Day 9! You guys are all amazing! Two cardio moves in the mix today. Go at a pace that works for you and keep challenging yourself.
Plank Mountain Climbers- From a high plank position, drive one knee to your chest then quickly step it back to the plank position while the other knee drives towards the chest. Modifications include doing this exercise by slowly bringing the knees toward the chest in a stepping format. You may also do this exercise standing either fast or slow. Reach your opposite arm to the sky as each knee comes toward your chest.
Star Jumps- Channel your inner cheerleader for this one! Bend you knees and do a straddle jump while throwing your arms up into a Y. Shout out "I"m a Star!" every time you jump on these. Guaranteed to make you feel silly! This is a big cardio move, so if the giant X shaped jump is too much, regular jumps of any fashion will work. Jumping Jacks are a good option, too. I think Pom Poms would greatly increase my enjoyment of this exercise.
Reverse Crunches- Start on your back with your feet in the air. Contract your lower abs and push your feet towards the ceiling as high as you can. Try to control the descent back to the floor instead of just falling back to the start position. Make those muscles work on the way up and down. To modify, you can do the same move with a smaller range of motion. These are still effective even if you can't go super high. It can also help to hold onto something heavy above your head. This gives some added leverage. Another version is to do them with fully bent legs. Pull your knees to your chest and slowly lower your feet back to the ground.
You got this! You're doing great! Keep sharing those victory pics!
Anybody got pom poms?
~Melanie
Video of exercises
Video of modifications