The Amazing Stickie and Quadruped Lateral Raise

Today the Amazing Stickie is working on multiple things at once, as she often does.  She’s challenging her core strength by working in quadruped position while also working her arms in the quadruped lateral raise.

She begins on her hands and knees, ensuring that her knees are directly under her hips and her hands, holding light weights, are directly under her shoulders.  She raises one arm directly out to the side until it is parallel to the ground and then lowers it back to starting position.  Then she repeats on the other side.  (For less of a challenge, do all the reps on one side first and then switch.)

 

A set of ten is usually sufficient.

Effects of Strength Training - 1

In the new year, I’m going to begin by focusing on the effects of strength training on the body.

Today, we begin with perhaps the most obvious effect:  our muscles get stronger, our bones get tougher, and our tendons and ligaments become more resilient.

 

In theory, I think we all get behind this as a worthwhile goal.  In practice, we come up against a few obstacles.  One of those is that sometimes other people don’t really want us to be strong.  They get invested in our weakness.  We have to decide that what is good for us is more important than other people’s agendas.

 

Another perhaps obvious obstacle is that strength training is work and sometimes we don’t much want to work.  This is another spot where we have to focus on what’s best rather than what is most fun.

 

Go play.