Work It Out

Episode 18: Towel Push-Ups

Jenny — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:00:19 +0000

The abdominal muscles are extremely important for the health of your back, maintaining good posture and breathing. They are also very important for reaching forward at the trunk as well as bending your trunk to the side.

HOW-TO:

1. Take the towel and put it under your feet.

2. Keep your hands and toes shoulder width apart.

3. Raise your upper body off the ground.

4. Pull your knees to your chest while breathing in.

5. Straighten out while exhaling.

VIDEO DEMO:

Episode 17: Towel Hamstring Curls

Jenny — Sun, 06 May 2012 21:04:51 +0000

The hamstrings are located in the back of the thigh. These muscles act at the hip joint to move your leg behind you and also at the knee joint to bring your lower leg closer to the back of your thigh. These muscles are especially important for activities like walking or slowing down the leg after kicking a football.

HOW-TO:

On a hard-surface floor, lie on your back and place a towel under your heels.
With your hands by your side, lift your hips up off the ground and drag your heels in toward your butt as far as you can while keeping your hips raised straighten knees.
Allow your heels to slide back to the starting position with the knees bent slightly.
Repeat.

Episode 16: Wall Supported Ankle Dorsiflexion

Jenny — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:50:43 +0000

This exercise is one of very few that works the tibialis anterior (the muscle on the front of the lower leg). This movement of bringing the top of the foot closer to the shin is essential for foot clearance when walking.

HOW-TO:

Stand up tall with your back against a smooth wall.
Place your feet hip width apart and 30 to 50 centimeters in front of the wall.
Keeping the knees straight, bring your toe box up to your shins while your heel remains in contact with the ground.
Slowly lower the toe box back to ground without coming to a stop.
Repeat.

VIDEO DEMO:

Episode 15: Ottoman Prone Cobra

Jenny — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:45:46 +0000

The prone cobra emphasizes the deltoid (the back of the shoulder) as well as several smaller muscles acting at the shoulder joint and on the shoulder blades for stabilization. This exercise teaches us how to stabilize our shoulder blades and to hold them in a good postural position. It also teaches us to keep the head up and neck long, two cues important to exercise and posture.

HOW-TO:

Lie with your hips on an ottoman and your knees, feet and lower legs on the floor.
Keep the neck long, chin back and shoulder blades retracted back and depressed down.
Bring your upper arms in to a 90-degree angle, so they are in line with your shoulders.
Lower your hands to the ground.
Raise your hands off the ground to the level of your body.
Move your arms so your hands are next to your bum.
Move your arms back up to the shoulders and then return your hands to the ground. Ensure that the palms face the floor throughout the entire exercise.

VIDEO DEMO:

WARRIORS COME OUT AND PLAY!

Rob — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:57:40 +0000

It’s time for a ‘Work It Out Radio’ Contest! You can win a fabulous limited edition retro-look Work It Out t-shirt!

Send in you in your best picture of you with your craziest Work It Out Warrior gear. The first five entries are guaranteed a prize, the remainder will be judged by our expert Warrior panel. Prizes include amazing limited edition Work It Out Radio T-Shirts, Wesmen Gear and more.

The winners pictures will be announced on workitout.ckuw.ca and posted online!

Send your pics to warriors@workitout.ckuw.ca

Episode 14: Towel Partner Rows

Jenny — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:34:20 +0000

Towel rows are a great exercise for working the large muscles of your back and arm. This is a very functional exercise that will aid in pulling open heavy cabinet drawers, pulling up your slacks and obviously pulling towels out of the washer and dryer.

HOW-TO:

Stand up tall, with knees slightly bent, back neutral, tummy tight, neck long, chin back, chest up, shoulder blades back and down and one hand on a towel.
Place the other hand on another towel. Have a buddy do the same thing with the other ends of the towels that you are grabbing. Keep your elbow close to your sides, shoulder blades stable and body upright.
Draw the towel towards your body and drive your elbow back as your partner resists the motion.
The partner pulls the opposite arm and you must resist their force without overcoming it.
Repeat.

VIDEO DEMO:

Episode 13: Broomstick Partner Chest Press

Jenny — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:00:03 +0000

For this exercise, you and your partner are exercising the two sides of the body independent of one another (unilaterally). The benefits of working unilaterally are that greater strength may be developed in each limb. Functional uses of this exercise include opening doors and throwing a low jab in boxing.

HOW-TO:
1. Stand up tall, with knees slightly bent, back neutral, tummy tight, neck long, chin back, chest up, shoulder blades back and down and one hand on a broomstick. Place the other hand on another broomstick

2. Have a buddy do the same thing with the other ends of the broomsticks that you are grabbing.

3. Keeping your elbows close to your sides, shoulder blades stable and body upright push the stick towards your partner as your partner resists the motion.

4. The partner pushes toward you with the other broomstick and you must resist their force without overcoming it.

5. Repeat.

VIDEO DEMO:

Episode 12: Wall Stick-Ups

Jenny — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:00:59 +0000

Wall Stick-Ups reveal limitations in the range-of-motion at the shoulder joint. This exercise is great for preventing shoulder injury when throwing a baseball, as well as reaching over the head when getting up into those top cupboards.

HOW-TO:
1. Maintain a five point body contact with the wall – both heels against the wall, flat on the floor and shoulder width apart, bum against the wall, knees slightly bent, back neutral, Shoulder blades against the wall, head against the wall, and right and left hands against the wall.

2. Begin with your upper arm abducted (moved away from your body) to 90 degrees (parallel to floor) and in line with the shoulder, bend the elbows to 90 degrees so they are perpendicular to the floor.

3. Press your hands up as high as you can while keeping your five-point body contact with the wall.

4. Lower your hands back down with control to the starting point and repeat.

Episode 11: Couch Push-Ups

Jenny — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:00:05 +0000

Push-ups are a great upper body exercise that emphasizes the pectoralis major (a fan-shaped chest muscle), the anterior deltoid fibres (front portion of the shoulder muscles) and the triceps brachii (the muscles on the back of the upper arm). This movement will help develop these muscles and allow for their effective use in activities like pushing open doors and throwing chest passes in basketball.

HOW-TO:
1. Using the back of a couch place hands shoulder with apart on edge of couch. Move your feet back about four feet, so your body is angled toward the couch.

2. Keeping your body in a straight line from head to toes, lower yourself down towards hands bending the elbows.
3. Push away extending elbows while maintaining a straight body.

VIDEO DEMO:

Episode 10: Wall Sit

Jenny — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Wall sits develop isometric strength (that means that the joint angles remain the same throughout the exercise) primarily in the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings.

HOW-TO:
1. Use a smooth wall or surface like a support beam.

2. Place your feet at an angle away from the wall about two feet. Squat with a stance that’s shoulder apart or slightly wider.

3. Slide down the wall until your upper leg is parallel to the floor.

4. Contract your abdominal muscles to support your lower back, ensure that your low back remains in a neutral position.

5. Make sure to keep your shoulders back and hold the position as long as possible.

VIDEO DEMO: