Tag: reverse

Day 117 – Reverse High Plank on BOSU

Reverse High Plank on BOSU

Reverse High Plank on BOSU

The reverse high plank on BOSU is a full reverse plank using a BOSU ball under your feet.

HOW TO…

  1. Sit on the yoga mat with the BOSU ball in front of you.
  2. Place your feet on the BOSU ball, with your heels in the middle, toes pointing up.
  3. Lean backward with your arms extended behind you.
  4. Place your hands on the yoga mat and then push up your hips.
  5. Lift your hips by tightening your core muscles until your body is completely straight Look up.
  6. Hold for 3 seconds.
  7. Slowly lower your hips back onto the yoga mat.

Note: When doing the reverse high plank on BOSU, you can position your hands either facing towards the BOSU ball or away from it. Both are possible, it is a matter of what you feel comfortable with. The option with your hands pointing towards the ball is a little easier on the wrists, but the option with your hands pointing away from the ball gives you more pushing power to keep your body straight.

Progression: Increase the duration of the reverse high plank on BOSU up to 30 seconds.

Challenge:

Do a reverse high plank on BOSU for 10 seconds.

Rest for 5 seconds.

Repeat the above steps 10 times.

Day 116 – Reverse Plank with Leg Cross on BOSU

Reverse Plank with Leg Cross on BOSU

Reverse Plank with Leg Cross on BOSU

The reverse plank with leg cross on BOSU is a second option to use leg movement in reverse planking with a BOSU Balance Trainer.

HOW TO…

  1. Get into a low Reverse Plank on BOSU position.
  2. Lift your right leg slightly and bend it at the knee while sliding your foot over your left leg.
  3. Slide the right foot over the left leg until you are at the knee. Your legs make the number four (4) shape.
  4. Keep looking upward! Especially when you start with this exercise for the first time, you may want to look at your legs to see if you are doing it right. Fight that urge, or limit it to a minimal time.
  5. Once you are at the knee, start moving the right foot back again until it is over the BOSU ball. Rotate your foot and place your heel back on the BOSU.
  6. Repeat with the left leg.
  7. This completes the reverse plank with leg cross on BOSU.

Note: You can either place your hands like shown in the image, with your hands in fists and resting on the side, or place your hands flat on the yoga mat. The latter option gives you a bit more control over the balance.

Progression: Repeat each leg 10 times without leaving the reverse plank position. You can vary between alternating legs, or repeating the same leg multiple times.

Variation: If needed, you can put your hands in your lower back to help push up your hips. Once in the position, place your hands on the yoga mat again.

Day 115 – Reverse Plank with Leg Lift on BOSU

Reverse Plank with Leg Lift on BOSU

Reverse Plank with Leg Lift on BOSU

Moving on from the static reverse plank on BOSU, the reverse plank with leg lift on BOSU introduces a leg lift to train your leg muscles in addition to the core muscles.

HOW TO…

  1. Get into a low Reverse Plank on BOSU position.
  2. Lift your right leg while keeping it straight. Raise the leg until about a 30-degree angle with your left leg. Keep your foot at a 90-degree angle with your leg.
  3. Hold the leg up for 3 seconds. Make sure to keep looking up.
  4. Lower your right leg back onto the BOSU ball.
  5. Repeat with the left leg to complete the reverse plank with leg lift on BOSU.

Note: Do not raise the legs too high. It will make it more difficult to hold the plank and it does not benefit the exercise. Make sure to inflate the BOSU ball adequately to give you sufficient height under your resting leg position.

Progression: Increase the duration of the left lift on each side up to 10 seconds. Repeat each leg 10 times without leaving the reverse plank position.

Variation: Too difficult? As with the regular low reverse plank on BOSU, you can put your hands in your lower back to help push up your hips. Once in the position, place your hands on the yoga mat again.

Day 114 – Reverse Plank on BOSU

Reverse Plank on BOSU

Reverse Plank on BOSU

Next to regular planking and side planking, we can also do reverse planking on the BOSU balance trainer. Let’s start with a static reverse plank on BOSU.

HOW TO…

  1. Sit on the floor with the BOSU ball in front of you.
  2. Place your feet on the BOSU ball and then lean backward with your arms bend so your elbows reach the floor first.
  3. While leaning on your elbows and lower arms, slowly left your hips until your body is horizontal.
  4. Tighten your core muscles to keep your body in a straight reverse plank. Make sure to look upwards and not at your feet.
  5. Hold for 3 seconds.
  6. Lower your hips again until your but is on the floor.

Note: As with most reverse plank positions, it is recommended to use a yoga mat to protect your elbows.

Progression: Keep the reverse plank on BOSU position as long as you can (up to 30 seconds) while maintaining proper form.

Variation: Too difficult? Put your hands in your lower back to help push up your hips. Once in the position, place your hands on the yoga mat again.

Day 69 – Bent Leg Lift

Reverse Bent Leg Lift

Reverse Bent Leg Lift

HOW TO…

  1. Sit down on the floor with your legs extended.
  2. Bend one leg and place your foot near the knee position of your other leg.
  3. Now place your hands behind you. Your hands should be facing toward your feet.
  4. Next, push up your hips upwards until your body is straight. Both legs remain on the floor at this time.
  5. While in the full reverse plank position, make sure to look up and not towards your feet.
  6. Now lift your extended leg until about a 30-degree angle with the other upper leg.
  7. Hold for a few seconds.
  8. Lower the extended leg back to the floor.
  9. Repeat for the other side.

