Sun Salutes: Jennifer Aniston’s Go-To Arm Exercise

Sep 2, 2012

Sun Salutes

Sun Salutes are Jennifer Aniston’s “go-to” arm exercise. Sun Salutes, or Sun Salutations, are known as a yoga warm-up movement. But, because of the many movements performed during the exercise, they can be much more than just a warm up. Through the movement, you work many areas of the body, including your arms, core, and legs. You will move through different poses, to complete each Sun Salute.

Mandy Inber, Jennifer Aniston’s yoga trainer, says:

Sun salutations work the triceps, biceps, and shoulders, giving a toned look to the arms without too much bulk.

Through the movement, you work many areas of the body, including your arms, core, and legs. You will move through different poses, to complete each Sun Salute. To Do Sun Salutes:

Start by standing straight up, with good posture and crown lifted (Mountain Pose).
As you inhale through your nose, raise your arms above your head.
Now exhale, hinging your hips forward and stretching your arms out behind you.
Lower your hands up to your knees, raise your chest halfway forward, flatten your spine.
Inhale, and place your palms to the ground into a forward bend.
Squat down and move your right leg behind your body, looking forward and you exhale.
Move into a plank position, as if you were ready to do a push-up.
Inhale, lift the heart up, shoulders roll back away from the ears into a Cobra or Up Dog.
Make sure that your elbows are bent, shoulders away from ears, with your pelvis pressing into the floor or mat.
Exhale, with your knees, chest down on the floor, and tailbone lifted. (Downward Dog)
Rise up with your palms together, with fingertips spread wide apart, feet at hip distance apart, and head set free.
Inhale, and step your right foot forward between your hands.
As you exhale, move your left foot back up towards your hands.
Inhale, look up. Exhale, move back into your starting (Mountain Pose) position.
Now, repeat the movement but move your left leg back in Step 6, to work the other side of your body.

If you are having trouble, you can take it slow. Sometimes, you may need to gain flexibility before striking the right pose. This is fine, as yoga takes a long time to master. Avoid anything that is too painful, and remember that you will get better with time!

Here is a great video explanation of how to do Sun Salutes:

Popular Workouts: Sun Salutes

Popular Workouts that use Sun Salutes include:

The Jennifer Aniston workout uses the Sun Salutes to work her arms and core during her Yoga workouts.
The Gisele workout uses Sun Salutes as part of her yoga workouts. On the other days, she is busy doing Kung Fu.
The Jessica Biel workout uses Sun Salutes on her yoga days. Otherwise, she relies on strength training to stay in shape.
The Katy Perry workout uses a variation of this exercise. Her trainer, Harley Pasternack call this upward/downward dog. He says, unlike a yoga stretch, he turns this into an abs exercise. He does this by making sure you don’t move your shoulder or heels:

You can’t let your heels move back, even an inch. Never. That’s the key…You know you’re doing well if your shoulders are always directly above your wrist. You can’t let your shoulders slide back, or move forward…Hips all the way up to the ceiling.

Harley explains the Upward & Downward Dog abs exercise here (3rd exercise):