The five-minute ultimate workout
Two exercises elicit the protest, “I can’t do that!” from students/clients. Ability isn’t the biggest obstacle, rather insecurity. These two highly effective and transformative exercises can be modified to circumvent age, agility, flexibility, strength and obesity.
Burpees
A whole body exercise for cardiovascular, chest, thighs, abdominals, calves.
The full version: reach up, reach down (bend your knees if you need to), place your palms flat on the floor, jump back into plank (top of a push-up), do a push-up, jump the feet forward toward hands, and jump up, reaching the arms up.
This can be modified:
- Use a chair: reach up, bend forward, place hands on the seat, step both feet back, hold 5 seconds in the plank, step forward, reach arms up as you stand.
Instead of jumping back in the full version:
- Step back into and out of plank instead of jumping
- Lower knees for a push-up
- Stand reach up instead of jumping up
Single leg squats
Strengthens the gluteal muscles that support the back and hips and helps reduce (and often eliminate) low back pain.
Stand on a step sideways with one leg dangling off. Engage abdominal muscles. Inhaling, hold onto the banister, sit back with the hips while trying to bring the thigh of the supporting leg parallel to the step. The chest will lean forward slightly. Try to maintain a straight back. Exhale to press back up to the starting position. One leg is almost always noticeably weaker. Try 10 per leg.
Progression: Sit on the front edge of a chair (dining room chairs work great) with the knees over the ankles, feet hip width apart. Lift one foot a few inches off the floor. Stretch your arms to the front at shoulder height. Engage the abdominal muscles. Press down through the heel on the floor and stand up. Place the other foot down and sit. Repeat.
These exercises will take at least 5 minutes to do 5 to 10 repetitions of each. Three days a week will provide significant results in a fairly short time. Although the exercises are challenging, remember start small, think big, act now.
Wendy Reese Hartmann is a certified personal trainer and 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with 25 years experience in the Health and Fitness industry. She is a resident of Eureka Springs.