Hitch Fit Living Magazine Volume 8 - September/October 2016 | Page 33

In case you missed gymnastics during the Olympics ( where were you ?!), let me get you up to speed . Not only are these tiny super-humans talented , but they are built like Greek gods , and I ' m pretty sure I wasn ' t the only one who was jealous . The crazy part is , some of them have never touched a weight in their lives ! While weights give you loads of versatility and flexibility , looking at those gymnasts helped to remind me to never underestimate the benefit of bodyweight exercises . For those of you who had serious body envy along with me , here are a few exercises these hard-bodies do that you can , too ! Aim for 3 -4 rounds of each exercise at the recommended reps , but keep in mind , it might take a little time to get there . While this workout isn ’ t for the faint of heart , with a little practice , you can train like a gymnast , too !

Handstand Walkouts ( 6-10 reps : shoulders , back , arms and core )

Start by kicking up , or walking up to a handstand against a wall . If you are doing these at home against your nice painted walls , it might be a good idea to try these in socks or barefoot .

Walk your hands away from the wall as you step or slide your feed down the wall to a pushup position .

Once you hit the pushup position , walk your hands and feet back to the starting handstand position . If you ’ re looking to up the ante , add a few pushups at the bottom !!!

*** Modification : Start in a pushup position with hands and feet on the floor . Walk hands back to your feet and stand up , then bend over and walk hands back out to a pushup position .