Just stay still (workout without moving) - Part 2 Wall Sit

The most dreaded of the static exercises, or maybe just my personal nemesis, is the wall sit.  It is all the more daunting because it looks so easy.  We lean up against stuff all the time right?  That's all this really is.  You are just at a funny angle.  Here's how it goes: stand a foot or two away from the wall then lean back.  Slide you back down the wall until your knees form a right angle.  Then just hold it as long as you can.  Sounds simple right?  I think I made it about 30 second the first time I tried.

I hate photos like this.  Don't smile, be realistic. Grunt, grimace, grind your teeth in frustration, something, anything to show this exercise is not a pushover.  She is such a faker or she does this constantly for some kind of crazy wall sit competition.  

As you might have guessed, this is going to work your legs pretty hard.  First your quads. Quadriceps are the ones on the fronts of your thighs. These work to straighten you knee.  And your hamstrings. On the back of your thigh these are used to bend your knee. Needless to say after a couple sets of these your thighs might be a little warm (Warning: the previous sentence was a massive understatement)



Hope these are helping.  The next one is going to get a little weird.  It involves being upside down!


Just Stay Still Series:
1 Planks

"You have to have a burning desire to get to where you want to be"

This is a great article that I wanted to share.  As usual it links directly to my favorite fitness site Fitocracy.  Have a look at a man who did it because he decided he could.

http://www.fitocracy.com/knowledge/fitocracy-member-spotlight-gsfreeman2/

Just stay still (workout without moving) - Part 1 Planks

I have found that some of the exercises that give you the best burn don't require any movement.  As a matter of fact they require you to stay completely still, normally in a rather uncomfortable position.  Everybody knows (or thinks they know) about the most common kind of static exercise, the plank.  Now before you run off to take pictures of yourself laying down in funny places lets note, that trend was not an exercise and most people were getting no benefit from it.  Honestly taking a pose like the one below works your back and is closer to a superman but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

good effort but no

Planks in their many variation are all designed to strengthen the core, primarily your abs.  You can do a high plank which is the same pose you would take at the top of a push-up.  This is the easiest to get started with as it's a more natural position and helps keep everything off the ground.  The only parts that should be touching are your hands and your toes.







As you get more comfortable though try getting lower to the ground.  A low plank is what you will normally see in a Google search.  Up on your toes, spine straight,support yourself on your forearms.  The lower you go the tigher you have to hold.  If your really skinny (read skinnier than me) take the wide push-up stance and then lower yourself until you are almost touching the floor.  If you can do that why are you reading this?




Another alternative that keeps you completely straight and doesn't threaten to pinch your shoulder blades is using a chair to put your feet on.  This is a little harder and requires you to squeeze those abs a little tighter but that burn is what your going for.


Just about every variation of plank can also be done as a side plank.  This way you are working your abdominal, obliques, and back one side at a time.  Some people find them easier some harder but feel free to do less time since you should always do both sides.

This quickly went from a intro to static exercises to just planks so we'll make this a series and call this part one.  Feel free to post any questions or ask for a certain workout or topic to be covered.  Until next time I'll leave you with my personal feelings on planks.  No one I know looks like the people above so when you feel like the picture below don't sweat it.  Core workouts are more about maintenance and resisting injury.  You are getting more benefits that you don't see than one you do.

Just Stay Still Series:
2 Wall Sit

He's going to pump..... You up!

My favorite fitness social media site, Fitocracy.com has teamed up with biggest fitness icon of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Together they have created something called the 1% Challenge.  Together they have created 5 workout routines (so far) that take about 15 minutes each.  There are strength and cardio as well as equipment and body weight routines. Where does the 1% come in?  15 minutes is roughly only 1% of your 24 hr day.

I've talked about Fitocracy before but adding in these routines takes it up a notch.  Your not just blindly trying out exercises to see what works, though that's not always a bad way to begin.  All of these routines have video tutorials which is great for beginners who aren't sure of correct form.  In preparation for writing this post I watched a couple and I would even recommend them to people who know the exercises.  There are some good tips on how to keep your form all the way through the routine.

My favorite Routine is B or the Body Weight Circuit.  These means you can do all the exercises without buying any equipment going to the gym or even being at home.  If you live out of a suitcase you still don't have an excuse for not doing these.  Once again this is a great routine for beginners because it's much harder to injure yourself with no heavy objects around.  If this gets too easy you can always up your repetitions or jump over to the intermediate body weight routine D.

To ease myself back into working out and make sure I don't injure myself like I did last time this is how I'm starting off.  Personally I have added in some crunches and side planks but as with any exercise routine only do what feels comfortable to you.

//Actuator//

AAAAAAAnnnnd we're back!

Honestly I am coming back with new fitness posts.  I have to say the people that are STILL reading this blog with how long a break I have taken have really inspired me.  With only 13 total posts I have almost 2 thousand views.  I'm glad to hear you are still interested.

I have a whole list of things I want to talk about this time around.  First off an injury that took me 6 months to heal with the help of a chiropractor and a physical therapist.  Second, I AM A DADDY!!  Just 6 short weeks ago my little boy was born and it has been a wild ride.  I have some tips and ideas for the guys for not gaining her pregnancy weight as well as some ideas for the ladies about getting that shape back as quick as possible.  Third, since the last time I have talked with you I attempted to run 200 miles in 3 months.  That's less than 2.5 miles a day but finding the time and not wearing out is tough.

My latest challenge? The baby is crying, the diaper smells, work is calling, so WHEN do I get to work out and WHAT kind of exercises can I do?

If your interested in catching up with what I have been doing for the last 6 weeks I have a video blog on YouTube that I post to once a day.  This is mostly to update family and friends but I also try to be informative to new parents and we will squeeze in some good info on staying in shape at the same time.  I'll make sure to post any of those videos right to the site.

Once again thanks for hanging in there.  I can't wait to get things rolling again.