Note: This exercise looks a lot like the Reverse Bent Leg Lift. The main variation here is the extension of the lifted leg. That makes the exercise more difficult than having the leg bent.

Progression: Hold the bent leg lift for each leg for up to 10 seconds on each side, alternating sides without lowering your hips.

Variation: Too hard? Limit the lift of your leg. Try increasing it a bit every time to reach the 30-degree angle.

Day 68 – Reverse Hip Dip

Reverse Hip Dip

Reverse Hip Dip

HOW TO…

  1. Get into the Reverse Full Plank position, but let your hands point outward rather than forward to your hips (this will give you more stability during the exercise).
  2. Slowly lower your hips to the floor without your buttocks actually touching the ground.
  3. When you are almost touching the ground, slowly move you hips back up until your body is straight again.

Note: The reverse hip dip is primarily about training the core muscles. But it is okay to bend your arms while doing the hip dip. That will also train your upper arm muscles. As with all exercises, focus on your breathing while moving up and down.

Goal: Aim to achieve 20 reverse hip dips in one sequence without resting.

Variation: If the exercise is too difficult, begin with lowering your buttocks all the way down to the floor. This will allow you to rest for e few seconds before moving up again.

Day 67 – Reverse Extend & Lift

Reverse Extend & Lift

Reverse Extend and Lift

HOW TO…

  1. Get into the Reverse Bridge position.
  2. Slowly lift your left leg and while raising the leg, straighten it.
  3. Lift your extended left leg until it is at about a 30-degree angle with your upper right leg.
  4. Hold for 2 seconds, and then lower your left leg again. While lowering the leg, bend it again, so you can position your left foot next to your right foot.
  5. This completes the reverse extend & lift on one side.
  6. Repeat for the other leg.

Note: Try to keep your core straight while doing the leg movement. The effort of the leg lift can result in your pelvis dropping.

Variation: If the exercise is too difficult, limit the leg lift to a horizontal position. This will reduce the effort from your core and upper leg muscles.

Day 66 – Reverse Walk Out

Reverse Walk Out

Reverse Walk Out

This is another walk-out exercise while doing a reverse plank. In this case, the walk-out is sideways rather than length-wise.

HOW TO…

  1. Get into a Reverse Bridge position.
  2. Start with your left leg, lift the leg and move it outward. Place it on the floor at about a foot from its original position.
  3. Now lift the right leg and move it outward in the other direction. Place it on the floor about a foot from its original position.
  4. Next, left your left leg again and move it back to its original position.
  5. To complete the reverse walk out, left your right leg and move it back to its original position.

Note: Keep looking upward during the exercise to maintain proper form. Try to move slowly when lifting and moving your legs. For easy positioning of the legs, it is best to use a yoga mat, so you can place your feet just outside, or on the edge of the mat.

Progression: Repeat the reverse walk out 10 times on each side.

Variation: Instead of moving the legs to the most outward position in one move, you can do it in two moves. Making smaller ‘steps’ while walking out will make it a bit easier to keep your balance. But it will not require less effort, as you left the legs more often!

Day 65 – Reverse Bent Leg Pull Up

Reverse Bent Leg Pull Up

Reverse Bent Leg Pull Up

HOW TO…

  1. Sit on the floor with your legs together and extended.
  2. Lean backward a little and position your arms behind you on the floor with your hands toward your body. Keep your core tight and your back straight.
  3. Now bend your left leg, and place your left foot next to your right knee.
  4. Next, push up your hips until your body is straight (with the exception of your left leg). Make sure to breathe deep and slowly to maximize your oxygen intake.
  5. Hold for 2 seconds, and then lower your hips to the floor again.
  6. This completes the reverse bent leg pull up.
  7. Switch sides by extending your bent, left leg, and pulling up the right leg.

Note: Keep looking upward during the exercise to maintain proper form. This exercise strengthens your core and back muscles. Try to move slowly when you push your hips up, as that maximizes the result of the effort. Ideally, your movements should be synchronized with your breathing!

Progression: Repeat the reverse bent leg pull up on each side 10 times.

Variation: Instead of exchanging the legs, you can do a number of repetitions on one side before switching to the other leg. Be aware that this is more difficult than switching sides every time.

Day 64 – Reverse Bridge Walk Out

Reverse Bridge Walk Out

Reverse Bridge Walk Out

HOW TO…

  1. Get into a Reverse Bridge position.
  2. Now lift your left leg, straighten it and place your heel on the floor.
  3. Next, lift your right leg, straighten it and place your right foot next to your left foot. You are now in a reverse full plank.
  4. To complete the exercise, reverse the leg movement. Start with with the right leg, move your foot towards your body, and place it in the original position. Repeat for the left leg.
  5. This completes the reverse bridge walk out (and back in).

Note: Keep looking upward during the exercise to maintain proper form.

Progression: Repeat the reverse bridge walk out until you have stepped in and out with each leg 20 times.

Variation: Too hard? Limit the distance you move your feet. Don’t straighten your legs, but move your feet forward a limited distance.