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Assume the positions

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THE YOGI: FIVE TIPS FOR THE SPIRITUALLY-CURIOUS Johan Montijano, 34, has led aspiring yogis at gyms such as YogaWorks and Equinox for the past five years and knows how difficult the practice can be for newbies. “The first class I took, I sucked at it,” he laughs. “But I don’t like not being perfect at something, so I went back to it.” He suggests you do the same, starting with the following basic poses. LEGS: High Lunge You either hold it, or you come in and out, bending one knee and then straightening. “The more you bend the front knee, the more intense the pose is,” warns Montijano. “If you straighten the back leg, it’ll help the front leg bend a little bit more.” 1. Position the front knee over the front ankle, to protect your knee joint. 2. For the back leg, you have the option of bending or straightening it. 3. Raise your arms over your head, alongside your ears. Hold position for: 10 times (five times for each leg).

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GLUTES: Chair Pose “Work this pose dynamically by coming in and out of it — just bend the knees and straighten the legs,” Montijano says of the squat-like position. 1. Start in a standing position, keeping the weight on your heels. 2. Hook the tailbone under, bend the knees and make the thighs parallel to the floor. “Don’t overarch the lower back,” Montijano says. “And draw the navel in.” 4. Reach the arms up. Hold position for: Hold for five breaths; repeat three to four times.

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ABS: Boat Pose “This is pure rectus abdominis,” Montijano says with his swoon-worthy French-accent. Make it more dynamic by raising the legs up and down to 2 inches off the floor. 1. Start sitting up tall and bending the knees. 2. Raise the arms alongside the ears, then lift the legs to a 45 degree angle, with bent knees. 3. If everything feels OK — particularly in the lower back area — straighten the legs slowly and reach through the toes. “Straightening the legs requires more strength in the abdominal muscles,” Montijano five breaths; repeat four to five times.says. Hold position for: Four to five breaths; repeat four to five times.

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BACK: Build Lumbar Spine Strength 1. Firmly press down all four corners of the feet as you lift the thighs up. 2. Draw the navel in and squeeze the muscles alongside your spine. 3. Bend forward so your back is parallel to the floor. 4. Once all the muscles in the back are squeezed toward the midline, extend the arms alongside the ears, to add length and to build arm strength. Keep your neck long, reaching through the crown of the head. Hold position for: four to five breaths; repeat four to five times.

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ARMS: Chaturanga or Low Push-up 1. Start in plank (a high push-up position). Make sure wrists are under the shoulders. 2. Tighten the legs and engage them by lifting the kneecaps off the floor. 3. Lower your body slowly, keeping the tailbone tucked under and drawing the navel in toward the spine. 4. When your elbows are right by your side of your torso, hold the pose. “You want to squeeze the elbows in and feel them right by your rib cage,” Montijano says. 5. Modify by softly placing your knees on the ground. Hold position for: Four or five breaths; repeat three to four times.

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THE WEIGHT TRAINER: FIVE TIPS FOR THE ATHLETICALLY-INCLINED Anja Koschak, 31, a recent New York transplant after living in health-conscious Los Angeles for seven years, has been whipping gym-goers into shape at Crunch for the past year. Try these do-it-yourself moves for a fit and toned body. BUTT: Step-up to Lunge “This is a good exercise for balance as well,” says Koschak. “You’ll feel a nice burn.” 1. Step one leg up onto a stair with the opposite arm raised at a 90 degree angle. 2. From the stair, raise the opposing knee toward your chest as you move the opposite arm into a 90 degree angle. 3. Step down, and extend your leg behind you. Repeat: Three sets of 10 reps per leg.

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BACK: Back Row “This exercise very much imitates what you can do with a TRX machine,” Koschak says. “And because you’re using your own body weight, you also get to engage your core...the problem with machines is that your core tends to be disengaged, because you don’t have to hold it up.” 1. With your arms grabbing either end of a towel that’s wrapped around a pole, stand on your heels with your body at a 45 degree angle. 2. Roll your body toward the pole, being sure to extend your elbows straight behind you. 3. Roll back away, extending your arms again straight in front of you. Repeat: Three sets of 15.

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ARMS: Tricep Dip For more of a full-body workout, do this exercise on the floor instead of against a chair. “You’ll have to keep your hips and leg up, although it’s not as intense on the triceps because you don’t have as far to go,” Koschak says. 1. With one knee bent and one in the air at a 45-degree angle, place your arms and hands behind you, shoulder-width apart, with your fingers facing forward. “The hands shouldn’t be wide, otherwise you’re getting into a chest workout,” she says. 2. With your elbows facing straight back, lower your arms a few inches. “A lot of people’s arms tend to flare out, and then your biceps are involved again, since that’s the stronger muscle,” Koschak says. “Your body always seeks the path of least resistance.” 3. Push your arms back up straight and repeat. Repeat: Three sets of 12-15 reps

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LEGS: Safe Burpees “Walking your hands out slowly is a very good way to get into the plank position instead of shooting your legs out, and if you have a long hallway you can walk your hands out, do your knees, then work your legs back to your hands and repeat — so you’re traveling down the hallway,” Koschak says. “It’s a full-body workout and will bring your heart rate up.” 1. From a downward-facing dog position, walk your hands out in front of you into a plank position. 2. Move your right knee toward your left elbow. 3. Repeat with the other leg. Repeat: Three sets of 12.

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OBLIQUES: Side Bends “The great thing about this exercise is that you can push yourself against anything, such as a bed or a couch,” Koschak says. “You just need any kind of flat surface that’s a little elevated.” 1. Extend your legs out straight and stack them on top of each other. If you have a wall to work with, you should be completely parallel to it, so your hip doesn’t roll backwards or forwards. 2. Push your hips down from your obliques until they’re an inch or two above the ground. 3. Push your hips back up and repeat. Repeat: Three sets of 10-12 reps for each side.