It's been said that human beings are
creatures of habit, always following a predictable ebb and flow in life.
Whether it's watching the same television shows on a weekly basis,
eating at the same restaurants or putting the left sock on before the
right, we generally don't like to stray too far from business as usual.
When
it comes to our exercise routines, the script is much the same: We
stick with what we're good at and what's easy, often performing the same
mundane exercises in the same order. Is it any wonder, then, that
despite all the sweat and tears -- not to mention countless gym
memberships -- people are frustrated that they haven't seen much
progress in the gym? Whether you're trying to shed pounds or increase
strength, hitting a plateau is frustrating. But adding just a couple of
new exercises to your workout can provide a spark -- both physically and
mentally -- to your fitness efforts.
Adding just a couple of new exercises to your workout can
provide a spark -- both physically and mentally -- to your fitness
efforts.
The squat,
while a basic human movement, has somehow become a lost art in the 21st
century. With fewer people leading active lifestyles, the quality of
this basic movement has taken a dive. Among many trainees, what's
presumably a squat usually ends up looking like some sort of
rounded-back, not-remotely-close-to-proper-depth thingamajig that's a
disaster waiting to happen.
While many trainees are quick to
blame squats when their [insert body part here] hurts, Dan John, a
longtime strength coach and author of the book "Never Let Go," is quick
to note that "It's not the squats that are hurting you, it's what you're
doing that's hurting you."
Goblet squats -- coincidentally
popularized by John -- are a foolproof way to learn to squat with
picture-perfect technique. And by adding a slight tweak in the form of a
pulse, you can turn this simple exercise into a full-body calorie
burner.
Start with your feet a little more than shoulder-width
apart, with your toes pointing slightly outward, while holding a
kettlebell close to your chest. Squat by pushing your hips back, making
sure to push your knees out -- to the left and right, not forward -- in
line with your third toe. Keep your chest "tall" arch your lumbar spine
throughout.
Once you're at the lowest point of the squat, press
the kettlebell until your arms are fully extended in front of you and
hold that position for one or two seconds. That thing you feel "firing"
is your core, which is working to prevent you from falling forward.
You'll feel it tomorrow.
Next, bring your arms back so that the
kettlebell is touching your chest, then stand back up by firing through
your heels, finishing the movement by squeezing your glutes together.
Perform six to eight repetitions of the exercise.
To put it
bluntly, crunches, situps or anything similar are literally crushing
your spine. Stuart McGill, a professor of spine biomechanics at the
University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and author of "Ultimate Back
Fitness and Performance," has found in his research that repeated
movement involved in the crunch is the exact mechanism for a disc
herniation. Moreover, he says, every crunch or situp you perform places
roughly 730 lbs. of compressive load on your spine.
While many
fitness professionals are quick to recommend abdominal planks as the go
to exercise for sparing the spine, basic planks are 1) for lack of a
better term, boring, and 2) not necessarily challenging enough for those
who are past the beginner stage and aren't suffering chronic lower back
pain.
To make the plank more challenging, try the prone plank
dumbbell glide variation. Set up as you would for a normal plank:
resting on your forearms and toes, with your body making a straight line
from head to toe. With a 5- to 10-lb. dumbbell arm's length away at
your side, lift one arm up, reach out and grab the dumbbell, then
"glide" it across the floor toward the middle of your body.
When
the dumbbell is directly underneath your chest, hand it off to your
other hand and continue the "glide" until your opposite arm is fully
extended on the opposite side. Don't rush the movement. Perform two or
three sets, with six to eight repetitions per arm in each set.
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