3 EXERCISES THAT YOU CAN START RIGHT NOW

May 27, 2016

I’m not a fitness trainer but am a keen proponent of exercise and fitness as a means of staying in good health. The other day I was driving to work and was listening to a trainer talk about the top 3 exercises that works the entire body that don’t require the need for weights or any fancy gym equipment. The beauty is that you can do these in the comfort of your own home. You can do them whilst waiting for the toast to pop out of the toaster. You can do them when you walk in at the end of the day. You can even do them in your office in between appointments and meetings. They work exercise both upper and lower body as well as the core. And they are scaleable to make them easier or more difficult depending on what level you are at.

Here they are:

  1. The push up
  2. The squat
  3. The plank.

pushup

They are easy to do. Just stick with the fundamental principles of activating the core with all them. You can do regular push ups or if that’s too hard to start with then go for “on-knees” push ups. You can make them more difficult by elevating your legs or creating instability by doing “spiderman” push ups or having your feet on an exercise ball.

 

The squat is a fantastic compound exercise, but good technique is imperative. It activates the big gluteal muscles which are really important. Just make sure that when you squat, that your knees don’t go forward. It should be like you’re sitting down on a chair and coming up again. Again, the squat is scaleable. You can make it easier or more difficult according to your level. To make it easier, hold onto something sturdy in front of you and don’t go down as far. To make it harder, add weights, or try one legged “pistol squats”.

squat2

And the plank activates the entire core “chain” of muscles. Make sure you use them and not your back muscles. As your core starts to fatigue it places more strain on your back. Start slowly and build up the length of time.

There you go! Anywhere, anytime, you can do these 3 foundational moves!

In Health and Wellness

Ranjit