I want to share with you 3 tried and true dear old friends. They never fail to firm things up and give your body parts a shape you want to share.
Let’s take a look at Planks, Squats and V Sits
A good plank gets you strong from the inside out. It works you, when done properly, from the tip of your head through the soles of your feet. Planks are truly amazing. They build upper body strength, core, glutes, quads, hammies. They just help make it all look good! I love them because they help you look great, but at the same time, they also work in such a way to help you build that underlying support structure that protects you in action sports. Cool benefit for sure.
There are many variations of plank, but today, we’re just going to keep it pure and look at the basic Push up Plank and Bows and Toes Plank. The proper position in a plank should look like this; lay on your abs on the ground, palms of your hands on the ground under your shoulders and press yourself up into a push up plank position, onto your toes. This is the position you would drill some pushups from.
Nice flat back, no bootie in the sky, abs are in tight, shoulders down off of your ears, chin up and strong from your head, pushing down through your heels. This is a Push Up Plank. From here, drop down on to your elbows, staying up on your Toes – thus the Bows and Toes.
Hold it for as long as you can. You may start with 20 seconds. That would be fantastic. Then work your way up to holding it for a minute, and then go for it. Keep adding length to how long you hold your planks. We have a workout in camp where we hold it for 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 and then finish off with a 4 minute plank. They sky is the limit! Don’t preset your capabilities, ok?
To keep going and push your abilities with plank, when you get to that limit where you don’t think you can hold it any longer, hold your position and drop to your knees. Give a quick count to three then pop back up onto your toes to get that goal time for your plank.
Planks will build up your core strength. Having that nice strong core will help you stay centered in your day. You will stand taller, be more able to respond to things that come at you whether on a tennis or basketball court, or in your office or home.
There are many varieties of planks and we will look at those varieties in a week or two. Feel free to contact me if you’re ready for them now!
Squats
Alright, I know some of you are not fond of squats. If, on the other hand, you like for your tushie to be closer to your shoulders than your knees, you might want to make these your best friend! Yes, they can irritate your knees, but let’s take a look at what could be irritating your knees with them in a moment. Chances are it has something to do with your form if you don’t have knee integrity issues.
Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, abs pulled in nice and strong (that strong core you built with your planks!), chin up and sit back down on an imaginary chair. Seek to have the top of your quad (front thigh) parallel to the ground and your tailbone tipped to the sky. Don’t let it roll under or have your back curved. You should be able to wiggle your toes. Imagine you have a beach ball between your knees and squeeze as you ease back up. Do not stand all the way back up, keep your quads engaged and your knees bent throughout your entire set of squats. If you stand all the way back up, you will give your muscles that quick break and will not get as much done to build that gorgeous shapely calorie burning muscle you need to keep your bum up off of your thighs.
There are many varieties of squats. The other one I want to talk about is one that may keep you squatting if you do have knee issues. Grab an exercise ball and put it behind your back between you and a wall. You will be able to place your feet further out in front of you, leaning back into the ball and when you roll down, you can not go tighter than a 90 degree angle with your knees. If you have a smith machine, you can also stand in front of it and lean back into the bar to produce the same angle for your precious knees.
Abs
Crunches and V Sits and Bicycles, oh my! There are so many ways to work your abs, let’s talk about a terrific move that builds that entire abdominal area as well as your hip flexors, quads and lower back.
A V Sit uses your legs and arms as levers. The longer the levers are from your center (you tush on the ground) the greater the challenge to your core. Example, if you start on your bum in a ball – your knees into your chest, your arms at the sides of your bent legs – nothing touching the ground except your tailbone – this would be a great starter position.
Think of your body from your hip joint up to the tips of your outstretched fingertips as one side of the “V”. From the hips down to your toes is the other side of the “V”. Pivoting from your center, lower your upper body and lower body simultaneously to about 3 inches off the ground, so your body is in a straight line, then squeeze your abs in, keeping your body nice and straight, bring your upper body and lower body up into a “V” position.
Now that is the advanced version. As I stated before, you can start in a ball with your tailbone the only thing touching the ground. You can also put your hands on the ground behind you and copy the same movement as stated above. Upper body stays straight, lower body straight, lowering as close to the ground as you can and then back up into that V position.
These are challenging to begin with. You can do them sitting on a bench, holding the backside for balance as well. As you build your strength with them, you will find that you have built your abs from the bottom up. Gaining strength in those lower abdominals seems to be the most needed and most challenging for many. Take the time to work these into your workout routine and you’ll be blessed with enviable abs. Will be nice to take your six pack with you everywhere you go!!
Comment and let me know if you need help with any of these moves. I’d be pleased to hear from you and keep you safe while you get strong and shapely.
In Fitness and Health,
Melly Mel
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