Monday Workout: Arm Challenge

We’ve got a few arm challenges today.  Sorry/not sorry.  Three rounds.

 

 

(lunge) punches	30
Arnold press	20
lateral raise	10
kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s	10
jacks	30
renegade row	20
scissors	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Scissors

Today the Amazing Stickie is working her abdominals by doing scissors.  She begins lying on her back with her legs slightly off the floor.  The closer her legs are to the floor, the more she feels challenged.  She crosses and uncrosses her legs, making sure to alternate which leg goes on top.  Sets of ten or so are good.

By Request: Benefits of Wall Sits

This month, I’m taking requests for things folks want to know about fitness (yes, please!  Ask me questions and I will blog the answers!).

What are the benefits of wall sits?

 

1.     Isometric exercises are good for reducing blood pressure.  The wall sit is an example of an isometric exercise (an exercise in which a muscle or muscle group is held in tension without moving for a period of time).  Recent studies have suggested that isometrics done regularly can drop blood pressure by 5 to 10 points.  And it doesn’t take long:  eight minutes, three times a week works.

2.     They strengthen the lower body.  All the leg, hip, and pelvis muscles have to work to maintain the wall sit position.  Hang out and feel that burning sensation!

3.     They’re a great way for folks who struggle with balance to get the benefits of squats.  The wall helps with stability so it can be safer for those who are at risk of falling.

4.     They don’t require a lot of stuff.  Or really any.  Even those of us who have stuff on every available wall surface still can find a door to use for a wall sit.  (Close the door first!)  Wall sits are great for travel workouts, people with limited space, and people who don’t want to spend money on equipment.

By Request: Benefits of Plank

This month, I’m taking requests for things folks want to know about fitness (yes, please!  Ask me questions and I will blog the answers!).

First up:  what are the benefits of doing planks?

 

1.     Upper body strength.  Hanging out in a plank position means a lot of weight bearing on the arms.  As we get stronger, we’re able to hold our planks for longer periods of time.

2.     Alignment.  Getting the wrists in position directly under the shoulders allows the body to rely on the bones for support.  Maintaining the straight line from the back of the head through the heels requires lots of little muscle adjustments that pay off in our daily posture.

3.     Core control.  (Brief digression:  the core muscles are not just our abdominals in the front.  The muscles of the lower back, the diaphragm, and the pelvic floor are also part of our core.)  All of our core muscles are challenged when we hang out in a plank position.  We need to balance the contributions from all four sides of our core to maintain the proper form.

4.     Breath control.  New plankers often struggle to keep breathing while planking.  Learning to breathe into the chest while the lower abdomen is contracted is a useful skill.  When we develop multiple breath techniques, we are more able to tap into the energizing and relaxing possibilities of breath.

5.     Adaptability.  The plank has multiple variations and there is a version that works for almost everyone.  I love the elbow plank to target the abdominals, the classic plank to challenge upper body strength, the side plank to work obliques, and the side plank with the upper arm and leg lifted for max work.

 

Go try it!

Monday Workout: All the Things

Just a pretty straightforward workout this week.  We’ve got some core and balance challenges, some oblique work, and our deltoids won’t like us when we’re done (they’ll be fine, really.).  Three rounds.

 

squat raises	30
bench press	20
kickbacks	10
leg kicks	30
rows	20
round lunges	10
woodchoppers	30
flies	20
windscreen wiper	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Butterfly Crunch

The Amazing Stickie is changing up her crunch game today.  Instead of putting her feet flat on the floor, she is putting the soles of her feet together while lying on the floor, making a diamond shape with her legs (or butterfly position!).  Because Stickie loves Pilates, she uses the chest lift technique to do her crunches:  she slides her breast bone toward her heels, allowing her head to float up off the floor.  Then she returns to the start position.

She likes to do a set of ten.

Task Oriented

Those of us who have been hanging around in fitness circles for a long time are used to saying or hearing stuff about muscles.  We talk about pulling in our abs or engaging our glutes.  Those cues are fine, as far as they go, but sometimes we do better to focus on what it is we are trying to do.  Then we let our bodies figure it out.

Take, for example, our friend the crunch (or, for you Pilates folks out there, the chest lift).  Of course it works our abdominal muscles.  It also helps us to move our spines one vertebra at a time.  When we think only about the abs, we tend to yank our heads and upper bodies up with a ton of tension in the neck.  If, instead, we make our goal to move our sternum toward our heels, our abdominals end up working both more intensely and more efficiently.  Our necks stay relaxed.  Our spines have the space they need to move segmentally.  We do better.

 

Similarly, when we’re presented with balance challenges, we want to focus on staying over our center of gravity.  With that as a goal, our bodies know to use our core muscles (all of them, not just the abs!) and all our glute and leg muscles to stabilize us.  We don’t micromanage the how; we give the task and get out of the way.

 

Go play.