Dani Rotramel Exercise Trends for 2015
The number 1 ranked exercise for 2015 is Body-Weight Training. We can all do this. No gym or equipment needed.
The old practice of using your own body weight – instead of fancy equipment – for resistance training was named the number one exercise trend in a survey of fitness professionals conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Squats
When I began CrossFit training, I had probably never done a squat, a pushup or a situp. And for sure, I wasn’t any good at doing any. The goal of “Squats” is to keep the knees going out and not in, to keep the back straight, abs tight and to squat about the amount you see in the above photo. Use your arms to propel you back up.
Pushups
Many have to do modifications to get ready for the real pushups. Erin, our trainer at CrossFit, had us begin doing them on our knees instead of full body. The next step would be to do them against the wall. Erin says the goal is to keep the body in a straight line, the arms in close to the body and abs tight.
Situps
Boy this was a hard one for me. Thankfully all of these are quite easy now. I couldn’t even get back up from the lean back in the beginning. At CrossFit, our position is knees folded and on the ground (not like the above photo as her knees are in the air). Many need to use a band to begin with and secure the band to a post or door hinge to help get back up once leaned back. Keep back straight and abs tight to work the core.
Building a Stronger Core
Manhattan fitness expert, Alastair Greer, says you will get a stronger core if you exercise supporting muscle groups, such as your glutes (in your butt) along with ones in your midsection. The above picture illustrates a single-leg dead lift that works both groups of muscles, says Greer.
- Stand tall and shift weight onto right leg.
- Keep the right leg slightly bent and tip the torso forward while lifting the left leg behind you until your body and leg are parallel to the floor. Keep back straight. Let your arms hang down. Return to the starting position.
- Do 10 to 15 reps, then change sides.
- If trouble keeping balance, use a wall to lightly touch while moving.
