Whether you belong to a multimillion dollar fitness center or you work out in your basement, you probably use the same equipment every time you exercise. It’s just human nature to fall into routines that suit our goals and lifestyle.
Rather than slogging through another ho-hum workout, why not take full advantage of the resources that are available? This week, I’ll discuss ways you can optimize your workout by including equipment you currently ignore.
As a general rule, I recommend that my clients use at least one piece of equipment designed to benefit each of the following categories in every workout: cardiovascular,strength, core, balance and flexibility. If each of your workouts contains exercises in each area, you’ve got a fairly comprehensive plan going. The importance of maintaining variety in your workout is akin to eating a healthful diet. Each category can offer you things the others don’t, so involving them all gives you better health outcomes in the long run.
My guess is that many readers can check off the cardiovascular and strength boxes but fall short in the other three areas. This can lead to imbalanced fitness outcomes at best and serious injury at worst. Flexibility, in particular, serves an extremely important role in a comprehensive fitness program. Stretching can reduce your risk for developing all sorts of joint problems as well as chronic back pain.
Ideally, I think everyone should at least try a yoga class. Putting the weird chanting and incense aside, yoga poses tend to really stretch out key muscle groups like the hamstrings and hip flexors. Even if a group-class format isn’t for you, I believe anyone can benefit from incorporating a couple of yoga poses into their regular routine.
It also is certainly worth adding in some variety in the core category. If you’re like most people, you grudgingly shuffle over to the abdominal mat at the end of your workout for two dozen of the fastest, worst-looking crunches ever seen.
Sound familiar? If you answered yes, try adding a medicine ball to your workout. The medicine ball will add a degree of challenge and fun that doesn’t exist with basic floor exercises.
This week’s exercise is designed to incorporate the medicine ball into the strength and the core categories as well as challenging your coordination. The Squat and Slam exercise is an intense movement that will really get your heart pumping.
Select a heavy medicine ball and place an exercise mat on the floor.
Stand directly in front of the exercise mat while holding the ball.
Extend your arms down toward the floor while holding the ball.
Squat and touch the medicine ball to the floor.
Quickly stand back up while lifting the ball overhead. Once you’re completely upright, the ball should be overhead.
Slam the ball down on the exercise mat as hard as you can with both hands.
Do two sets of 12 repetitions with 30 seconds’ rest between sets.
This exercise will definitely get your attention. Another cool aspect is the stress relief that comes from slamming a heavy object as hard as you can. It’s sort of cathartic, in the same way that fitness boxing can be. I think you’ll like it.
Matt Parrott has a doctorate in education (sport studies) and a master’s in kinesiology and is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine.
ActiveStyle, Pages 28 on 04/29/2013