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Strike a Yoga Pose: Scissor Legs Side Crow to One-Legged Arm Balance

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:00:00 PST

I've shown you all some pretty advanced arm balancing poses found in yoga; one being Scissor Legs Side Crow, a balancing spinal twisting pose where your legs are scissored out to the side. In another arm balance, One-Legged Arm Balance, you balance on your hands while your legs are in a split position. After experimenting with both poses, it's really fun to work on switching from one to the other without letting your feet touch the floor. It's a challenge but well worth the work.

To see how to do it, watch this video after you

Music: "Infusion" by Adham Shaikh

Begin by getting into Straight Legs Side Crow, with your outer left thigh resting on your right elbow. Then bring your right leg behind you, scissoring your legs, coming into Scissor Legs Side Crow. Hold for a second or two.
Then bring your right leg forward and slide it in front of your left leg so your inner right thigh is now resting on your right elbow. Slide your left leg off your right elbow and bring it behind you. Your legs are now in a split, and you're in One-Legged Arm Balance pose. Hold for a second or two.
When you're ready, step your right leg back, coming into Four-Limbed Staff pose. Inhale to Upward Facing Dog, and exhale to Downward Facing Dog. Now try this sequence on the other side.

Strike a Yoga Pose: One-Legged Arm Balance

FitSugar — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 04:00:00 PST

This pose called One-Legged Arm Balance stretches your front hamstring and strengthens your upper body like you wouldn't believe. I know it looks really hard, but if you practice the prep for this pose, you'll get used to placing your elbows into your belly so you can balance on your hands.

Sanskrit Name: Eka Pada Koundinyasana
English Translation: One-Legged Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya
Also Called: One-Legged Arm Balance

Once you can do the prep, then you can work on the steps to get into One-Legged Arm Balance. With a little practice and determination, you'll be balancing in no time. To see the steps

From Warrior 1 with your right foot forward, lower your hands down to the ground and pick your back heel up. Bring your right shoulder as far underneath your right knee as possible, and plant your right hand next to the outside edge of your right foot.
Now rest the weight of your right hamstring on your right tricep and see if you can pick your right foot off the ground. Work on straightening the leg as much as you can (I know it's hard).
From here, lower your torso so that your left elbow presses into your belly between your ribs and your hip. This is the most important step.
Once your left elbow is into your belly and your right tricep is holding your right leg, press into your hands, lean your weight forward, and lift your left foot off the ground so you're balancing on both hands equally. Stay here for five or more breaths (or as long as you can) and then lower your feet down to the ground. Step your right foot back and take a vinyasa (Chaturunga, Up Dog, Down Dog). Then step your left foot forward, rise into Warrior 1 and try these steps on the left side.

Amp Up Your Workout With These Balance Exercises

Susi May — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:37:25 PDT

If you're looking to amp up your fitness routine, you need to get unstable. Performing classic single-leg exercises while standing on a foam pad, like the one pictured above by Aeromat, is simple way to do this. The squishy surface forces your core and legs to work harder, increasing your strength gains and caloric burn. Standing on the soft surface also strengthens your feet and ankles, which is important if you're flirting with the barefoot running trend or plan to spend lots of time hiking hilly terrain this Summer.

To get started, try this three-exercise progression I learned from my Equinox trainer Lauren. Once you've mastered a variation, try the next level up. As you experiment with these moves, you will feel your weight shift from side to side on your foot, which means the muscles that support your arch and ankle are working. If you find your feet cramping, spread your toes wide in your shoes or try the exercise in just socks.

Learn the moves after the break.

5 Ways to Challenge Your Tree Pose

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:38:15 PDT

In celebration of Arbor Day this Friday, I can't help but think about the peaceful and majestic Tree pose. If you've mastered the basic pose already, here are some ways to challenge your Tree.

