Do you want to do a workout that benefits you every day? Then it is best to incorporate these exercises into every workout.
When you work up a sweat in the gym, you naturally want to see something of that. Enter functional fitness. With 'functional fitness' you imitate the movements you do every day, such as taking a shower, putting something back on a shelf and sitting on the toilet. By incorporating these exercises in every workout, those daily actions will go a lot smoother for you, bet?
Read also :'3 reasons to train your back muscles'
On the toilet, at your desk, in the car – on average we squat at least 100 times a day to sit down. While squatting, you tighten your thigh muscles, glutes, calves and hamstrings. By doing the exercise with weights you can even turn it into a full body exercise.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart with your toes out. Then lower your hips back and down as far as possible. Do you want to make the exercise a little harder? Then take a kettlebell or dumbbell in your hands and hold it at chest height with your elbows pressed against your ribs. Now lower your hips while keeping your chest up. Press your heels into the ground and come up.
Have you ever seen a baby or toddler pick up something from the floor? They bend from a squat position and lift from their legs and hips, not from their backs. We can learn a lot from that… By making the same movements – also called a hinge – you can more easily lift heavy items, such as your shopping bag or your suitcase.
Place your feet hip-width apart and bend your knees slightly. Push your buttocks back and bend from your hips while keeping your back straight. Is there something in front of you that you can pick up, like a barbell or a package at the door? Then keep bending until you can reach it. Then keep your core engaged and your arms extended as you push from your heels to lift it until you're up.
The lunge is actually an exaggerated version of the steps you take when you walk. You use the same movement when you move a leg to tie your shoelace, when you step out of someone's way, or how you catch something when it falls off the table. With a lunge you tighten your thighs, buttocks, calves and all the muscles around your knees. If you can perform this exercise well, you can stand more stable on your legs.
There are many variations of the lunge, but the basics are the most important. Stand up straight and extend your right foot forward about a meter. Bend your knees both at a 90-degree angle. Then strengthen both your legs and step back to your starting position. Don't forget to do the same number of reps on both sides.
When you walk, your torso twists. Just like when you put on your seat belt, put something in the fridge, look at the person next to you or are working out. To rotate, you need a strong core and coordination. If you don't have that, you can just get a back injury. Most importantly, you rotate from your core and hips, not your lower back. Instead of doing rotational exercises, it is best to do anti-rotation exercises, because this prevents your body from turning too far.
Here's how to do it:
Put a resistance band around a stable object at chest height. Stand with your side to the object, kneel and grab the band with both hands. Tighten your core and glutes and pull the band toward the center of your body. Keep your core engaged and your body aligned. Now return to the starting position and repeat the exercise. Then turn around so that you are facing the object with your other side and repeat the exercise.
Pushes are exercises that push weight off your body. When you sleep on your stomach, you press your body to get out of bed. You also push when you open doors or when you stand up from a chair or next to a table. A push tightens the muscles in the front of your body, such as your abs and shoulders. Any exercise that includes the term "push" or "press" helps to train these muscles. The most important thing with these exercises is to keep contracting your core, so that you don't push from your lower back.
Hold a barbell just below shoulder height with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width and the bar resting on your palms. Keep your elbows directly under your wrists and push your bar above your head. Tighten your core and glutes at the same time and avoid overstretching your lower back. Inhale and bring the bar back to your chest. Use your stretch reflex to go straight into the next rep.
We do far fewer pulling movements in everyday life than pushing movements. That is precisely why it is a good aim to train more 'pulls' during your workout session. In fact, you should actually do two pull reps for every push rep you do. If you don't make enough pulling movements, you can get shoulder complaints, back pain and even bad posture. The best pull move? The pull up. Do you think it's still a bit too heavy? Then try it with a resistance band.
Hang from a horizontal bar with your palms out and your hands shoulder-width apart. Contract the muscles in your upper back and arms and pull yourself up towards the bar until your chin is above the bar. Then slowly and controlled lower yourself back to the ground.
Source:Livestrong.com
