Hey, Fit for life family,
Welcome back to part 2 of “Can I work my whole body at home without visiting the gym or using equipment- PART 1.”
We trust you are doing well and safe and most importantly keeping active within your comfortable households.
This post will pick up where we left off from the last time. It will include both upper and lower body exercises with detailed explanations of what muscles are being worked and video demonstrations of how to execute the exercises correctly.
4). Hamstrings and Erector Spinae: (Click for Video)
The hamstring and muscles are one of the critical drivers of knee stabilisation and that work in conjunction with the quadriceps to achieve successful balance, stabilisation, walking and running movements.
The Erector spinae are the muscles that run down from the lower back up into our neck and play a vital role in posture and having a straight back, hence the word “erector.” Lack in strength and most importantly, if not trained in the right manner, these muscles tend to get tight and painful due to unnatural posture. E.g., one bends down to lift a carton with a rounded back rather than bending their knees and keeping a straight back. The erector spinae will work and a lot harder when in a stretched position and will lead to a spasm like feeling that is a protective mechanism from our muscular-skeletal system to avoid hurting our selves. It is nothing major; however, these spasms can excruciating and take several days to settle down.
The Dowel Hinges are the perfect exercise to learn the movement of “hinging” from the hips while keeping a straight back and using the more robust, larger muscles of the lower body to bend over and pick heavy objects off the ground for example. The Dowel Hinges work both muscles simultaneously, which will translate into several different daily activities like walking, running and even simple tasks like sitting upright on a chair.
Once comfortable and feel like the movement is too easy, advance to the Single-leg Hinges progression. This exercise will not only challenge the primary muscles we talked about earlier but also, a massive component of balance and stability which will trigger higher core engagement. In short, its a total body exercise that challenges several aspects of the movement.
Critical points for exercise execution:
Dowel Hinge:
1). Keep abdomen engaged (refer to dead bugs) throughout the movement.
2). he dowel should always have 3 points of contact throughout the movement- Back of the head, upper back and lower back (watch video)
Single leg Hinge:
1). Same concepts as above
2). Hips should remain square throughout the movement.
3). Maintain a slight bend in the knees and a straight back.
5). Chest, Triceps & Deltoids: (click to see video)
The Chest, Tricep and Deltoids located on the front of our upper body are the primary movers of any pushing movements. They stabilise some actions of the shoulder joint and help us in daily activities like getting off the floor, pushing objects and also overhead movements like placing something on a high shelf or taking something down for, eg.
The Push-up is a common underrated exercise that targets these muscles if appropriately executed. It works not only the primary muscles mentioned above but also the abdominal muscles to help keep a robust straight back throughout the exercise.
For any given reason, if you do struggle with the standard push up, the Elevated Push up is a regression for you.
Critical points for execution:
1). Your head, back and hips should maintain the same level all through the exercise.
2). Keep abdomen engaged (dead bug)
3). Keep elbows tucked in and close to your body as compared to flared out (This could mitigate too much stress on the small stabiliser muscles of the shoulder)
6). Rhomboids and Lattisimuss Dorcii: (Click to see video)
The posterior upper part of the human body is rather large in the context of surface area and hence consists of a series of complex and big muscles. Their functions vary from horizontal pulling motions (pulling doors open) to vertical pulling movements (Pull-ups).
The back muscles- both, Rhomboids and Lattisumuss Dorci (wing muscles) are part of one of the largest group of muscles in the human body. They often are neglected as they are hard to train without any equipment at home. Working the back muscles is crucial for optimum shoulder and postural health, and hence they should never be overlooked. We should prioritise pulling exercises with a 2:1 ratio to pushing movements to ensure robust shoulder health.
The towel extensions are an exercise devised, keeping in mind that we may not have any equipment at our disposal within our homes. The Towel extensions address both horizontal and vertical pulling movements within one exercise.
Critical points for exercise execution:
Choose between two variations of the Towel Extensions.
1). Knees off the ground- This variation engages the glutes and entire posterior part of the body due to the nature of the isometric hold.
2). Knees on the ground- If the first variation is too advanced for your liking, you could alternatively rest your knees on the ground.
7). Calves: (Click to see video)
The calves are the hardest working muscles of the body and built to put in the miles without getting tired rather quickly. However, they too get neglected more often than not. Your body weight can be more than what is required to work these muscles or maintain their good health. Good strength in the calf muscles can avoid excessive tightness and discomfort from getting overworked.
The Calf raise is a simple exercise using an elevated surface and your body weight.
Critical points for exercise execution:
1). Keep the movement controlled and not rushed.
2). Choose between the Double leg or single leg variation depending on your fitness level.
3). Do not overdo these exercises as they seem easy but can cause soreness that will lead to a prolonged stint uneasiness.
We hope you find this helpful and remember, we are only a call away. If you do find these variations to easy or need any specialised program tailored to your needs, we continue to provide our services in these absurd times. Do visit our FitforLife Website for more details.
We continue to update our YouTube channel with programs each week that you can follow t home. Make sure you give it a visit and hit that subscribe button to get all the latest updates and new programs updated weekly.
We sincerely hope you the best of health and are working hard behind closed doors to keep the premises ready for your return.
Until then, Stay Home, Stay safe and most importantly, stay fit for life!
Yours Sincerely,
Roy Dsouza 🙂
Sports Trainer (YouTube Channel)