Ask Ingrid: Adding variety to your routine

As promised here are four more exercises to add to your home workouts.

Exercising at home can be very effective, but keeping it new and exciting can be hard. Adding different exercises or changing them can make sticking with your program easier. The following exercises or variations of these exercises are designed to add variety to your routine.

Remember, you can also go back over previous Talkabout magazines for more exercises to use in your home workouts.

Exercise one

Superman’s (on the floor)

Exercise 1This exercise works the guts and lower back. The higher you lift your legs the more you work your bum and the higher the arms go the more the lower back is worked.

Lie on the floor with your head lifted slightly and eyes looking straight down. Stretch out your arms and legs keeping your knees and elbows slightly bent. Lift the opposite arm and leg up, hold for one to two seconds then repeat on the other side. As you get fitter and stronger hold each side up for longer and do more repetitions on each side. Remember to always keep your head low to keep the strain off your neck, and one arm and the opposite leg on the floor while the other arm and leg are working.

Exercise two

Pullovers (on a coffee table)

Exercise 2This exercise works the upper back and chest. The heavier the weight you put in the bag the harder you are working these muscles.

Place two to four kilos of flour in a strong shopping bag and lie on a sturdy low table with the bag on your stomach. Keeping your feet firmly on the floor and your bum pushed up just enough to keep your body in a nice straight line, lift the bag up until your arms are nearly straight. Slowly stretch back until you feel a good stretch in your chest and shoulders then return to the start position using your chest and back muscles. Remember to keep your elbows slightly bent and locked in that same position for all repetitions of the exercise.

Exercise three

Crunches with a twist (on the floor)

Exercise 3This exercise works the abdominals, upper, lower and the obliques on each side. The higher you lift the body and the longer you hold the up position, the harder you will be working.

Lie on the floor with your feet up on a chair or coffee table so your knees are at right angles. Fold your arms across your chest, tuck your chin in towards your chest without letting it touch then slowly push your right elbow towards your left knee by lifting your body up and twisting slightly. Slowly return to the floor and repeat on the other side. Remember to keep your neck relaxed and the movements smooth (no throwing yourself around).

Exercise four

Squat (against the wall)

Exercise 4This exercise works the quads and hamstring muscles of the thigh as well as the calves. The longer you hold the squat and the lower you go the harder these muscles will be working

Squat against the wall going as low as you can without making it too hard on your knees. Over time, gradually work up to going lower. Keep your chest lifted and your back slightly arched as you breathe deeply. Hold until you feel the muscles working hard, then stand up and repeat after a short rest or stretch break.

Remember hold your legs in a variety of positions (e.g. knees in slightly then out and at different angles) to work as many muscles as possible.

Ingrid Cullen is a gym instructor with many years’ experience working with HIV positive people. Do you have any fitness questions for Ingrid? Email them to: editor@positivelife.org.au [1]