Meet Your Personal Trainer

This posting is a continuation from our last post (our first post “Get Fit Anywhere, Anytime: “Do it NOW!”).

Please join me on my magnificent journey finding the easiest and best ways to get and stay fit quickly.  Each blog will build on the ones before and any helpful contributions from YOU.  Together we will build the ULTIMATE LIBRARY of EXERCISES and knowledge!!

We are resilient  creatures at coming up with excuses not to do something that we don’t want to do or that may be a little bit uncomfortable, ESPECIALLY exercise.  Perhaps you’ve heard some form of these excuses:  “If only I had a treadmill,”   “all I need are those supplements for a six pack,” or “if I buy that very expensive and fancy piece of equipment I would workout regularly.”

Most of the time what happens is the piece of equipment becomes a piece of unused furniture and later sold for a huge loss.  There are no magic bullets folks.  To get and stay in shape we must work out most days of the week.  But don’t worry, I will do my best to make it as easy as possible by providing the most relevant and effective information.  However I can not work out for you.

Always get clearance from your doctor/physician before starting any fitness program.  With all that said I want to give you exercises that you can do anywhere, anytime without weight or any fancy equipment.  You don’t even need a gym membership.  All you need is your own body weight and a few household or office props such as a chair and a table and five minutes.

So let’s start with the most basic and popular body weight or calisthenic exercises.  These are also some of the most effective exercises to build lean muscle and boost your metabolism!

1)Squat

Beginners start by sitting in the chair with feet hip width apart and feet naturally/slightly turned out (same direction as your knees).  While keeping the spine/back straight and weight evenly distributed through the feet, extend knees and hips until legs are straight (stand up) squeezing your bum at the top for a full contraction.

Make sure to keep your knees from passing over the front of your toes. To keep good posture while executing the squat, find a set point in front of you at head level or slightly higher.

2) Push Ups

Place hands slightly wider than shoulder width.  Lower your body to the floor by bending the arms, keeping good posture/back straight.  Then raise your body back up by extending the arms or pushing until the arms are straight. </span>

3)  a. Modified Pull Ups

A great way to change angles of your pull up to increase your strength curve (strength throughout your entire range of motion).  Also, a good substitute for someone who can’t do a full pull up, excellent for beginners.  As the name implies, you can modify the resistance by moving your feet either in (closer to you) or away from you.

The closer your feet are to your hands, the less resistance you will have.  If you are using a table, make sure it is stable and able to hold you first.  (sweet rhyming)
Grab underneath the edge of a table, having most of your upper body underneath or covered by the top of the table.  Place your feet shoulder at the appropriate distance from hands.

While keeping your back straight (maintaining good posture), pull yourself up towards the table.  WATCH OUT!!! Don’t hit your head on the top of the table like I do every time, ha!

You should finish at the top w/ the hands beside your sternum and shoulders squeezing down and back as if you were crushing a can between your shoulder blades.

b. Pull ups

Not everyone has a pull up bar easily accessible.  Substitutes include, but are not limited to the top of a door covered (cushioned) w/ a towel, a reachable tree branch, $20 door frame pull up bar at most sporting good stores, and/or any stable surface that you can grab and hold onto while lifting your entire body/feet off the ground.
Under hand pull ups a.k.a. chin ups are much safer and gentler on your shoulders, however the “traditional” pull up is done over hand.  Grip should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart.  Ideally one would be able to hang with their shoulders almost touching or touching their ears at the beginning while hanging for a full range of motion (NOT SHOWN).

Once the body is hanging, use your upper back muscles and arms to lift yourself towards the bar/branch/top of the door until your collar bone (ideally for a full range of motion) touches the bar.  While at the top, squeeze the shoulders down and back trying to touch the bottoms of your shoulder blades together.

4) a. Modified Dips/Tricep Dips

A modified dip or tricep dip begins with the arms straight/extended and hands under the shoulders keeping the shoulders pressed down and back, squeezing/contracting the bottoms of the shoulder blades together.

The further your feet are from your hands, like in the modified pull up, the more body weight/resistance you will be pushing against.   Once your feet are in place, slowly lower your body down while inhaling until there is a 90 degree angle between the upper and lower part of the arm.

Then exhale while straightening the arms out to return to the beginning position.   Compared to regular dips, tricep dips emphasize more of the back muscles (posterior chain), such as your triceps, rhomboids, teres major, and lats.

b. Dips

Dips are one of the best upper body exercises that you can do anywhere or period.  All of the major muscle groups are involved in this exercise, chest, shoulders, back, and triceps.

Place two chairs back to back about shoulder width or slightly further than shoulder width apart.  Starting at the top with your feet in the air, your shoulders should be pressed down and back with the bottoms of the shoulder blades squeezed together.

Slowly lower yourself down while inhaling until the upper and lower arm form a 90 degree angle/right angle.  Then exhale and push yourself back up until the arms are fully extended and your shoulders are back to the starting position.

5) Crunches (not effective, but very popular)

Lie flat on your back.  Lightly place finger on the side of your head.  You can also cross your arms on your chest or straighten your arms out beside your body in the air.  Make sure not to use your arms or your neck for momentum.

Before crunching up, flatten your lower back on the floor.  Raise your torso up by flexing your abdomen.  Slowly return the back of the shoulder to the floor.