Pilates Favorites 1

Since not everybody has a studio full of Pilates equipment, I’m choosing my favorite Pilates exercises from the mat work.  We all have floors.

Because, like most of us, I sit at a desk more than is ideal, my favorite Pilates exercise is the supine twist.  I like to do it with yoga tune up balls under my back at the spot just above my bra strap (people who do not wear bras will have to envision the spot) with one ball on either side of my spine.

 

To do the exercise, we lie on our backs (With or without balls.  People new to this exercise might find doing it with balls a little… spicy.).  We bend our knees and place our feet flat on the floor.  So far, so comfy!  Then we extend our arms up toward the ceiling and place the palms of our hands together.  Throughout the exercise, the hands stay together and the elbows stay straight.

 

First, we keep our head still and move our arms as far from side to side as we can without moving our hips or suffering more than discomfort.  After about ten reps, we shift to moving our arms and taking our heads with us; another way to think about this is that we keep an eye on our thumbs as we move.  Then, after about ten more reps, we take our arms one way and our head the other way for ten reps.

 

At the end, our upper backs tend to feel looser and our breathing is easier.

 

Try it!

Monday Workout: Back

We’re doing some stuff that focuses on the back of the body this week.  Our hammies will notice those db kicks.  Kettle bell swings work the entire back of the body.  And tap backs get those glutes working.  Three rounds.

 

db kicks	30
rows	20
YTA	10
kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s	10
tap backs	30
kickbacks	20
scissors	10

 

Strength Favorites: 4 x 4

More strength favorites?  I got you:

 

1.     pushups

2.     deadlifts

3.     pretty princesses

4.     rows

 

And some un-favorites that I do because they’re so good for me:

 

1.     lunges

2.     burpees

3.     YTA

4.     single leg anything for balance 

Strength Favorites 2

My next favorite strength exercise is the fly.  It’s not as popular, perhaps, as the bench press or as practical as the row, but it feels good.

We all need that feeling of expansion in our chests that we get in the lowering phase of the fly.

 

Additionally, when we do flies, we have to concentrate.  Form is important.  We need to pay attention to how far we can lower the weights and still get them back up.  We need to know how to protect ourselves if the weight becomes too heavy (Bend your elbows, bring the weights in toward your body, and then, if necessary, drop them on the floor.  You are more important than the floor.  And ripped rotator cuffs are No Fun.)

 

Another great thing about flies is that when we do them, we learn about the value of the eccentric contraction.  Eccentric, in this context, doesn’t mean slightly odd.  When we lift weights, the working muscles contract; this is the concentric phase.  Then when we lower them again, the muscles lengthen; this is the eccentric phase.  Because the eccentric phase cooperates with gravity, the job our muscles are doing in this part is controlling the descent.  When we do flies, that lowering phase requires control because if gravity takes over, we are back to that ripped rotator cuff scenario.  (Choose your weights wisely and it’s good to have a spotter.)

 

Go play.

Strength Favorites 1

Strength training is a good thing to lean into in August.  Most obviously, it makes us stronger.  That physical strength often translates into strength of character and other kinds of resilience, and who doesn’t need that?  Strength training has positive effects on our metabolisms and our body composition.  Plus we look cool.

There are approximately eleventy bazillion strength training exercises, so choosing a favorite has a certain amount of challenge.  If I had to choose only one, I would choose the squat.

 

Squats are the ultimate in practicality.  We have to do them many times a day.  They are the key to our independence in our old age:  when we can’t squat, we can’t go to the bathroom alone, and that’s a problem.

 

They’re also flexible.  We can do them with body weight wherever we are.  We can do them with heavy weights.  We can do them on one leg to work our balance.  We can use a barbell across our shoulders, dumbbells in our hands hanging at our sides, or holding a kettlebell at our breastbones.  Those of us who need a little more support can do them with a stability ball against a wall.  For additional challenge, we can squat on either side of a BOSU.

 

No matter how we do them, we’re working pretty much our whole bodies.  That’s efficient!

Monday Workout: Everything, but not on a bagel

We’ve got a little of everything this week:  a bit of rotation with the db circles, some lateral motion with the squat to leg lift, some balance work, and, of course, lifting.  Three rounds.

 

db circles	30
flies	20
Arnold press	10
jacks	30
bench press	20
curls	10
squat to leg lift/tick tock	30
1 leg deadlift	20
femur arcs	10

 

Cardio Favorites: 6

I admit:  I have a hard time picking a favorite cardio exercise.  Here are some other of my favorites, but feel free to add more!

 

1.     pickleball

2.     ballet and other dance

3.     elliptical trainers

4.     skiing

5.     hiking

6.     roller skating