Diagonal Dead Lifts

I tried something new today: Diagonal dead lifts. I love dead lifts more than chocolate—and you know how much I love my chocolate. But just like any other exercise, I get sick of them. How many times can a girl bend forward with 15-pound weights or an Olympic bar in her hands? And then there's that whole "switch it, change it" rule of achievement. We exercisers like our reps, but not when they get repetitive. So I do single-leg dead lifts, straight leg dead lifts, dead lifts on a BOSU...I love them all, but I've done them all a million times each. So that's why I tried something new today.

Diagonal dead lifts rock my glutes and hams—every part of my glutes and hams, which includes the outermost part of the muscles. A how-to:

Diagonal Dead Lifts:
1) Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, legs straight and with a weight in each hand.
2) Keep your back straight as you hinge forward from the hips, moving diagonally toward your right foot by leading with your hip (not your lower back). Keep your legs straight the entire time, pulling back to your starting position with your glutes and hamstrings (again, not your lower back).
3) Repeat, hinging toward your left foot to complete one repetition.

Try them next time you put dead lifts into your workout. And try these whole wheat fig bars from Nature's Bakery. I found 'em at Meijer for $0.99:

 They're like Fig Newtons, only much cleaner. As the package indicates, they're cholesterol free, dairy free, without trans fats and completely kosher (if that's a concern). And you'd totally recognize every ingredient on the label. Oh, and they taste good, too.

In case you're wondering about the nutritional information, a single serving is worth 110 calories, and contains just 20 fat calories.

It's perfect for a light snack between meals, or to accompany a small salad at lunch. Other flavors include Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry, Peach Apricot (also good) and Raspberry. I can't wait to try them all.

Question: How often do you put dead lifts into your workout? If not with dead lifts, how do you hit your glutes and hamstrings?