Arch: When doing the traditional Tree pose, balancing your torso straight over your standing leg allows you to stack your bones on top of each other to create a stable pose. Make balancing on one leg harder by leaning toward your bent knee, resting your forearm on your thigh, and gazing up toward the ceiling. Aside from strengthening your legs, you'll also feel a deep stretch on the side of your torso.
Twist: While in Tree pose, twist toward your bent leg, resting the opposite hand on the outside of your knee. Extend your other hand behind you and gaze over your shoulder for a nice spinal twist.
Stretch the upper back: Traditionally, the palms are pressed together in front of your heart center, or the arms are lifted overhead. For a variation, cross one elbow over the other and then bring your palms together, just as in Eagle pose. This variation offers a wonderful stretch for the upper back and shoulders.
Turn your Tree on its side: The next time you're in Sage (side plank), balancing on your hand and the outside edge of your flexed foot, lift the leg that's on top into the air, bend the knee, and - you guessed it - come into Tree. This variation, appropriately named Sage Tree, targets your upper body, core, and hips all at the same time.
Close your eyes: While in regular Tree, or while trying one of the above variations, try closing your eyes. It allows you to bring your awareness inward and focus on your breath, which can help you stay balanced.

Headstand? Ugh. How to Stop Hating Inversions

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:18:56 PDT

As beings who walk with their heads stacked over their feet, it's no surprise that going upside down in your yoga class scares the om out of you. Fear of falling, neck or other pains, and the sheer oddness of seeing the world from a whole new perspective can make inversions lowest on your list of faves. If you get upset whenever your teacher suggests headstands, forearm stands, or handstands, here are some tips to help you start loving these beneficial inversions.

Get Buff
When you first learned to walk, you practiced leaning on objects and walking along furniture to build your leg strength before you were able to walk upright on your own. The same needs to happen if you want to hold yourself in an upside-down position. Since our upper bodies aren't used to supporting the weight of our lower bodies, it's important to strengthen your core, upper back, shoulders, arms, and even the muscles in your hands and wrists to feel strong and stable enough to take a stab at a headstand or handstand. Target these muscles on your mat by doing these upper-body toning yoga poses, like Sage and Crow, and using these arm-strengthening tips during your next class.

Move Your Mat
It's perfectly commendable to tackle inversions in front of a wall and/or with a spotter, so don't be bashful about pulling your mat up to a wall or asking your instructor for a hand. This will relieve your anxiety about falling, which is often a huge obstacle that prevents people from trying inversions in the first place. Once you have some experience with safely holding yourself upside down without falling, you'll have the confidence to try it out on your own.

Keep on reading for more tips on conquering inversions.

7 Ways to Challenge Your Plank

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:08:00 PDT

If you want to work your core, plank position (top of a push-up) is a great move. You'll not only feel it in your abs, but it works your back, arms, shoulders, and legs. Here are seven variations to make it even more challenging.

Get low: Instead of balancing on your hands in a straight-arm position, bend your elbows and lower onto your forearms into dolphin plank. This plank variation targets your core and arms even more. Be sure to engage your abdominals to prevent straining your lower back, and if it's too intense, lower one or both knees to the floor.
Get up, get down: Instead of holding in a straight-arm position or an elbow plank position, alternate between the two. To do the up-down plank exercise, begin in the basic plank position with arms and legs straight. Lower your right forearm to the floor, and then your left (now you're in elbow plank), then come back onto your right hand, and then onto your left. Repeat this for 10 reps, and then reverse directions, lowering the left forearm first and then the right and so on for 10 more reps. To effectively work your arms and core, keep your torso as still as possible and avoid rocking too much from side to side.

Keep reading for five more ways to challenge your plank.

One Leg Is Less Flexible, Is This Normal?

Jenny Sugar — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:34:36 PDT

Is one of your legs always stiffer and won't stretch or move as far as the other one? You're not alone. Flexibility and range of motion differences between the sides of our bodies is very common. The problem is, this can set you up for an injury.

In general, we all have a dominant leg just as most folks have a dominant hand. If you notice one leg is more flexible than the other, it means you're overusing it, putting extra stress on that leg's muscles, joints, and the soft tissues surrounding them. This leads to tight muscles and a postural imbalance that can cause pain or a repetitive stress injury, aka an overuse injury.

