Walking Lunges

Stand facing a room approximately 20-50 feet long. Step forward with your right leg and slowly lower your body until your rear knee is about 2 inches above the floor. Remember to keep your right knee directly over your right foot while keeping your back straight and shoulders upright. Step forward with your left leg and repeat the above.

Continue lunging down the room alternating legs. Perform 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions per leg with a comfortable weight in each hand.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Tibialis Raises

(isolates stress on the tibialis anterior muscle in the front of your shin)

Sit at the end of a flat exercise bench with your feet flat on the floor and close to each other. Raise your toes from the floor by flexing your feet upward as high as possible. Hold this peak-contracted position for a slow count of two, then lower back to the starting point.

Note: When this exercise become easy, increase the repetitions.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Stiff Legged Dead Lift

(places direct stress on the hamstrings, gluteus and spinal erectors)

Stand upright with your feet fairly close together, your toes pointed directly forward and a shoulder-width over-grip on the bar. Keep both your arms and legs straight, but not locked, throughout the movement. Keeping your back straight, slowly bend forward at the waist and lower the barbell down. Reverse the procedure to return slowly to the starting position.

Note: For variation, this exercise can also be done with dumbbells in your hands.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Stationary Lunges

Place your feet approximately 8-10 inches apart and with your left leg, take a large step forward just enough so the front of your toes is ahead of your left knee. This prevents additional stress being placed on the knee joint. Bend the left leg as fully as possible. In the bottom position, your right knee should be 2-4 inches above the floor. Return to the starting position. Perform the next repetition in the same manner. Your feet do not leave the ground during the entire movement.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Leg Extensions

(quadricep isolation movement)

With the backs of your knees against the edge of the padded surface at the lever arm end of the machine, slip your toes under the lower set of roller pads. With your legs bent to at least a 90 degree angle, grasp the handles (or seat edge) provided beside your hips to brace your body in position during the exercise. Using your quadriceps, straighten your legs. Hold the peak contracted position for one to two seconds before slowly returning your feet back along the same arc to the starting position.

Note: Try performing the exercise with toes pointed inward or outward at 45-degrees to get a different quadricep effect. You can also perform the exercise with one leg at a time.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Jump Squats

(best for athletes requiring quickness and power)

Place barbell on squat rack and position yourself under the bar. Position the bar across your shoulders (you can pad it with a towel if you feel the bar is penetrating into your spine too sharply). Set your feet about shoulder width apart and lift the bar off the rack. Step back keeping your feet about shoulder width apart with your toes slightly angled outward. Keeping your torso upright, slowly bend your legs and sink down into a full squatting position with your knees bent at approximately 90 degrees or your thighs parallel to the floor. Without bouncing, reverse the movement and begin to slowly come erect. At about halfway to the starting position, accelerate upward and spring into the air as high as possible. Bend your legs slightly to absorb the shock of the landing.

Note: For safety purposes, a much lighter weight is used than for the barbell squat. This is an excellent movement for athletes requiring quickness and power (i.e. football players, hockey players, and sprinters).

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Hamstring Walk-Ins

Lying on your back, place your feet on the ball with your hands on the floor by your side. Lift your hips off of the floor so that your body is straight. Keeping your hips lifted, bend your knees rolling the ball towards your buttocks and then return to the starting position. Perform two to three sets of 10-20 repetitions depending on your comfort level. The effort should be felt in your hamstrings and gluteals and is also effective at strengthening many of your trunk stabilization muscles.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Hamstring Curl

(stresses Bicep Femoris)

Lie face down on a leg curl machine with your knees just off the bench of the machine. Hook you feet behind the roller pads with the pads positioned over your Achilles Tendon (below calf/above heel). Raise your heels up toward your buttocks without allowing your hips to come off of the bench. To steady your torso, grasp the handles or the edges of the pad at the head end of the machine. You should feel your hamstring muscles and not your lower back. Return to the starting position in a slow, controlled manner. Perform 8 to 12 repetitions with a comfortable but challenging weight. Repeat three times. You can take a 20-90 second break between each set depending on your comfort level.

Note: Try pointing the toes either inward or outward at a 45-degree angle to produce a different hamstring effect.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Hack Squats

(Primary muscles: same as other squats with extra emphasis on the lower and outer sections of the quadricep muscle complex)

Position shoulders beneath yokes. Place your feet close together on the foot platform with toes angled outward at approximately 45-degree angles. Straighten your legs to bear the weight of the machine. Rotate the stop bars on the side to release the carriage slide. Keeping your feet flat on the platform, slowly bend your legs as completely as possible. Without bouncing in the bottom position, reverse the movement and return to the starting position.

Note: For safety purposes, do not lock your knees in the starting position. Experiment with different widths of the foot platform and various toe angles to target different muscles of the quadriceps.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Front Squats

(Primary muscles: quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and lower and upper back muscles. It places more emphasis on the front thigh than barbell squats)

Step up to the bar and position it across the deltoids at the base of the neck just above the upper pectorals. With your upper arms parallel to the floor and keeping your elbows just below shoulder height, cross your arms over the weight. Lift bar off the rack, step back, and set your feet at shoulder width with your toes pointed outward. Tense the back muscles and midsection throughout the exercise. Focus your eyes high on the wall in front of you in order to keep your head up and back straight. Keep your torso upright and slowly lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Without bouncing, reverse direction and slowly straighten legs to return to the starting position.

Note: Usually, you will only be able to lift 60 % of the weight you can use for barbell squats.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

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