3 Superhero-Worthy Workout Moves!

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Happy National Superhero Day! We all like to feel strong, capable, invincible even...a superhero in our daily work and personal lives. When we think of heroic acts, daring rescues from burning buildings and tales of battlefield bravery often spring to mind. But heroism on a smaller, individual scale is also worthy of acknowledgement and celebration.

When do you feel the most heroic and empowered? Maybe it’s after teaching your son or daughter an important life lesson, or nailing your new self-care routine, or successfully completing that major work project. Maybe it’s after hitting a new mile mark on your run, or adding weight to those deadlift reps!

At TruFit, we’re all about that superhero attitude and feeling (and t-shirts, as you might already know from our Instagram!). So before you see Avengers: Infinity War this weekend, or clean out your garage, or sit down to finalize that white paper, etc., get fully pumped and in that superhero zone with these 3 Superhero-Worthy Workout Moves!

1) The Superman

While Superman flies through the air, you'd better believe he's using his core in that fully-extended plank! As Marco demonstrates the Superman above, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Start with your arms straight down in front of you and keep a straight line from your ears to your knees.
• Engage your core and glutes as your arms extend out in front of you. 
• Go only as far as you can while maintaining that core engagement and straight line. If you feel your low back engage or sag, you've gone too far.
• ***Breathe*** Please do not hold your breath! If you feel the need to hold your breath in any exercise position, you do not fully own that position and are compensating somewhere else. 
• Do 5-8 repetitions in one set.
• If you do not have a TRX available, you can do this exercise in a plank position. First, get into a pushup plank position with hands right under your shoulders; form a straight line from your head to your feet without letting your hips sink down toward the floor. Now, slowly walk your hands forward and, step by step, see how far you can go keeping that straight line with your core still engaged. Engage your core and glutes as your arms extend out in front of you. If you feel your low back engage or sag, you've gone too far. Once you've reached your limit, slowly and with small steps, walk your hands back to your starting position.

2) The Wonderlift
Amazonian Wonder Woman is known to be one of the strongest people in the DC Universe! While that strength and power might have been handed down from the gods, it's also no secret that the stronger the glutes, the more powerful you can be! Here, Mary demonstrates a mover we're calling the "Wonderlift": The one-legged deadlift (also known as the non-surgical butt lift, if you'd like to know). Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• You're trying to keep a straight line from your head to your back foot (the one that is extending up and away).
• Keep your hips level. You should be able to place a glass of water on your hips in your deadlift position.
• You CAN bend your standing knee a bit as you perform your Wonderlift.
• Don't collapse through your torso or reach for the floor with your shoulders. If you were standing in front of Mary during this demonstration above, you should be able to see the image on her shirt.
• You can do anywhere between 6-15 repetitions on each leg of this exercise depending on whether you're using no weight to heavier weight. This goes for every exercise: As the weight you're using goes up, the repetitions will go down. 

3) The Spiderman
Climbing around like Spiderman is a total-body exercise that not only works your arms and your legs but also works your core and connects the opposite sides of your body together and allows both sides of your brain to fire! So when we say it's total-body we include your mind! Here's what to look for when performing Spiderman crawls:

• Start in a pushup plank position with your hands right under your shoulders.
• Step one knee toward its same-side elbow as you take a step with the opposite arm. Then, alternate by bringing your other knee to its same-side elbow as you walk forward with your other arm. And so on!
• See how steady you can keep your hips.
• The same note about breathing that we mentioned with The Superman applies here. Make sure you're breathing the whole time you crawl.
• You can do this exercise for time (crawl for 1 minute, for example) or for steps (20-30 steps, for example).

Looking to build superhero strength? Start with these three exercises! Pepper them into your existing program or make a quick circuit for yourself by doing each of these exercises back to back for 3-5 rounds!

Want more assistance with your training? Feel free to reach out to us! Email us here or call 312-497-8999!