Improving your form
Personal Trainer, Lucy, gives you some new tips on how to complete some more basic home exercises and ensure you are using the correct form.
1. Lunge
Lunges can help you achieve a stronger and more stable core while improving balance and posture.
- Ensure that you have good posture and your core is tight.
- Make sure when you lunge to have both knees at a 90 degree angle.
- When returning to a standing position, make sure to press through the front heel.
- Alternate left to right and avoid rocking forwards on your front leg.
2. Side plank
Side planks are one of the best exercises that you can do for obliques and abs but are often overlooked. They can also be a useful way of averting back pains.
- Ensure that your elbow is underneath your shoulder.
- Stretch out so that you are lying wide.
- Squeeze up from your core.
- Squeeze your glutes and keep your hips forward.
- Arm can be raised high or resting on your hip.
3. Squats
Squats are ideal for building leg muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves) as well as burning calories.
- Position feet shoulder-width apart.
- Keep shoulders pulled back.
- Squeeze and brace through the core.
- Push hips back and bend through the knees.
- Keep the weight on your heels and thighs parallel to the floor.
4. Glute Bridges
Glute bridges work not only the glutes but also the lower back, abs and hamstrings. They can also work as an alternative to squats for those with back pains as they place no pressure on the lower back.
- Lie on your back with your feet close to your body.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor throughout.
- Squeeze up with the glutes and use your abs to brace.
- Aim to make a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
There are many other great workouts for you to try in our Hub.
