3 Exercise Variations to Include in your Routine!

We have all heard the saying “doing something is always better than doing nothing”. This mostly remains true when related to exercise as the known benefits of physical activity for your mental & physical health are unmatched when compared to the negatives from being inactive.

All forms of exercise could have a purpose in your exercise routine under the right circumstances. But this brings forward a few questions;

•  What exercises are both safe and effective for your current health & fitness goals?

•  What exercises could optimize your time spent being active? 

To effectively choose an exercise routine that fits your body's needs, one must consider their current state of fitness, their time commitment and their access to equipment. Thankfully, our Physiotherapist Jon Wiseman and RMT Kurtis Haupt have teamed up to deliver some exercise ideas to add into your current routine. The following exercises can be done at a gym, at work or at home and can be progressed/regressed to all fitness levels to help improve your pain, posture & performance.

1) Dynamic Plank

• Equipment; Body weight 

• Target/Benefits; Core control, shoulder strength & stability 

• Coaching Cues; 

  • Start in a high plank position so that your wrists, elbows and shoulders are stacked in a line. 

  • Place your feet slightly wider than your hands. 

  • Breathe in, brace your core & lift one arm to tap the opposing shoulder. Repeat with both sides.

2) Kickstand Deadlift

• Equipment; Textbook or jug of laundry detergent 

• Target/Benefits; improve balance, lower body strength & range of motion

• Coaching Cues; 

  • Start in a staggered stance so that your front foot is flat and your back foot has an elevated heel. 

  • Ensure both knees have a slight bend. 

  • Draw the belly button inward towards the spine and tuck the rib cage down towards the pelvis. 

  • Initiate the movement by pushing the hips backward allowing your chest to approach parallel with the floor.

  • You should feel this exercise in your hamstrings and glutes.

3) Elbow supported shoulder external rotation 

• Equipment; Can of Soup or light dumbbell

• Target/Benefits; rotator cuff function, overhead stability, posture 

• Coaching Cues; 

  • Start by placing your elbow on your knee so that it is at an even height with your shoulder and comfortably supported

  • Keep the elbow at a 90 degree bend throughout the movement

  • Slowly rotate the forearm until parallel with the floor

  • Engage the back of the armpit to rotate the forearm back to a perpendicular position 

Exercise Parameters

• Each of these exercises can be used as an exercise snack! 

  • Example; every 2 hours during a busy workday, try 45 seconds of the dynamic plank

• They can also be used as supplemental exercises to your normal exercise routine.

  • Example; Prior to bench press, execute 2 sets of 15 reps of elbow supported shoulder external rotations on each side.

• Lastly, you could combine all there exercise into a short at home circuit.

  • Example; 45 seconds on : 15 seconds off x 3 rounds = 15 minute workout!

A1 Dynamic plank

A2 Kickstand Deadlift left leg forward

A3 Kickstand Deadlift right leg forward

A4 External rotation right side

A5 External rotation left side

If you are unsure on how to get started with your health & fitness journey, please book in on our website or call to have a session with one of our health professionals!

If you would like to see a video version of how to execute each exercise, you can refer to our Instagram page @anchor.georgina