Exercise Instructions

Power Fitness Cards™ Exercises

Tips for all exercises:

Remember to breathe while exercising. Do not hold your breath during movements. If you can, exercise barefoot. This will help strengthen your feet, ankles, and calves. Always use proper form, and use your abdominal muscles to hold your body straight.

Warm-up Exercises:

Trunk Twists

Stand erect with your feet about shoulder width apart, arms hanging loosely at your sides. Rotate your hips from side to side as far as they go, allowing your arms to swing freely. Your hands should end up gently slapping your stomach and lower back at the end of each rotation.

Arm Rotations

Stand erect with your feet about shoulder width apart, arms held straight out to your sides. Rotate your arms in small circles, and increase the size of the circle slightly with each rotation. By the tenth rotation your arms should be circling as far as they will go, straight overhead and next to your body. Reverse directions, starting again with small circles.

Arm Scissors

Stand erect with your feet about shoulder width apart, arms held straight out to your sides. Bring your arms towards each other in front, allowing them to pass by each other and bend until each hand gently slaps the opposite shoulder on the back. Reverse the movement and allow your arms to swing behind you until your finger touch, and then bring them forwards again.

Hip Rotations

Stand erect with your feet about shoulder width apart, hands placed on your hips. Keep your head stationary, and move your hips in a “hula” motion in one direction. After ten rotations reverse directions for ten more.

Knee Rotations

Stand with your knees bent and place your hands on your knees. Rotate your knees in small circles for ten rotations, and then reverse directions for ten more rotations.

Squats Category:

Sumo Squats

Stand erect with your feet spread wider than shoulder width apart, toes pointed about 45 degrees outward. Hold your hands behind your head, and lower your body downward, keeping your upper body as upright as possible. Go down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, and then come back up.

Squats

Stand erect with your feet square underneath you, toes pointed forward. Hold your hands behind your head, and lower your body downward, keeping your upper body as upright as possible. Go down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, and then come back up.

Hindu Squats

Stand straight with your arms outstretched in front of you, palms down. Bring your arms towards your body in a rowing motion. Proceed to bring your hands down behind your back. As you do so bend at the knees to lower yourself and begin to swing your arms forward. Your fingertips should almost scrape the floor. Keeping your arms straight, rise up while continuing to swing your arms forward until you are back at the starting position.                                                     

Lunges

Stand erect with your feet square underneath you, toes pointed forward. Take a large step forward with one foot while lowering your back knee towards the ground. At the same time bend your front knee until both knees are at about a 90 degree angle. Come back up and switch legs to repeat.

One Leg Squats

These take several steps to achieve. Begin by standing with a chair about a foot behind you. Hold your arms out straight in front for balance, and one leg held straight off the ground slightly in front. This foot will move forward to stay off the ground and provide balance while you squat. Lower yourself until your butt touches the chair, and then rise back up. Once you have perfected the movement with a chair, move to a doorway. Once you can do them there, try them without any support. Then go back to the doorway and begin lowering yourself all the way down.

Bends Category:

Hip Raises

Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, hands with palms down. Bend your knees so that your lower legs are straight up and down and put your feet flat on the floor. Raise your butt until your upper legs and body are in a straight line. Lower your butt and repeat.

Elevated Hip Raises

Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, hands with palms down. Bend your knees so that your upper legs are straight up and down and put your heels on an elevated surface, such as a chair seat. Raise your butt until your upper legs and body are in a straight line. Lower your butt and repeat.

Leg Raises

Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, hands with palms down. Keep your knees straight, and raise your legs until they are at a 90 degree angle with your body, while simultaneously raising your head to touch your chin to your chest. Lower your legs and head until almost touching the floor, and repeat.

Tibetan Tables

Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you and your upper body erect. Put your hands straight down at your sides with your palms on the floor, fingers pointing forwards. Keeping your hands stationary, raise your butt off the floor and bend your knees, simultaneously tipping your upper body and head back. Stop when your upper head, upper body, and thighs are all in alignment parallel to the floor. Your knees should be bent at 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor. Lower yourself in the reverse motion and repeat.

Air Plunges

Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, hands with palms down. Keep your knees straight, and raise your legs until they are at a 90 degree angle with your body, while simultaneously raising your head to touch your chin to your chest. Without stopping keep your legs straight up and down and raise your butt off the floor as high as you can.

Pushes Category:

Elevated Pushups

Begin facing the wall with your feet together, your body straight, and your hands on the wall about shoulder width apart. Your arms should be straight out, holding yourself up off the wall. Bend your elbows to lower yourself until you are almost touching the wall, and then push yourself back up to the starting position. Take care to keep your body straight throughout the movement, and keep your elbows close to the body. Once you have built enough strength, move to lower surfaces such as a chair back, then a chair seat.

Knee Pushups

Begin face-down on the floor with your feet in the air, knees bent at about 90 degrees, and hands on the floor about shoulder width apart. Push body off the floor, pivoting on your knees, until your arms are straight. Keep your body straight down to the knees throughout the movement, and keep your elbows close to the body.

Pushups

Begin face-down with your feet together, your body straight, and your hands on the floor about shoulder width apart. Your arms should be straight out, holding yourself up off the floor. Bend your elbows to lower yourself until you are almost touching the floor, and then raise yourself back up to the starting position. Keep your body straight throughout the movement, and keep your elbows close to the body.

One Leg Pushups

Begin as with a regular pushup, but as you lower yourself raise one leg off the floor. On the way down, twist your body slightly towards the leg being raised to focus the effort on the opposite arm. When you come back up, lower the leg until you are in a regular pushup start position again, then repeat switching legs.

