As always, we need to do exercises that work for us. Those of us who are not jumpers should choose the side lunge over the lateral bound. Jumpers can make the lateral bound more fun if there is a BOSU available. No matter what we choose, we have three rounds.
kb alt arm swing | 30 |
kb hammer curl | 20 |
kb halo | 10 |
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lateral bound/side lunge | 30 |
prisoner squat | 20 |
Arnold press | 10 |
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mountain climbers | 30 |
rows | 20 |
plank up down | 10 |
The Amazing Stickie, while having an amazing attention span, occasionally wants to change things up just a little to keep herself sharp. This means she loves variations on classic exercises, like this one for pushups. It’s called a shoulder tap pushup.
She begins in classic plank position (the modified pushup position would also work!). from there, she lifts one hand and taps the opposite shoulder and then repeats with the other hand. Then she does her regular pushup. The whole time she uses her abdominals to keep her balance. A set of ten is plenty.
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 do I need a trainer for, anyway?
None of us really need a trainer. Any of us can exercise all on our own. There are tons of resources out there for what to do and how to do it. Heck, I post a free workout every week right here on this blog.
What my clients pay me for depends on the client, but their reasons fall into some basic categories.
1. I do the thinking and planning, so they don’t have to. It’s my job to choose and modify the exercises, keep track of what weights they use for which exercises, and count the reps.
2. I provide accountability. They pay me, so they tend to show up to do the work.
3. I “make” people do things for their own good. The truth is that I can’t make anybody do anything. But I have a really good Mom look and a clipboard and everything, so I look like an authority. It goes a long way toward convincing people that they might as well get those burpees over with.
4. I make it fun, or at least tolerable. I keep the workouts varied, provide encouragement, chat about whatever to distract from whatever horrible thing we’re getting through. Worst case, I find substitutions for exercises that people really can’t or won’t do.
5. I keep it safe. I monitor my clients’ form, adjust for injuries or other conditions, and keep tabs on energy levels. If I need to, I will stop the workout to keep my clients safe.
6. I have a bunch of education and can explain why we are doing things. Some clients don’t care, but some find the underlying reasons for various exercises fascinating and motivating. I am a trove of miscellaneous fitness facts.
Yes, having a trainer is a luxury. It’s also efficient and, I hope, fun.
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!).
How do I give myself a little traction in my lower back?
Lower back pain and tightness is endemic. The good news is that most of us can get a little relief using just a yoga block.
To do it, we lie on our backs on the floor. We probably feel better already! But we’re just getting started. We want to bend our knees and put our feet flat on the floor with our heels in line with our sit bones. Those of us who have osteopenia or osteoporosis will take a big inhale, exhale, and lift our hips straight up toward the ceiling, keeping the spine in a straight line. Those of us who do not have those conditions will take a big inhale, tilt the pelvis toward the belly button as we exhale, and peel our hips up toward the ceiling one vertebra at a time. All of us will take a big inhale at the top and then return to the starting position by reversing the way we lifted. This bridge exercise creates a bit more space in the lumbar spine and loosens up all those joints.
But it gets better. After we’ve done a couple of bridges, we get to the top position and then we slide a yoga block under our hips. The direction of the block will depend on our flexibility—we don’t want to force our hips higher than they want to go. Allowing our hips to rest on the block creates a gentle traction for the lower back. We can hang out here as long as it feels good.
Those of us who have tight hip flexors (spoiler alert: that’s most of us) can give them a stretch by extending the legs on the floor. The front of the hips and thighs will enjoy an opportunity to lengthen. Bend the knees again before lifting off the block, removing it, and coming down to the starting position.
Aaaahhhhh.
End of the month is time to shake things up! We’re working in multiple planes this week. Three or four rounds, depending on time and energy
1 min cardio | |
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kb alt arm swing | 30 |
side lunges | 20 |
diamond pushups | 10 |
tap backs | 30 |
skullcrushers | 20 |
pretty princesses | 10 |
The Amazing Stickie loves all things plank. On days when she wants to plank more extremely, she chooses wall walks.
To begin, she gets into plank position with her feet near a wall that she is allowed to put her feet on. Then she walks her feet up the wall. The higher up the wall she walks her feet, the more she needs to rely on her upper body strength.
Just like all planks, Stickie holds it until she is tired and then carefully walks her feet back down the wall.
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!).
I have scoliosis. What kind of exercise can I do?
This is one of those questions that requires my usual disclaimer. I am a personal trainer and Pilates instructor, not a doctor or physical therapist. My scope of practice does not include diagnosis or treatment of any condition. I do know how to modify exercises to keep my clients safe.
Scoliosis, as many of us know, is a curvature of the spine. There are varying degrees of severity, so a lot depends on the individual. That said, nearly everyone in our society has some functional scoliosis.
Functional scoliosis means that we have muscle imbalances that result in faulty posture. Think about the way right-handed people tend to reach for things with their right hands. Think about the way we hold our children on a hip, or stabilize a bag of groceries. We move in lopsided ways and our bodies learn lopsided patterns.
Structural scoliosis means that our actual bones exhibit some lateral curvature. It also leads to muscle imbalances as our bodies compensate for the structural shift.
Whatever kind of scoliosis we happen to have, we want to address it with similar kinds of movement. The side we are curved toward needs to be lengthened and the side we curve away from needs to be tightened up a bit. If the scoliosis is not severe, bringing some mindfulness to our posture can go a long way toward evening things up.
My very favorite technique to help balance out scoliotic tendencies is also very simple and pleasant. It uses two yoga tune-up balls or roughly tennis ball sized balls of whatever hardness works for us. One is placed under the fleshy part of the glute on the side we curve toward as we lie on our backs on the floor. The other one goes under the PSIS on the other side. (The PSIS is our posterior superior iliac spine and the spot we want to hit is the place where we have the little dimple near our spine.) Then we just lie there and breathe for a while, allowing the muscles to relax and balance themselves.
Try it and let me know how it feels!
