Warrior Fitness Workout of the Week #3

Jon — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:49:59 +0000

Let’s change it up a little bit this week and spend some time focusing on our core. Since all movement originates from the core of the body, it makes good sense to target it specifically and ensure our cores are strong, mobile, and integrated with the rest of our body. Instead of wasting time doing endless crunches, or spending crazy amounts of money on relatively useless tummy flattening gimmicks (as sold on late night TV), try this functional core workout instead!

V-up

10 V-ups

Lie flat on your back with arms stretched out over your head. Exhale, contract the core and lift arms and legs together. Inhale as you lay back. Repeat.

10 Knees to Chest

Sit with legs extended straight. Lean back slightly and lift legs, bringing knees to chest. Exhale as you contract, inhale as you straighten.

Knees to Chest

10 Crunches with 3 second isometric hold

Yes, sometimes even crunches can be useful. Just depends on how you do them! In this case, perform a normal crunch, but as you lift off the ground exhale, contract the core tightly and hold for 3 seconds before descending.

10 Pendulum Leg Lifts (side-to-side)

: Pendulums

Lie flat on your back with your legs straight up in the air, knees locked. Exhale and slowly drop your feet to the left side, back to center, then the right side. This is one rep.

Instructions

Complete 5 rounds. Rest 90 seconds between each round; no rest between exercises.

Need a Finisher?

Finishers are used to squeeze just a little bit extra out of the workout. They are awesome for increasing mental toughness as well!

Finisher Exercise: Plank hold for time – get in position and hold as long as you can. See if you can last 5 minutes!

: Plank Hold

For more information on the Warrior Fitness Workouts of the Week, please see our User Guide. And, as always, please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Reach me here or leave a comment below.

Want to know more? Check out Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Arts!

Fitness at Work?

Jon — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:04:59 +0000

This proves to be quite difficult for many cube-dwelling corporate warriors. This article will provide the reader with concrete examples of ways to increase health, energy, mobility, and core strength all while seated (or standing) at your own desk. Fitness at Work will only require about 10 minutes a day which can even be broken up into shorter increments and done throughout the work day. And, for those concerned with being stared at, most of these can be accomplished surreptitiously!

Before we get started, let’s take a look at some of the specific impediments to our health, vitality, and fitness that may be exacerbated by sitting at a desk, working on a computer 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week:

General fatigue
Short-range stiffness
Stiff neck, neck pain (pain in the neck?)
Low back trouble, ruptured/herniated/bulging discs, etc.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Expanding waist line
Lack of good overall muscle tone

Try to perform the following exercises a few times a day to reduce tension from the daily grind!

Neck Mobility

Up/Down (Lift up from crown of head, slide down along plane of jaw)
Left/Right (Turn head as far left as possible without pain, turn as far right as possible)
Side/Side (Tilt head down to left, move from corner of jaw, repeat to right)
Full circle

Shoulder Mobility

Roll both shoulders backwards (Lift shoulders up towards ears, roll backward fully articulating the range of motion, drop them down as far as comfortable)
Roll both forward
Alternate shoulder rolls (Roll left shoulder back as described above while pushing right shoulder forward then switch)

Wrist Mobility

Hold both hands in loose fists, make circles clockwise and counter clockwise with wrists
Begin with left wrist, hold in fist as above, lift wrist up, to the outside, down, to the inside, reverse direction and repeat with right wrist

Finger Mobility

Begin circling fingers with thumb (5 times) then continue with each additional finger
Circle fingers from pinky in the opposite direction

Core Strength

Tilt the pelvis up slightly while rolling the shoulders down, creating a “scooped out” concave with your torso. As you do this exhale and tighten all the core muscles and muscles around the core
Hold the tension for 5 – 8 seconds, then release allowing the breath to rush in as your abdomen naturally expands out again
Repeat 5 to 10 reps

Remember, just a short 10 minute break a few times a day will do wonders to increase your concentration, productivity, and mental health!

Let me know how these exercises work for you. Also, how do you relieve stress at work?