The Amazing Stickie and Toe Reaches

The Amazing Stickie loves variety in her abdominal exercises.  Her friends with osteopenia or osteoporosis probably want to give this one a miss because it takes the spine into flexion, but everyone else can go for it.

To begin, Stickie lies on her back (aaaaaah!).  She lifts her legs up so that they point straight at the ceiling (it is all right if there is a little bend at the knee if we don’t have the hamstring flexibility that Stickie does) and her arms up toward the ceiling as well.  She looks like a slightly square U.  From there, she reaches her hands toward her toes, allowing her head and chest to lift off the floor.  Then she returns to the starting position.  A set of ten is a good idea.

By Request: Why are you making me do this exercise that hurts?

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!).

Why are you making me do this exercise that hurts?

 

OK, so first of all, we have to discuss the difference between discomfort, soreness, and pain.  Discomfort happens when we do things we’re not used to doing, when we ask our bodies to move in ways that we haven’t before or haven’t in a long time.  Soreness is one of the results of working hard, and as we work out more, we learn to tell when we are sore enough but not too sore; this helps us figure out how hard to work out.  Pain is a way our body alerts us to possible danger.  We know to pull our hands away from a hot stove, to stop running when there is sharp pain in our knee or hip or ankle, to avoid our mean friend the day after a bad haircut.

 

I will never ask anyone to do something in a workout that intentionally causes pain.  (Accidents happen, and so do injuries.  I do my best to keep clients safe, but I am not God.)  When I do ask folks to do things that are uncomfortable, I will say that it’s probably not going to be fun.  We are adults.  We theoretically understand that we sometimes have to do unpleasant things to get the things we want.  (This is the whole basis of our employment system.)

 

An example:  there is an exercise that I have clients do (and that I do myself, every day) in which we lie with yoga tune up balls positioned on our backs just above the place where those of us who wear bras find our bra straps.  We put our straight arms above our chests and move them from side to side with several variations.  It is… spicy, particularly when we don’t do it very often.  I do it and I ask clients to do it because of the payoff.

 

In the case of this exercise, the payoff is greater mobility in the thoracic spine, improved breathing mechanics, better posture, and generally better alignment in daily life.  That seems worth the two minutes of discomfort.

 

We are all lovely unique humans with varying responses to stimuli.  My pain is not anyone else’s pain.  All my clients have both the right and the responsibility to push back against what I ask them to do.  In my math, the benefits outweigh the discomfort, but their math may vary.

 

I’m not into gratuitous pain, for myself or anyone else!

By Request: Easy Ways to Strengthen the Core

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 some easy ways to strengthen my core?

 

It depends on what we mean by easy.

 

If we mean easy, in the sense of not having to do separate exercises for the core in addition to whatever else we’re doing in our workouts, the answer is that we need to incorporate compound exercises and relatively heavy weights into our workouts.  When we’re doing heavy squats, we get tons of core benefits without a crunch in sight.

 

If we mean easy, in the sense that we target our core efficiently and effectively without having to spend forever, let me suggest two things:  planks and pretty princesses.  The plank and its variations target the whole core in an isometric fashion (translation:  we just have to hold the position.).  For those readers who do not regularly work out with me, pretty princesses are not called that in any other gym or studio.  To do them, we lie on our backs with our arms and legs raised toward the ceiling, holding a stability ball (or yoga block or imaginary item).  We lower the ball toward the floor while simultaneously lowering our legs toward the floor.  Then we bring arms and legs back to the starting position, hold our ball between our legs and repeat the lowering and lifting.  That is one rep.  Pretty princesses work the entire front of our core while keeping our spines supported, so they are suitable even for people with osteopenia.

 

If we mean easy, in the sense that we don’t have to make any changes to how we move in the world, we’re just out of luck.  I do not lie to clients:  we have to work to get what we want.

 

Go do stuff.

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!