Being aware of the discrepancy is the best way to start. Practicing yoga and Pilates are great tools, as they will encourage you focus on strengthening and stretching each side of your body. None of us are symmetrical, but these two forms of exercise help correct faulty alignment and posture. If you can spring for it, see a yoga or Pilates instructor for a few private sessions. A good instructor will help you understand where you're tight and where you're weak, and suggest moves to target those areas.

In the gym, one-legged strengthening exercises can help your weaker leg catch up with the one that's stronger. Try One-Legged Balancing Windmill to even out your legs, and if one of your arms is stronger, try these variations of Side Plank. Rolling out tight muscles with a foam roller might also help. And don't forget about your core. Do exercises that target the sides of your torso, like the basic Bicycle Crunch, to ensure your abdominal muscles are as balanced as possible.

How to Maximize Those Butt-Toning Squats

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 03:06:03 PDT

If strong, sculpted legs are what you're after, you've got to become one with the squat. The basic exercise targets glutes, hamstrings, quads, and core, so incorporating it into your strength-training workouts is definitely worth your while. Here are some ways to get more bang for your butt - er, I mean buck - when doing squats.

Focus on your heels: When doing a squat, make sure to shift your weight back onto your heels and lower the body as if you're about to sit in a chair. This proper form helps to put even more focus on the glutes and hamstrings and takes pressure off the knees. It also offers a stable surface that enables you to get low to the ground, which is what makes the move so effective.
Try variations: Target lower body muscles differently by changing the position of your feet. Squat with your big toes together, feet out wide, and try one heel or both heels lifted, or even one leg lifted (to get legs like Cameron Diaz). Step on a Bosu ball and squat on a wobbly surface to work your core, and try twisting variations for even more of a challenge. Check out this list of different squat variations.

Keep reading for more ways to make squats more effective.

Hollywood Secrets For a Toned, Perky Butt

Self — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 04:07:28 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Do you still fantasize about your 15-year-old butt? If things have gone south (literally!) since high school, you can rest assured there's an easier way to reclaim your perky backside than wrestling that old cheerleader uniform out of storage.

So put down your pom-poms, pull on your favorite pair of sneakers, and get ready to defy gravity. These three butt blasters from Hollywood's hottest celebrity trainers will whip your tush into shape faster than you can say, "Go, team, go!"

Trainer: Ashley Borden Notable Client: Natasha Bedingfield

Favorite Move: Put a medium-resistance miniband around the top of your knees. If you don't have a miniband, just be sure to stay focused on the alignment of your knees and ankles throughout this move. Start laying on your back with your hands palms up along your sides, knees bent, looking toward your knees (top). Draw your belly button in. Squeeze your glutes and press hips up into a bridge position where you can see your pubic bone without moving your arms (bottom). Hold for a one-one-thousand second count. Count and bring your body back down to the start position. Repeat 20 times with a medium tempo.

Get more butt moves after the break!

One-Legged Moves Help You Bust Through a Fitness Plateau

Susi May — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:32:57 PST

Reaching a fitness plateau means you're getting stronger (congrats on all the hard work), but it also means it is time to kick it up a notch. You need to add some new challenges to your workouts. My Equinox trainer Lauren has taught me one simple tweak will make every exercise harder: go one legged. Taking one leg off the floor forces your entire body to work harder to keep you on balance. Here are a few examples.

Take a simple move, like standing biceps curls, and lift one leg to 90 degrees so the knee is in line with the hip. Making yourself unstable adds core work to basic arm exercise.
Work your legs independently with single leg squats and see how much more your glutes and abs kick into gear.
Lift one leg while doing push-ups, this works even if you do push-up on your knees, and you will be challenging your abs even more.
Any standing exercise with the cable pulley machine can be done one legged, like this triceps exercise or basic upright rows.
Do full sit-ups with leg extended in front of you, which is also a prep move for the Turkish get up.
Try a Bulgarian split squat, with leg on the ground and the other on a weight bench. A great way to work your legs and center.
Take your row and tip it over so you're standing on one leg with your body parallel to the floor - this works your legs, core, and back!
Reverse plank with one leg is simple isometric hold works the entire body.