Simple Exercise Do's and Do Not's
There are a number of exercises that people do on a regular basis, but don't do in a way to get the most out of their trianing. Below are some of the common culprits and the do's and don't behind them.
Plank
A plank is a whole body exercise that activates your core, glutes, quads and shoulders.
DO's: keep your shoulder blades together
Keep your shoulders and hips in alignment
Keep a neurtral position of your chin
DON'Ts: Arch through your shoulders
Let go of your core and arch through your back
There are a number of variations that you can also try - knees, side plank, single arm or single leg lifts. Make sure you've mastered the easier version before going onto something harder.
A lunge is a great exercise, when done properly will target all the key muscles of your lower body. The issue is so manypeople do little cheats which mean your not getting the most out of the exercise.
DO's: Take your back knee directly down to the ground, keep your body upright, when standing back up, keep your shoulder back and push with the back leg.
DON'T's: Let your shoulders go
forward, let that front knee go infront of your toes, put your weight on your front leg, drop your hips or twist your upper body.
A squat is a great lower limb exercise that people tend to do have great difficulty doing correctly.
DO's: keep your knees behind your toes, keep your spine in neutral and keep your heap up. Keep your knees going
directly over your toes.
DON'Ts: Allow yourself to slump, your knees come forward, or look down at the ground. Don't allow your knees to cross across an imaginary line that goes down the middle of your body or deviate from your toes.
A Nordic Hamstring curl is something that has been shown to improve hamstring strength and prevent injury.
DO'S: Keep your body in a plank
position, Keep your shoulders back and down and knees straight. Slowly lower yourself to the floor (or the end of your range) then push yourself back to the starting position.
DON'T: Bend at your hips or back. Let your shoulders come forward, or loose that plank position.
You can start by just going to the end of the range you can control, then slowly return to the starting position, as you get better you can go all the way down and push yourself back up.
Bridging is a great way to get your
glutes engaged to strengthen
through your pelvis and your
lower back.
DO's: Make sure your feet are hip
width apart. Keep your knees, hips and feet in a line. Make sure you knees stay in line with your hips, lift up to the point that you feel comfortable.
DON'T: Lift too high that your hamstrings or back are doing most of the work, let your knees flop to the side, have your feet to narrow or too wide, put too much pressure through your arms in order to get the lift.
Stay tuned for more exercise DO's and DON'Ts. If you have any exercises you'd like to see on here please email info@lissomephysio.com.
Happy Exercising!
***Remember - not all exercises are suitable for everyone. Please seek professional advice before completing these exercises.