Here are five exercises that will engage your entire body while focusing on the four main components of fitness: strength, mobility, activity and stability. These five exercises target the lower body, core and upper body.
The skeleton of your body is supported by your shoulders, torso and hips. Doing these exercises regularly can help you build strength as well as enhance your movement. Do these exercises for longer periods to complete the workout, or even shorter ones to warm up before your next exercise session. You can combine these exercises into a routine known as “pillar prep.”
advertisement
Do each exercise for 40 to 60 seconds, before moving on to the next exercise. Between each exercise, take a 20 to 30 second break to allow your body to recover.
High Plank Arm Reach
This is a great exercise to work every muscle in your body! It has an anti-rotational effect and works the shoulders and core. Additionally, it improves the stability and balance of your body. By spreading the plank, this exercise also strengthens the core.
How to perform:
- First, we get into a high plank: palms under shoulders, body aligned in a straight line from shoulders to ankles
- Make sure your core is engaged: Squeeze the trunk area close to the spine.
- Alternate arms raised slowly until shoulders are near ears
- Try and avoid swinging the body and hips by alternating arms
bent over tee spine rotation
This motion elongates the hip hinge and enables a unique focus on the thoracic spine. The risk of injury is reduced while mobility and posture are improved. This is a great warm-up exercise to add to your workouts too!
How to perform:
- Keeping the knees soft, hinge at the hips.
- Maintain a neutral spine and keep chest lifted.
- Once in the bent position, extend your arms towards your feet.
- Keeping your hips down, raise one hand laterally, opening chest to same side, working hand reaches toward ceiling with fingers.
- Slowly lower down and repeat on the other side.
- When in the top position, try and make sure both palms are on the same line, keeping the chest open outwards, and feeling it work on the T-spine.
hollow hold
A great way to make sure your whole body is engaged and to really push those muscles is to do an isometric exercise. The spine is stabilized and a hollow grip strengthens the deepest core muscles. This exercise engages all of the anterior chain muscles, including your obliques, hip flexors and quads, in addition to strengthening your core.
How to perform:
- Lying on your back, press your lower back firmly onto the mat.
- Raise your arms up in line with your shoulders, in line with your ears.
- Keep your feet together, toes pointed and lift your feet off the floor.
- With your arms, shoulders, legs and feet off the floor, your lower back is pressed firmly to the ground, creating a hollow position.
pulse squat
A useful exercise that engages the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings—the three main muscles in your lower body. Due to the constant engagement and tension in the muscles during this activity, more calories are burned and at the same time more muscle mass is gained.
How to perform:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointing slightly out.
- Initiate the movement from the hips, pushing back and down while keeping your chest up and back straight.
- Lower down until your thighs are parallel to the floor and make sure your core is engaged in the squat position.
- Come halfway up without fully extending knees or hips, then lower back to squat position.
- Repeat this in an up and down motion, or pulses for a period of time or as you see fit.
Hip Extension to Hip Opener
If you want to perform your other exercises and lifts correctly and have a wide range of motion, it’s important to focus on hip mobility. This exercise combines two others that target hip flexion and range of motion.
How to perform:
- Get down on your knees and point your toes towards the ceiling.
- You can use support by placing your hands under your shoulders next to your hips.
- Drop both knees to one side touching the floor, where the front heel and back knee are close together.
- Try not to raise your hips while doing this.
- With your torso and shoulders still facing forward, feel the hips open.
- From here, lift yourself up onto your knees, pushing your hips forward and squeezing your glutes.
- Return to the sitting position and repeat on the other side.
Source: IANS
