Blake and Gwen Beckcom OWNERS OF FITNESS TOGETHER 4019 Goldfinch in Mission Hills 619.794.0014 Upscale private suite with one-on-one personal training and nutrition guidance. •
blakebeckcom@fitnesstogether.com •
fitnesstogether.com/missionhills •
betterbodysandiego.com
BODY WEIGHT MOVES TO AMP IT UP
It isn’t necessary to have an elaborate gym destination to get a quality workout. There are plenty of moves you can do quickly and effectively that will shake things up and reinvigorate the day. You simply need desire, your own body weight and perhaps a dash of creativity. The following four moves in combination, make for a great short-burst, energy-boosting, heart-pumping mini circuit that doesn’t take a lot of time to execute or demonstrate results. Start easy and try to do each exercise in 10 to 15 repetition blocks, one after another. Executing these in succession, done several times in a row, will AMP IT UP, tighten you up, and perk you up.
1.THE SIT-TO-STAND: Take that chair you’re sitting in for
example. On the one hand functional, perhaps ergonomic and if it’s in your home, stylish I’m sure. Let’s use it for a couple of easy moves to elevate your heart rate—simple sit-to-stands will get you going. Sit with your hips near the edge of the chair. Lean your upper body forward slightly, to avoid creating momentum by throwing your upper body into the move. Inhale and as you stand up, exhale. Don’t use the arm rails. Using your hands to push yourself out of the chair weakens the leg workout. Try foot pressure variations; toe pressure generally drives through the quads, while heel pressure generally enlists the hamstrings and glutes.
2.THE LUNGE: This is one of the best body weight
moves you can do for your buns and glutes. It also hits your hamstrings and quads, to give a well rounded leg and glute workout. The additional benefit, based on how many lunges you execute, is the cardio pump it delivers. Your lunges should be far enough apart to accomplish 90-degree angles on both the forward step and the rear knee as it drops toward the floor. Let your rear knee touch the floor but not rest there, keeping the forward knee from extending beyond the toe line creating right angles. You have now reached lunge nirvana. The combination of the lunge and the sit to stand will insure the junk in your trunk stays tight and firm.
3.THE PULL-UP: Most of us hate these. I get that, but
those who “get over it,” understand the full benefits of pulling your weight. Similar hand/arm variations in the pull-up exercise can move the resistance just as in the push-up. Wide hands, with a over-hand grip equal a wider stressor on the upper back, while a underhanded narrow grip brings the focus toward the mid-back and biceps. If you aren’t able to do a full body weight pull-up just yet, use a lower bar so your heels can rest on the floor with your body planked, much like in the posture of a push up. This will allow you to adjust your weight based on the angle of your body. Thumb in a five-finger grip, or thumb over in a four-finger claw grip, are both worth trying in the overhanded and underhanded grip techniques. At ten reps each, that’s a total of 40
Fitness Together Mission Hills offers personal training with qualified professionals by regular appointment in private suites. Exercise and nutritional programs are custom designed to fit your needs and abilities. Call 619.794.0014 for more information or to schedule a free fitness diagnostic and private training session. See what others are saying about us on Yelp and San Diego City Search.
44 RAGE monthly | MARCH 2013
reps per circuit, 50 if you count each lunge on a per leg basis. Go to 15 reps and do the math… quite a work out. Do the entire sequence four or five times and feel your body purr.
4.THE PUSH-UP: This top upper body strength- builder can be done in multiple positions, on hands and toes, or using hands and knees. The key to the movement is a tight rigid body, while holding the plank posture (abs tight) through the entire eccentric and concentric movements. Breathing is key; you must inhale during the lowering (eccentric) phase, then exhale in the lifting (concentric) phase. If you hold your breath, it will wipe you out, so breath through it and have a touch target on the floor to maintain consistent depth of movement. Additionally, differing hand and arm combinations will move the resistance to differing body parts. For example, bringing your hands
to an inside position four to six inches apart, as you keep your elbows close to your body, grazing your rib cage, works shoulders and triceps to a greater degree. As opposed to a wider hand and elbow position, which hits the chest full-on.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68