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SportsCare Physical Therapy
January 2011 Newsletter
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8 Great Exercises to Get You Moving in 2011
Start the New Year off with these 8 functional exercises. Each one is designed to strengthen a combination of muscle groups while focusing on the often neglected stabilizing musculature surrounding your joints.
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#1 Wood Chops
A great way to improve your rotational and overall spinal stability, wood chops can be performed with; medicine balls, swiss balls, swiss balls combined with a resistance band, resistance bands, and hi-low pulleys. You can perform them standing or from your knees as long as you remember to keep your chest up, back straight, and rotate through your mid to lower back.
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#2 Wall Sits
Great for lower body and core stability. Bend your knees to 90 degrees, do not allow your knees to go over the toes, keep feet in-line and no wider than your hips, press your low back into the wall and FEEL THE BURN.
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#3 Around the World Lunges
All the principals of a regular lunge apply, do not let your knees go past your toes and keep your back as straight as possible. The variation between a regular lunge and these is the combination of several different lunges into one single series. Five reps are performed on each leg then alternating to the opposite leg, completing one set. Start with a forward lunge, progress either to the right or left depending on which leg you started with and once you complete the reverse lunge switch legs and complete the circle. These can be performed with dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls or whatever you have handy.
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#4 Pull Ups
Follow general pull up form remembering these specific points; use a wide overhand grip, slowly lower yourself back to the starting position which is arms fully extended, and try to get your chin completely over the bar. For those who are unable to complete multiple reps using their own body weight most gyms will have a pull-up machine which allows you to complete the motion while standing on a bar that will eliminate some of your body weight.
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#5 Inverted Rows
Using an Olympic bar start with your elbows and forearms at a 90 degree angle utilizing and overhand grip while hanging below the bar. Pull your chest up towards the bar completing the rep when your chest comes in contact with or comes very close to the bar (within one inch). This exercise can be performed with your feet below the plane of your body for less resistance or above for greater resistance. Avoid letting your elbows collapse in towards your chest.
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#6 Single Arm Bent Over Rows
Performed with your opposite hand and knee on a flat bench, keep your hand and knee directly underneath your shoulder and hip respectively. Gripping a dumbbell, slowly raise the weight towards your chest ending the upward motion when the weight is even or touching your chest. Slowly return the weight to the starting position. Complete the assigned reps for one side then switch to the other. Remember to pinch your shoulder blade on the way up to prevent the bicep from doing most of the work.
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#7 Heel Touches
( Single Leg Squats)
Performed with a platform such as a flat bench or at minimum an 8 inch box, stand on one leg at the edge of the platform while slowly lowering your opposite straightened leg towards the ground, coming back up when the heel of the straight leg reaches the ground. Complete all the reps of the set then switch to the opposite side.
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#8 Crunches
Performed like a regular crunch using the following guidelines; be sure to stare at the ceiling, interlace fingers behind your head, and keep your elbows out of your peripheral vision. One rep is completed when your shoulder blades are no longer touching the floor.
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The Great 8 Exercises can be completed with any number of sets and reps, but try starting with 8-12 reps with 2-3 sets for the strength exercises, 15-30 reps and 2-3 sets for the crunches, and 15-30 seconds for 1 rep and 3-4 sets for the wall sits.
We hope you enjoy these exercises. Remember to adjust the sets and reps to the needs of your body.
Happy New Year,
SportsCare Physical Therapy
Gresham Gateway-Parkrose Clackamas Happy Valley
503.491.1666 503.257.9881 503.794.0103 503.427.2956 |
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