[Episode 12] Movement Tips To Help You Train From Home Safely

Squats

Squats are a movement that focuses on the Quadriceps aka Quads (the muscles in the top front of our legs). They are made up of four muscles which is why they are called Quads.

How to squat safely:

• Start with knees hip width or more apart with feet in line and toes facing slightly outwards. Bend your knees and push your butt back, at the same time. If this narrow position is difficult for you, slightly widen your stance and try again.
• Bring your hands together in front of your chest, keeping your elbows close to your ribs.
• Squat down by pushing butt back and down, pushing the knees out to track the toes. You want the backs of your legs to sit parallel with the ground.
•  As you squat, keep your hands at chest height. You can touch the points of your elbows on the knees if you’re able as you reach the bottom of your squat. Keep your back straight and your torso upright.
• Reverse the motion by pushing with the feet and returning back to standing position.

Remember Breathing:

Inhale on the way down, exhale sharply when returning back up to standing position.

Variations:

Use a chair to sit back towards as a guide for your hips. If that’s still causing some challenge, you can find an open door way and while facing the door frame, place your hands on the door trim at chest height and as you bend your knees and push your hips back and down, walk your hands down the trim using it as support to help keep you balanced and your chest upright.

Push Ups

• Start on your hands and toes. Your hands and elbows should be directly under the shoulders.
• Squeeze your butt and belly with everything you’ve got! Ground your toes into the floor and flatten your back!
• Lower your body as low as you can. Draw shoulders back, elbows tucked as close to your ribs as possible and bending backwards, not outwards. Keeping your body straight and hard like a plank.
• Keeping solid like a plank and squeezing your butt, exhale and push back up!

Variations

If this is too difficult, lower down on the toes and drop to the knees on the way back up. If you can’t do this (don’t worry, push ups are challenging!), instead of having your hands on the floor, place hands on an elevated ledge.

Sit Ups

• Lay on the ground on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the ground
• Place your hand either across your chest or flat on the tops of your legs ( this is to stop you swinging your arms to help you sit up or gripping the back of your head and pulling yourself up with your head and neck)
• Squeeze your knees together, tuck your chin down towards your collar bones, exhale and sit up so that your elbows come past your knees Slowly lower yourself back down to start position.

Variations

If you can not get your elbows to your knees start by touching the tops of your knees with your hands.

Deadlifts

1. Stand with feet hip width apart.
2. Hinge back with the hips, while at the same time bending your knees. Make sure your shins stay vertical and don’t push forward over your feet.
3. Roll the shoulders back so that the arms are firmly pulled into their sockets, and completely flatten out the spine.
4. Engage the abdominals and drive the feet into the floor as you press the hips forward. Generate as much power from the hips as possible.
5. In the upright position, make sure that you squeeze your butt and your abdominals are still engaged.

Remember

Breath in as you hinge back and breath out as you stand up.