FitnessU
Fitting in fitness
Fit for work
Desk Pushups: Place your hands on the edge of the table/desk, slightly wider than shoulder width apart, extend your legs so that your back, head and legs are in a straight line. As you lower your body to the desk, bring your elbows towards the back at a 45 degree angle. Many times people have the habit of bend the elbows straight out to the sides; this is improper form and causes the shoulders to creep up towards the ears. To increase the intensity of this exercise perform a mountain climber with your push up. Perform a push-up and then bring one knee into your chest, place it back to the plank position, bring the opposite leg into the chest and extend it back, perform another push-up and repeat 8-12x.
Chair Dips: Sit on the edge of the chair, place your hands on the edge of the chair with your knuckles facing forward, and bring your glutes off the chair to suspend your body. Then lower your body by bringing your elbows to 90 degrees and keeping your elbows facing directly backwards. Do not allow the arms to bow out to the sides. To increase the intensity adds a leg kick or leg lift to this exercise. Perform a dip and then lift one leg up and kick towards your face while balancing on the opposite leg, perform another dip and then bring the opposite foot off the floor and kick. Repeat this sequence with or without the kick 8-12x.
Tricep extensions, overhead press, chest press with book:
To perform triceps extensions, shoulder presses and chest presses use a heavy book. You will perform these exercises in a “triple-set” fashion. Therefore you will perform all three without resting. To perform the triceps extension, bring the book directly overhead, holding the book with one hand on each side of the book. Lower the book behind your head bending at the elbows, keeping the elbows facing forward. Do not allow the elbows to bow to the sides. Then extend the book back overhead. Perform 12-16 reps. Move immediately to overhead press. To perform this exercise bring the book to chin level, press the book overhead and bring the book back to chin level. Repeat for 12-16 reps. Move right into the chest press. Bring the book to chest level; push the book away from you, keeping the book parallel with the floor. Perform 12-16 reps.
Chair toe taps: Stand directly in front of the chair. Bring one leg up and tap the top of the chair, place the foot down and bring the opposite foot up to tap the chair. Perform this as quickly as you can. To increase the intensity, stay on the balls of your toes and switch feet quickly using your arms to help you move faster through the movement. Perform 12-20 reps with each leg.
— Samantha, American University
Discreet desk workout
Leg cross glute stretch: From your chair, raise one leg and place that ankle just above your other leg’s knee. Lightly press down on the knee of the raised leg, and lean forward until a stretch is felt in the glute area. Hold for 30-60s, then switch sides.
Hip tilt hamstring stretch: While sitting towards the edge of your seat, extend both legs in front of you. From here, perform an anterior pelvic tilt, causing your low back to have an exaggerated curve by flexing, and lean forward until a stretch is felt in your hamstrings. Hold for 30-60s.
Side seat quad stretch: Scoot to the side of your chair so that only half your butt is seated. Keeping the leg that is off the chair bent, push your toes as far back as is comfortable while staying straight on the chair, keeping your back straight. From here, you can either grab your ankle and pull up, or slightly lean back to feel a stretch in the quadriceps and possibly the hip flexors. Hold for 30-60s, then switch sides.
Back prayer: While sitting straight up, bring both hands behind your back, keeping the tops of the hands facing upwards the entire time. Make a fist with both hands, and touch the knuckles together. Pull both elbows behind you; if a large stretch is felt, stay with this variation. If the stretch is hardly felt, open your fists so your fingers are touching, and press your hands together so that the fingers and palms are pressed together with the fingers pointing upward. Again, pull both elbows behind you, feeling the stretch in your fronts of your shoulders.
— Chase, Northern Illinois University
Study intervals
Standing Knee & Hip Flexion: Bend one knee so that the heel comes towards the buttocks. Maintain this bend as you raise the knee as high as possible, shortening the angle between the thigh and stomach. This engages the hamstring and hip-flexor muscles. Relax the leg and return the foot to the ground before another repetition. Isolate each leg and keep an upright posture throughout the movement. If necessary, hold a stable surface to assist with balance. Perform 10-20 total repetitions, alternating each leg.
Resisted Head Extension: Waffle the hands and place them behind the head towards the top. Provide gentle resistance by pulling the head forward. Lower and raise the head in a controlled manner. It will look like an exaggerated nod. Perform 20 slow repetitions. This utilizes the posterior neck muscles which aid in posture.
Waffled Chest Pull: Again, waffle the hands. Bring them in front of the chest with straight arms. Palms should be facing towards you. Try to pull the hands apart without actually doing so—maintaining a waffled grip. This challenges the shoulders’ external rotator and back muscles. Bend the arms to bring the hands towards your chest as if you’re pulling something towards you, then extend the arms back out in front of you. Maintain a constant outward pull with the hands. Perform 20-30 repetitions.
Standing Gluteal Squeeze & Crunch: Squeeze the buttocks by tilting your hips forward. Tighten your stomach and crunch slightly forward at the same time. This activates both the gluteal and abdominal muscles for a stronger core. Perform 20-30 repetitions.
Engaged Twists: With hands resting on your head, tighten your stomach and twist side-to-side as far as possible without moving the lower body. Maintain a tightened stomach throughout to activate the abdominal muscles. Perform 25-50 total rotations.
Wall Chest Stretch: Stand at the corner of a wall or in a doorway. Rest one forearm on the wall with your elbow bent at 90 degrees. Your elbow should be at the height of your chest. Maintain the position of your forearm while twisting your body and facing away from the wall. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds each side. This will help alleviate tension in a commonly tight area.
— Frankie, Lipscomb University
