Partner Upper Body Exercise

Lunge and Full-Body Rotation. Start facing sideways to your partner, holding one end of one tube in your hands. Lunge your outside leg (leg farthest away from your partner) forward while simultaneously rotating to the outside of your body. Press up and backward and do 8–20 reps one side; then repeat on the other side. Be sure that, while lunging, your front knee stays over your front foot and you always push from the leg in front. Both people lunge simultaneously.

Variations:

• Step forward (entry-level variation).
• Perform a deep lunge (more advanced variation).

Upper Back Stretch (Back Stretches)

Your upper and lower back muscles consist of a large group of muscles that runs from above your hips to your neck, arm, and shoulder areas. The main job of this muscle group is to help you in pulling and lifting loads. By strengthening and stretching your upper and lower back, you will have more strength to pull objects towards you. Strengthen your upper back by doing this exercise regularly:

	STEP 1: Stand with your legs slightly bent and feet hip-width apart. With arms straight, clasp your fingers in front of you while keeping your lower back firm and your body upright.
	STEP 2: Gently push your hands away from you until you feel a stretch across your upper back and at the back of the shoulders. Hold for about 8-10 seconds.

Stress makes your muscles tense up and can cause headache, stiff neck, sore shoulders, and a knotted back. The back takes in tension more than any other part of the body. Also, during a Fitness workout, the back muscles contract, further increasing the tension. Full body stretching will relax your muscles, help you to breathe deeper and release all of the accumulated tension your body takes each day.

Cardio at Home

Home Cardio Exercise: Rotating-Pivoting Upper Cuts

Home Cardio Exercise: Rotating-Pivoting Upper Cuts. This is a great conditioning exercise that improves trunk flexibility, shoulder endurance and is also a great way to release stress. To perform this exercise correctly,

1. Start in an upright position with the feet pointing straight, shoulder-width apart. Make a fist with the hands and place them in front of the face.
2. Begin the movement by cocking the right elbow back and rotating to the left side while swinging an upper cut punch, stopping at eye level, and pivoting the right foot towards the punch. Repeat with the left side.
3. Make sure to pivot with every punch, but keeping the head straight at all times. Make the movements fast and explosive.
4. Advanced clients can use light weight from 1 to 5 lbs.
Repeat for a number of repetitions or a timed period.

When you use the weights, don't snap your hand out as it will hyper extend your elbow. Use slow, controlled movements when using the weights.