One Arm Pushups

These take several steps to achieve. Begin against a wall, and as you build strength use progressively lower surfaces. The movement is similar to the regular pushup, but your feet should be spread about shoulder-width apart for balance. Place your non-working hand behind your back and keep your core tight during the movement. Your shoulders should remain parallel to the floor throughout.

Lifts Category:

Elevated Presses

Stand a few feet away from the wall with your feet together. Bend only at the waist and put your hands on the wall about shoulder-width apart. Bend your elbows until your head almost touches the wall, and then push yourself back to the start position. As you get stronger, move to progressively lower surfaces such as a chair back, then the chair seat.

Hindu Stretches

Begin with your legs spread wide, your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart, and bent at the waist so that your rear is in the air. Your arms, shoulders, head, and back should all be in a straight line. Keep your arms straight and lower your butt while moving your shoulders forwards and up. Your finish position is the same as for the Hindu pushup. Reverse to go back to the start position.

Hindu Pushups

Begin with your legs spread wide, your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart, and bent at the waist so that your rear is in the air. Your arms, shoulders, head, and back should all be in a straight line. Bend your elbows to lower your body down and forward until you are parallel with the floor, then push upwards until your arms are straight and you are looking ahead or slightly up. Go back to the starting position by lifting your rear into the air while keeping your arms straight. If you cannot perform the downward part of the movement, simply bend your elbows a bit less until you build more strength.         

Dive Bombers

This movement is the same as the Hindu pushup, but instead of keeping your arms straight to go back to the start position, your body follows the same path as it did on the way down, with your arms bending.

Handstand Pushups

Place your hands close to a wall, about shoulder width apart, and raise your heels to the wall, with your body in a straight line. Lower yourself until your head touches the ground, and press yourself back up, extending your arms. Repeat.

Pulls Category:

Knees Bent Inverted Rows

Using a bar about 3 feet off the ground, lay under the bar and reach up to grab it. Bend your knees to get your feet under you, and pull yourself up. Repeat.

Legs Straight Inverted Rows

Same as the knees bent inverted row, but this time keep your legs and body in a straight, rigid line while pulling yourself up.

Feet Elevated Inverted Rows

Same as the legs straight inverted row, but now elevate your feet using a chair or other sturdy object.

Chin Ups

Using a full-height pullup bar, grab the bar with your palms facing you, hands close together. Pull yourself up until your hands come to your chest. If necessary, use a chair or other sturdy elevated surface with one or two legs to assist while you build strength.

Pulls Ups

Same as the Chin Up, but this time your palms face away and your hands are shoulder width or slightly wider apart.

Bonus Exercises:

Side Leg Lifts

Stand straight up and lift one foot slightly off the floor. Raise that leg to the side, keeping the leg straight and your toes pointing forward. Only go as far as you can without tilting your body or bending other joints. Repeat for both sides.

Knee Raises

Stand straight up and lift one knee as high towards your chest as possible without moving any other parts of your body, then lower your leg again. Repeat for both sides.

Calf Raises

Stand straight up and raise yourself up as high as you can onto the ball of one foot, hten lower yourself. Repeat for both sides.

One Leg Deadlifts

Stand straight up, then bring one hand down to the opposite foot, keeping all limbs as straight as possible. Your body should form a “T” as you reach your toes. Come back up and repeat for the other side.

Side Hip Ups

Lie on the floor on your side with your body as straight as possible. Extend the downward elbow to lift your upper body off the floor, bending slightly at the waist. Now lift your waist until your body is straight again. Repeat for both sides.

Russian Twists

Start in a sitting position with your legs straight out in front of you. Cross your arms in front of you so that your palms are on your elbows. Lift your legs slightly off the floor. Now pull one knee towards you while twisting your body to bring the opposite elbow to the raised knee. Straighten that leg and twist your upper body back to repeat for the other side.

Bicycles

Lie down on your back with your body straight and bring your arms up so that your fingertips are touching your ears with your elbows almost on the floor. Raise your legs slightly, and bring one knee up towards your chest. At the same time twist your upper body to bring the opposite elbow to the raised knee. Straighten out and repeat for the other side.

Side Scissors

Start in a side plank position with your elbow under you and your body straight (hips off the ground). Now raise one leg as far as it will go, keeping the leg straight and toes pointed forward. Lower the leg, and repeat for the other side.

Back Planks

Lie on the ground on your back with your hands at your sides, palms on the floor and body straight. Bending as little as possible raise your butt a couple of inches off the floor and hold. You can either hold for an extended time, or repeat.

Scissor Kicks

Lie on your back with your hands at your sides, palms on the floor and body straight. Elevate your feet a few inches off the floor, keeping your legs straight. Cross your feet over each other then spread them apart and repeat.

Swimmers

Lie on your stomach with your body straight and your arms extended over your head. Raise one arm and the opposite leg, keeping both as straight as possible. Repeat on the other side.

Supermans

Lie on your stomach with your body straight and your arms extended over your head. Raise both arms and legs a few inches off the ground, keeping all limbs as straight as possible. Lower your arms and legs and repeat.

Body Saws

Start in a pushup plank with your body firm and rigid. Push forward with your toes so that your shoulders move past your hands on the ground, keeping your body straight and rigid. Move back and forth to repeat.

Shoulder Taps

Start in a pushup plank with your body firm and rigid. Lift one hand and bring it to the opposite shoulder, then back to the floor. Repeat for the other side.

Offset Pushups

Perform like a regular pushup, but with one hand forward from the usual position, and one hand backward. Switch hand positions and repeat.

Diamond Pushups

Perform like a regular pushup, but bring your hands together under your chest so that your thumbs and first fingers form a diamond shape.