Bust A New Move.

Body & Soul

It could be my mild case of OCD, but I love routine. To the point where I eat the same thing for morning tea at the exact same time every day. (What, like other people don't do that too?) But the problem with routine in the gym is that it's easy to get in a rut and that's where I've found myself lately. Every day I run, lift weights, stretch and get ready for work. I think it's safe to say that when I wake up at 5:20am, there are no real surprises in store for my body. It's very familiar with the drill.

But anyone will tell you, it's good to mix up. Work different muscles. Push yourself. So that's what I'm trying to do. I'm shaking up my training – running outside, doing sprint intervals on the treadmill, mixing it up with yoga and pilates and adding some new moves to my weight training.

This week, I tried these nifty back exercises I found in Body & Soul. My favourite? The core climbers. Simply assume a push-up position with your hands on a bench, feet shoulder-width apart, chest over your hands and gaze in front of your hands. Brace your abs, raise one foot and bring the knee in towards your chest without moving your hips and torso. Move it back without touching your foot down. Do all reps on one leg before switching.

Oh, and prepare to hurt like hell the next day.