Squat and Overhead Press Throw to Partner with a Medicine Ball

Start by standing 5–6 feet away from your partner. Hold the medicine ball at chest level. Using an overhead press, toss the ball to your partner. Stay square to your partner. Your partner should catch the ball in an overhead position. Be sure to keep your abdominals contracted, your chest out and up, and your shoulders back and down. Continue for 30–90 seconds.

Variations: Try throwing the ball in different directions so your partner moves around to catch it (e.g., toss the ball side to side).

Tubing Partner Exercises

Try these fun, effective partner exercises to build strength.


Mid-Row. Stand facing your partner. Intertwine the tubes, holding one handle each in your right and left hands. Back away from each other, arms fully extended, until there is some resistance on the tube. Begin in a squat stance with feet between hip and shoulder width apart. Slowly pull the tube, leading with your elbows, driving them backward. As you’re rowing backward, pinch your shoulder blades together and toward the ground. As you release your arms forward, squat toward the ground. Complete 1 set of 8–20 reps. This partner exercise helps improve posture.

Variations:

• Hold a static squat.
• Do single-arm rows. (Double up the tube in each arm.)
• Add rotation as you row.

Core exercises with a fitness ball

Core exercises strengthen abs and other core muscles

Core exercises strengthen your core muscles, including abs, back and pelvis. You can do many core exercises with a fitness ball, also called a stability ball.

Fitness balls come in various sizes. For most exercises, you'll want a ball that allows your knees to be at a right angle when you sit on the ball with your feet on the floor. The firmer the ball, the more difficult the exercise will be.

Do each core exercise five times. Breathe freely and deeply during each exercise. Focus on tightening your deepest abdominal muscle — the transversus abdominis — during each exercise. This is the muscle you feel contracting when you cough. As you get stronger, gradually increase to 10 to 15 repetitions.

Squat and reach

Squat and reach with the fitness ball:

• Hold the ball in front of you and bend your knees. Keep your back straight and your arms parallel to the floor (A). Don't let your knees extend beyond your feet.
• Tighten your abdominal muscles.
• Rotate your trunk and reach with the ball toward your left (B). Hold for three deep breaths.
• Return to the start position and repeat to the right.
• Vary the exercise by holding the ball in a downward position (C) or an upward position (D).

The Crossover Squat Stretch

The Crossover Squat Stretch May Reduce IT Band Pain

By Elizabeth Quinn, About.com

Created: October 27, 2009

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

The crossover squat stretch is often helpful for reducing the pain of IT (iliotibial) band pain or as a warm-up exercise for many field sports. This is a slightly advanced stretch that targets both the IT band and the glutes (butt muscles). In this photo, soccer star David Beckham demonstrates the perfect technique to use while performing this stretch.

How to Do the Crossover Squat Stretch

• Cross the the left leg over the right leg in a fairly wide stance.
• Slowly squat down, bending at the knees
• Keep your weight centered over the left leg and let your right heel come up slightly
• Bend slightly at the waist.
• Lift your hands up and out in from of you. and left your arms up
• You should feel a stretch along the IT band of the right leg near the hip and thigh.
• Hold this position for 20 seconds, relax and repeat on the other leg. Perform 3 times per side.
• Hold on to a support in front of you if you become fatigued.
• An alternate to holding this stretch is to use this stretch in a sideways walking motion as part of a warm up and cool down routine.

_Source:

_{R Khaund, M.D. and S Flynn, M.D., Iliotibial Band Syndrome: A Common Source of Knee Pain, the American Academy of Family Physicians, April 15, 2005.}

BOSU SQUATS

Squat Jumps over the BOSU
Begin standing next to BOSU and place the right foot in the middle of the dome. Squat down and quickly jump over the dome landing with the left foot on the BOSU in a squat. Continue back and forth over the dome, jumping higher for more intensity.

Don't have a BOSU of your own? No problem!

You can do this anywhere!

Below is an alternative:


This photo is Gary Boring and I doing side lunges/squats at Golden Gate Park.

We have our hands in front of us to maintain balance. We are making sure that our knees are not extending too much over our toes. Always smile when you do this.

BOSU & Squat Jumps

Squat Jumps onto the BOSU
Stand behind the BOSU. Bend the knees and keep the abs tight as you hop onto the top of the dome, landing with the knees bent in a squat. Step back down with the right foot and repeat 16 times. March in place for 8 counts and repeat, this time stepping down with the left foot. Be sure to land right in the middle of the ball. If landing with both feet simultaneously is too hard, go for a staggered landing, one foot at a time.

Squat Jumps
Stand on the BOSU with feet spaced evenly. Bend your knees and squat, as though you're sitting back in a chair. Then jump up as high as you can and land with soft knees, lowering back into a squat. Repeat for 10 reps and march in place (on the floor or BOSU) before repeating.

The BOSU is pretty fun, though I don't have one at home right now. It's a great tool for balance and core improvement. The best alternative to this, if you don't have a BOSU, is to do jump squats on the floor. You won't achieve the same level of core training, but you will get the work out in your legs, and if you go quickly, yet safely, you'll get some good cardio in, too.