PLANK PUSH UP

STEPS:

Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and turn your feet out, externally rotating your hips. With your hands clasped together at your chest, push your hips back — and squat down, keeping your back straight and your upper body lifted.

Add weights if you can to increase resistance. BENEFITS: Sumo Squats are ideal for working glutes, hamstrings and inner quadriceps. Other benefits include: they burn more calories, they are a compound exercise, they can improve mobility and flexibility, they build balance and stability, they are highly versatile, they can be done anywhere, and they strengthen your core.

STEPS:

A plank push-up starts like any other push-up: With your toes on the floor, lift your body off the ground using your arms, and lift your knees off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your heels to the back of your neck.

Instead of bending your elbows to lower down as you would with a traditional push-up, slowly lower one arm until your forearm and elbow are resting on the ground. Carefully lean on that forearm, and bring your other arm down to rest on the ground. You’re now in the plank position.

Hold the plank for one count, and then slowly return to the push-up position, one arm at a time. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

SUMO SQUAT:

BENEFITS: This exercise combines the core workout of a plank, with the added arm, shoulder and back workout of a push-up. These muscle groups engage in one exercise that you can do without any equipment. The plank half of the plank push-up engages your core, which offers a myriad of additional benefits. Push-ups pull together multiple motions to build strength quickly, and it can be done almost anywhere. Not only does it strengthen your shoulders, arms and chest, but it's a mighty core builder as well. Modified push-ups like the plank ups offer even more muscle engagement and strengthbuilding.