Home exrecise

This week we are going to look at some simple exercises that can be done in the comfort of your own home. You will not need specialised equipment or gadgets for these.

Body weight exercises are ideal, press ups and leg squats are good examples.  Press ups will strengthen your arms, shoulders, chest, back and core.  You can start by placing your knees on the floor and as strength improves you can complete full press ups, supporting your body weight on your hands and toes. As you improve further you can vary your hand spacing and position to add variety and continue to challenge your muscles.

Squats are a good all round exercise, improving leg strength and cardiovascular ability.  When starting out you can perform a half squat and gradually build up so your thighs are parallel to the floor in the lower position. An important point is that whilst in the lower position your knees should not go past your toes. This will avoid potential knee problems later on. Once you get the hang of squats you can add some weight by placing a heavy book in a rucksack and strapping it to your back.

If you live in  a house then use your stairs to train your calf muscles.  Simply perform 10 calf raises on each step as you ascend. Eventually, you will be able to reach the top! Walking up and down stairs can give a good cardiovascular workout.

Abdominal and core exercises are many and varied, there is too much choice to go into here. When performing abdominal exercises the key is to go slowly in order to fully recruit the maximum amount of muscle fibre. Fifteen slow crunches are far better than thirty done incorrectly.

Be inventive with your exercises. Bottles of water or tins of food can be used as simple weights for bicep curls, triceps and shoulder presses.

Next time we will look at a simple programme to get you started on your way to improved fitness and shape.