The wake-you-up workout

Jacked Up.  Wake up the shoulders, hips and calves with a minute of pulse pounding Jumping Jacks. This old school move makes for a great morning exercise because it warms up the muscles, in addition to cranking up your cardio.

Hot Seat.  Pressing your bodyweight through your heels, hinge back at the hips until your hamstrings (the back part of the thigh) are parallel to the ground, then drive your hips forward on the up-phase of the movement. See how low you can go without compromising the positioning of your body. Your chest should be upright, with the shoulders back and the abs activated. Pumping up the posterior muscles first thing in the morning helps prevent the onset of P.B.S. Pancake Butt Syndrome is the result of hours spent on your tush throughout the day. Whether you are spending your time gazing at the computer screen, driving to and from work, or are clocking in too many motionless marathon hours of Words with Friends with a twelve year old from Queens, the human body was not designed to sit for hours on end. See how many squats you can squeeze out in sixty-seconds.

Plunge into the Lunge.  Balance and stability exercises are often overlooked as a vital part of our workout routine. Training the brain to coordinate its actions with the muscles aids in keeping the mind sharp and further, protects the body from instability related injuries. It is for this reason that lunges are an integral part of our wakeup workout routine. With hands resting on the hips, shoulders back and chest open, take a large step back with your right foot while maintaining balance and body weight in the front heel. Keep both legs bent at 90 degree angles and refrain from having your back knee touch the floor. Bring the feet back together and perform the same movement on the opposite leg. Start with thirty-seconds of this exercise, then slowly build up to sixty-seconds of bilateral leg lunges.

Push Forward.  The word Push-Up evokes nightmarish memories of my high school Phys. Ed. experience. My mean mugging teacher, with a wake the dead pitched whistle hanging at the corner of her mouth and that cruel list of satanic exercises no prepubescent kid should have to endure during that incredible awkward, brace-faced phase of their lives. You know who you are. Don't let your ghosts of high school past tarnish your future fitness. If you are new to the push-up scene, start your push-ups on the knees and gradually build up to the standard push-up position. Shoot for ten to start and add one push-up per day until you can crack walnuts open with your bare hands.

Start your morning on the right side of the bed.

Earn it.

Read more Sports Doc for Sports Medicine and Fitness.