Last week I posted some motivational advice for exercising. This week I am going to share a simple exercise routine.

<center>https://img1.steemit.com/0x0/http://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/12/07/musclez1bf557.jpg</center>

### <center>Disclaimer</center>

Please make sure that when you do any exercise you pay attention to how your body feels. Some aches and pains are to be expected but if you feel heavy in the chest, short of breathe, or your bones hurting, please stop and rest before continuing. Also, please ensure you do these exercises as instructed, you may hurt yourself otherwise.

# <center>"The Four Aces"</center>

I made this exercise routine myself for when I have to maintain strength but can't be bothered doing a crazy workout. This routine requires no weights and can be done anywhere using only your body and mind. It consists of four beginner exercises that will target & strengthen four main muscle groups: The buttocks; The Abdominal muscles; The Legs; The upper body.

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- **Bridges**

Bridges are a simple exercise to get you in the mood. That feel ridiculous when you're doing them, as with most workouts, but when done correctly will help to improve your posture, strengthen your glutes, and help you connect more with your lower chakras.

<center>http://www.top.me/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/bridging-exercise.jpg</center>

When doing this exercise, keep your shoulders flat to the floor, your chin tucked, and your eyes focused toward the sky. Utilize your buttocks and hamstrings to push your bottom off the ground. Be sure to tighten your abdominal core to remain balanced. Breath out as you push upwards, breath in on the way back down.

- **Crunches**

Crunches are one of the most essential exercises we can do when strengthening our body because they strengthen our abdominal core. Strengthening our abdominal muscles is necessary in any exercise routine because it helps us to better control everything else. Strengthening your abdominal core will help maintain good posture when standing, walking, running, or even sitting.

<center>http://bodybuilding-wizard.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/basic-abdominal-crunch.jpg</center>

When performing abdominal exercises, roll your lower back. Unlike other exercises, as you tighten your abdominal muscles, roll your back with the crunching motion. Do not pull your neck forward, let your neck and head curve with the same crunching motion. Once your shoulders are off the ground you have performed a full crunch. Be sure to keep your abdominal muscles tightened on the way back down. Breath out as your crunch upwards, breath out as your come back down.

- **Squats**

The squat is another essential exercise when strengthening the body. The squat targets every part of your legs, including your buttocks and abdominal core. Ensure that you follow the instructions properly during this exercise as it's common for people to do squats incorrectly.

<center>https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/6f/19/2e/6f192ef4873227c7a558e16e043d2cc8.jpg</center>

It is ideal to keep your back straight when performing a squat. Keep your chin tucked in as you squat down and your neck aligned with your back. If your back arches over, even when straight, make sure your head follows the same motion. Squat down as far as you can, without your heels coming off the ground, and push back up. Utilize your abdominal core to keep you stable, use your buttocks, calves and hamstrings on the way down, and push back up using your quads. Breath in on your way down, breath out on your way up.

- **Push-ups**

The push-up is the last of the four aces and probably the most common exercise you'll see someone doing. This exercise targets a large variety of muscles in the upper body, including your chest, shoulders, triceps, and upper back.

<center>https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d5/a0/10/d5a010cc835493618b7e57f5d8261327.jpg</center>

You can perform a push-up on your knees or on your toes. You can also perform push-ups with either a close or wide grip. Wide grip push-ups are easier than close grip push-ups. Keep your abdominal core tightened as you perform push-ups to keep yourself stable. Utilize your chest as you perform the motion. Breath in on your way down, and breath out as you push up.

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# <center>Conclusion</center>

These exercises are built for maintaining muscle. If you're more interested in losing weight then I suggest this: Do all four exercises in a row at a fast pace whilst ensuring they're done correctly, only stop after you've done all four, rest, then do it again. This type of non-stop exercise is called High Intensity Interval Training which is used by many different athletes to both build muscle and improve cardio/weight lose. The key to weight lose is cardio and a healthy diet so I would recommend going for walks and eating healthy if that's all you're looking for. 

If you're feeling weak when doing daily activities, these exercises are perfect for you. Start off slowly by doing them at your own pace and only do as many as you can handle. Start by learning your limitations. As you do each exercise try to connect with the muscles that you're using. Building strong mind-body connections will help you control your overall body. Learn to connect so you can feel what needs work and prioritize from there.

If you already exercise often then you may not need this advice. Either way, you may have learned something you didn't or perhaps you were looking for a quick and easy routine to do when you're feeling slack. 

This is a basic calisthenic routine that everyone should keep under their belt.
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Previous exercise post: 
https://steemit.com/life/@senseiteekay/exercising-connecting-the-mind-body-and-soul-through-exercise
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<center>**Thomas Te Aroha Kohi**</center>
<sub><center>**Owner/Producer, Thirsty Records | Hip Hop Artist | Entrepreneur**</center></sub>
<sub>Born in New Zealand and resides in Australia, Thomas writes about many different subjects, mostly about those that affect him at the time. He likes to philosophize about each subject and does the same in his music. Addicted to knowledge though no scholar, Thomas tries to be original & true in his quest to better himself.</sub>
<center>[Follow him here for more](https://steemit.com/@senseiteekay)</center>