Put differently, the bands can help you engage your “center,” adds Denise Chakoian, C.P.T., owner and founder of CORE Cycle.Fitness.Lagree, which inherently straightens the spine and corrects poor posture. When you use resistance bands correctly, you have no choice but to sit up straight.
Read MoreTrying to add a little challenge to your workouts? The best ankle weights can be added to pretty much any exercise—Pilates, barre, strength training, incline walking, or core strengthening, says Denise Chakoian, CPT, owner and founder of CORE Cycle.Fitness.Lagree. You can incorporate ankle weights into a leg-day workout to help isolate the glutes, or you can strap them on during a walk to add some extra resistance to your daily steps.
Read MoreIt turns out, "toning" has been misunderstood for quite some time. ... "Scientifically speaking, muscles don't tone, they grow or shrink." Denise Chakoian, a certified personal trainer and cancer exercise specialist adds that many people think of "toning" as way to achieve an aesthetic preference, meaning they want to see "lean muscularity." That typically involves building muscle and burning fat.
Read MoreEven though the frogger exercise nixes the quick vertical jump included in a burpee, it's no walk in the park. It's a full-body exercise that relies heavily on your core, says Denise Chakoian, a NASM-certified personal trainer and the owner of CORE Cycle.Fitness.Lagree in Providence, Rhode Island. The core, consisting of muscles on the front and backside of your trunk, supports and stabilizes the spine. During a frogger, the muscle group lights up to keep you stable in the high plank position, protect your spine as you hop your feet forward and backward, and transfer the force generated from your lower body during the hop to your upper body as you lift your hands and chest.
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