FitnessU

30-day challenge

Build your energy and strength through January with three adaptable moves that complement each other—and you.

30-day fitness challenge – Squat

The squat is a compound, multi-joint movement that involves the major muscle groups of the lower body. It is considered by many health and fitness professionals one of the most important exercises for building a foundation of strength. However, the squat can become a contraindicated exercise when performed incorrectly. What this means is that it can do more harm than good without proper instruction and execution. Here are two common variations of the squat—one of the three exercises in our 30-day fitness challenge.

• Beginner: Traditional bodyweight squat
  Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart and angled slightly outwards. Hold your arms out in front of you as a counterweight. Push your hips back before bending your knees and lowering towards the ground. Your thighs should be around parallel with the floor at the lowest point. Throughout the movement, lift your toes off the ground to keep the weight on your heels. Also, keep the knees wide to prevent them from “collapsing” inward between the feet. This will help protect your knee joints.
• Advanced: Jumping bodyweight squat
  Set up as you would for the traditional bodyweight squat. The same technique applies as well, except extend your knees and raise out of the squat more explosively so that your feet come off the ground. Swing your arms overhead if need-be for momentum. This is the jump. Try to land softly and bend your knees on impact for a smooth transition into the next repetition.

A good rule-of-thumb is “hips, knees, and heels.” These are three specific areas of the body to be aware of when performing most squat exercises. Remember to push your hips back, also called the hip-hinge, before bending your knees. When bending and extending your knees, keep them wide to avoid “collapse.” Also, keep the weight on your heels. Weight transferring to the toes can place unwanted stress on the knee joints.

Combining the squat with the other exercises in our fitness challenge makes for a solid, full-body routine. Our carefully planned progression over the course of one month will help you achieve your fitness goals and raise the bar this New Year!

—Submitted by Frankie R., Lipscomb University

30 day exercise challenge–Plank tutorial

• What is a Plank? It’s an exercise that involves an isometric contraction. Meaning, that you are holding in a position for a certain length of time. You’re contracting your muscles, primarily your abdominals, in order to support your body weight and remain in a prone position.
• Main muscles worked: The abdominals, including your rectus abdominis (6 pack), obliques (on the side) and transverse abdominals (the corset underneath your rectus abdominis that holds everything together).
• Other muscles involved: Shoulder muscles such as the side and rear deltoids and part of the upper leg.
• Benefits: The plank trains muscular endurance, strengthens the abdominals, and improves posture. Great for working the deep ab. muscles that are responsible for core stability,, which is why the Plank is part of the 30-day challenge. Not only does it work multiple muscles at once, it will aid in your performance in other exercises including the squat and push up because the deep core muscles support the weight and your body in the other moves.
• Potential risks: Very low risk exercise, but make sure to work at a level that’s comfortable for you. There’s a small risk of lower back pain, so make sure that you contract the tummy muscles and keep a neutral spine (flat back). People who are pregnant or just returning to fitness after pregnancy may find the front plank to cause too much pressure on the lower ab. muscles and need to either modify or take a modified option (eg. Side plank from knees).
• How to perform: Facing the floor or a mat, place forearms on the floor, having the arms shoulder width apart and elbows in line with the shoulders. Walk the knees back, keeping a neutral spine, and contract the tummy muscles. Imagine your bellybutton rising up to the spine and forward towards the ribs. In you notice the low back swaying, contract the glutes and leg muscles to control the pelvis. For a more advance option rise up onto your toes and straighten the legs. Hold for the required amount of time or to fatigue. Don’t forget to breath.
• Modifications: Remain onto the knees if going up onto the toes is too difficult. If you can hold up onto your toes for longer than 60 seconds, try rising one leg up for three-legged plank. Add movements such as taping the feet out side-to-side, or rising up one arm. You can choose a high plank variation, on your hands and toes, where the hands are stacked under the shoulders.
• Things to watch for:
  
  • Keep the muscles contracted but don’t hold your breath.
  • Keep the back neutral. If your hips tend to rise up, walk your toes out further and contract the glutes to tilt the hips slightly forward, if your hips sink down, try a modified pose and lift the bellybutton up to the spine.

—Submitted by Florence S., University of Saskatchewan

Tricep push ups

Hi everyone, Eliza here, and I am going to show you how to do tricep push ups for the 30-day fitness challenge. The move I am going to give you is going to be combined with two others for a total of three exercises for a 30 day challenge. You can print out the full 30-day routine to track your goals and make sure you are doing the exercises correctly. As you go through this exercise, think about pushing the floor away and exhale with each repetition. This move requires little, space but you may need a mat or something soft under your knees if you do the beginner version. Let’s go through a couple of ways to do these!

• Beginner version: start on your hands and knees, with your knees hip width a part and hands shoulder width a part. This is also known as tabletop position. Then, bring your knees back a couple of inches, still maintaining that flat back and bring your shoulders in line with your wrists. Keep your knees on the ground and slowly start to bend your elbows, making sure they are very close by your sides and squeezing back. Once you are hovering the floor, press it back up to table top position. This is helpful for beginners because it lowers the intensity you will feel in your arms and helps you better focus on form—which is a flat back with your elbows tucked tight.
• Advanced version: start on your hands and knees, with your knees hip width a part and hands shoulder width a part. This is also known as tabletop position. Then, slowly distribute the weight into your hands and feet by lifting your knees up and holding it in a plank position. Make sure your shoulders are in line with your wrists, and slowly lower your body down by bending your elbows, making sure they are very close by your sides and elbows are squeezing back. Once you are hovering the floor, press it back up into your plank position.

This 30-day challenge will include the push ups I showed you and also planks and squats. The combination of the these three exercises will give you upper body, core, and lower body strength. Remember, this is a 30-day challenge so you will slowly build up to more repetitions. The first few days are meant for you to get the form down and then as the days go on, try and challenge yourself by dropping lower in your squat, squeezing harder in your plank, and lowering all the way down and back up for your pushup. Take your time and remember to be patient, but consistent!

—Submitted by Eliza S., University of Massachusetts, Amherst