Being physically fit is one of the best things you can do for your body and mind. it helps you control and manage your weight, it also strengthens your muscles, and allows you to do day-to-day activities with a lot more ease. With that being said, leading an active lifestyle is easier said than done. That’s because it’s challenging to find the motivation to train. It happens to me all the time, I just don’t feel like getting up in the morning to do my daily run or to go to the gym. When that happens, it’s usually a sign to change things up and add a little spice to my workouts. One example of doing that is by performing a series of exercises that start with the same letter., let’s take the example of the letter Z.
Here is a list of the best exercises that start with the letter Z:
- Zig Zag Hops
- Zig Zag Run
- Z Press
- Z Drills
In this article, we’ll talk about how you can perform these exercises, as well as their benefits.
Table of Contents
How to Perform These Exercises That Start With Z:
Although these exercises don’t follow a particular routine when it comes to targeting muscles, you can still do them as a way to break off the typical workouts that you usually perform and to have a little bit of fun. Here’s how you can perform these exercises.
Zig Zag Hops
- Start by standing in front of an agility ladder or scattered cones in a shape of a Z
- Stand at the end of the ladder or cones with your body facing forward
- Bend your knees and jump forward diagonally to the first square on the agility ladder or the first cone (make sure to use your arms for momentum)
- At the second square of the ladder or the second cone, land softly with knees bent to prepare for the instant next jump
- Instantly jump diagonally and to the left towards the third cone or third square of the agility ladder
- Repeat this zig-zag motion all the way down the ladder or until you finish your cone formation
- Turn around and return to the starting position and repeat this exercise until you reach your time goal
Muscles worked:
- Quads
- Outer Thighs
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Calves
Zig Zag Run
- Start by standing in a big open space, preferably with cones to direct your movements but you don’t need them to perform this exercise (your foot should be pointed straight ahead)
- Run as fast as you can to your right at a slight angle for 1 second
- After the 1 second is done, instantly switch the angle and run the opposite direction to the left at a slight angle again, your movements should look like the shape of Z
- Repeat this process for as much time as you want or until you get tired
Muscles worked:
- Quads
- Outer Thighs
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Calves
Z-Press
- Start by putting a barbell in a squat rack so that it’s resting in the parallel guards, the bar should be low enough to reach using your hands while sitting
- Sit down on the ground just underneath the squat rack with your legs flat out in front of you and the bar right above you at upper chest height
- Grab the bar using hands with a grip that’s slightly wider than shoulder width, this is your starting position
- Lift the barbell up in an explosive manner right above your head, keep your core tight, back straight, and legs flat on the floor
- Slowly lower the barbell to its starting position
- Repeat until failure or until rep goal
Muscles worked:
- Shoulders
- Chest
- Triceps
Z Drills
This is a combination of a bunch of exercises and drills that use cones in the shape of a Z. These include:
- Z Drill Around Cones
- Z Cone Agility Drill
- And so on
The difficulty of the drill, the position of the cones, and the intensity of the movements will all depend according to your own preference.
Muscles worked:
- Quads
- Calves
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
Conclusion:
As you can see, there are several exercises to choose from that start with the letter Z. If you want to change things up a little bit and have a fun unique little workout, you can always try the alphabet method where you train following a series of exercises that start with the same letter.