 2 x 8 times
Tip: Keep your abdominal muscles engaged the entire time. To increase difficulty, bring the legs closer to the ground as you straighten them.
Modification: For less difficulty, keep the head on the floor at all times. If you have a weak lower back, keep your knees slightly bent at all times.
13. Cross-body pulls
Cross-body pulls
Engage your full body, strengthen the core and increase range of motion with this Essentrics trademark exercise.
Bend the arm, lift elbow towards the ceiling and flex the palm. Push the arm towards the ground on a diagonal while going into a deep lunge. Imagine you’re pushing away a heavy object to create tension in the arm. Come out of the lunge, imagining that you are pulling weeds out of the ground as you extend your arm up towards the ceiling Press the arm behind you, rotating on the spine to open the pectorals and finishing in a lunge. Repeat 4 times, then change sides.
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