Hi all,
I hope you have all had a sound and productive day. I have been pretty busy today, work and then sorting an Article for the Website and then some speed training (Got to practice what I preach) and now onto today’s bit of info for you.
I finished yesterdays blog and said that I would write about the basic exercises you really should nail down, if you are going to lead a healthy lifestyle, be mobile when you get older, and of course, if the worst case scenario of some unforeseen disaster or threatening situation that you may find yourself in at some time in your life, where you need the Strength, Agility and Mobility to survive or save someone close to you.
Before I do that though, I am just going to go off track slightly. The other day, while I was having my Tea, I was watching the Discovery Channel and there was a programme about a Pride of Lions somewhere in Africa.
If you can remember back to the first Blog on this Healthy life subject, I said that our Ancestors did the following things (before we had farming)
- They Slept
- They Ate
- They Hunted
- They Reproduced.
I missed something out. Their Kids will have played.
What’s the relevance here? Well The Lion Pride was doing the same thing, that is there lifestyle. They Hunt, Eat, Sleep, Reproduce, and the Cubs Play. The thing is, the Cubs are playing, but during play they are learning to do what they will need to do efficiently in later life, and that is be able to interact with other Lions in the Pride, they are also learning their trade, which is being able to kill their prey and at the same time getting the exercise that will keep them fit for the life they will need to lead to be able to survive.
Now if you watch Human kids all over the world (I have travelled a bit) they all play the same kind of games, Tag, chase, they love jumping off things, exploring, fighting (play or for real) and climbing. The way I see it, if you look at their actions, they are all actions that they would have needed to learn in Ancient times to be able to survive. Chase “the Prey for meat” Jumping and running “getting over obstacles during the hunt or running away from danger” climbing trees “Being able to see what’s in front of them, escape, safety and getting fruit and berries for food” Nobody really teaches them to do these things, they see other kids and do it naturally. If you doubt what I have said about inheriting traits from our ancient ancestors I would like you to think about what I have just written. It is just a shame that in today’s society that they often become sedentary at a very early age and that sets them in the mode of being sedentary for the rest of their lives. Just a thought!!
Any way getting back to some Basic strength and Fitness.
The Strength exercises that you will use are pretty essential to improve your movement in daily life. Don’t worry if you are a female, they are not going to make you into some sort of muscle bound unfeminine freak. What they will do is keep you healthy, make your bones stronger, make you feel better and help you cope with everyday tasks much more easily. They will also stoke your internal fire and give you faster fat burning when you are resting. That’s a pretty good return for your efforts.
The most basic movements and elements that we need to strengthen are,
LEG STRENGTH
The SQUAT (think of sitting down and getting up from a chair)
The LUNGE (Walking, running, climbing stairs)
The LATERAL LUNGE (avoiding something, moving to your left or right quickly)
UPPER BODY AND CORE
PULLS (Think about getting out of that window, dragging someone away from danger, pulling yourself from a car wreck)
PRESSES (Pushing someone away from you to get space if in threatening situations, lifting things overhead to put on shelves, opening sticking doors)
All the comments in brackets are events that you either do or can quite easily have to do at any time in your life.
You may notice a lack of abdominal exercises, well all the above exercises will work your Abdominal area quite hard, so in this very basic programme, there are no crunches or anything like them, remember this is the minimum I am asking you to do, that will keep you healthy and mobile. If you start out with this basic programme and then, find you get hooked and want to do more, then you can find the information you need on our website Here
To see images of these exercises Click here
Putting a very simple programme together for a complete beginner.
Day 1
- Squat for 30 seconds
- Press ups for 30 seconds
- Lateral lunge for 60 seconds do each leg alternately
- *Towel Rows for 30 seconds
- *Place a towel around a solid object
- Grip one end in either hand
- Lean back to a 45 degree angle, so that you are on your heels
- Pull yourself forward so that you are upright
- Under control go back to the start position
- REST FOR 30 SECS AFTER EACH EXERCISE OR UNTIL YOU FEEL RECOVERED ENOUGH TO GO AGAIN.
- Move from one exercise to the next in order.
- After you have completed one round of the circuit, try to go through it again
- You should rest for a couple of minutes after each round, before you start again.
- BUILD UP SO THAT YOU CAN GO THROUGH THE MINI CIRCUIT 3 TIMES, THERE IS NO RUSH TO GET THERE. DO IT GRADUALLY, YOU SHOULD FEEL SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN DOING THESE EXERCISES
If you struggle to understand the terminology I am using, you can download three free Beginner fitness reports if you register on our website.
Day 2. Brisk 20-30 minute walk
Day 3
- Squat for 30 seconds
- Press ups for 30 seconds
- Lunge for 60 secs (do each leg alternately)
- REST FOR 30 SECS AFTER EACH EXERCISE OR UNTIL YOU FEEL RECOVERED ENOUGH TO GO AGAIN
- BUILD UP SO THAT YOU CAN GO THROUGH THE MINI CIRCUIT 3 TIMES, THERE IS NO RUSH TO GET THERE. DO IT GRADUALLY, YOU SHOULD FEEL SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN DOING THESE EXERCISES.
Day 4
Go for a brisk walk to a park or somewhere where there are some trees. Find a branch (thick enough to hold your bodyweight) that is near enough arms length above your head
Pull yourself up so your chin is level with the branch; give yourself a jump start to assist you getting up there. Repeat for as many as you can. Rest one minute and repeat.
Carry on with your walk
Total time 30 minutes
Day 5
- Squat for 30 seconds
- Press ups for 30 seconds
- Lateral lunge for 60 seconds do each leg alternately
- *Towel Rows for 30 seconds
- *Place a towel around a solid object
- Grip one end in either hand
- Lean back to a 45 degree angle, so that you are on your heels
- Pull yourself forward so that you are upright
- Under control go back to the start position
DAY 6 and 7 are rest or fun days.
The strength days will take you no more than 15 minutes
The walk days no more than 30-40 minutes, it’s not a very big investment to keep you healthy.
As with all exercise there is risk of injury, so clear yourself to exercise with a Doctor before starting out on any fitness programme. If you have any injuries, get them sorted out before starting. If you sustain injury through exercise, see a Doctor or Physical Therapist straight away.
I accept no responsibility if you do get injured, you do these exercises entirely of your own free will.
I hate having to write all that formal stuff, but that is the age we live in unfortunately.
If you need any advice at all after reading these articles, please email steve@ultimateperformancecentre.com
The next blog is all about stress.
Have a great day
Steve
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