Masters Running

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JANUARY Plank Challenge 1/28 - 1/31 (Read 30 times)

OrangeMat


MM #6177

    I like glute bridges with feet on the stability ball. You lift up (squeeze the butt), roll the knees in (keep squeezing and do a crunch), roll the knees back out (still squeezing and work the core to keep balanced), then lower back down (control the descent with the glutes still engaged). All that is one rep, about two seconds for each movement. Actually, anything using a stability ball (or some other device to challenge one's balance) might be a good focus for the next month. Push-ups with feet on the ball, one legged straight arm planks, you name it. "Have a Ball February!" Wink

    Mike E


    MM #5615

      Good one OM. Why don't we just pull semi-trucks up a hill? Geeze, you women are trying to kill me!
      coastwalker


        Way to go, Mike!!!

         

        "Beer planks" Why didn't we think of that much earlier in the month??

         

        I've been doing my planks in the morning, after either a workout, or lots of easy stretching. I tried a second set last night, but my hip (which has been giving me grief) flared almost immediately, so I came to a quick halt. Bummer.

         

        Jan 29:

         

        1 X 90 - forward plank

        1 X 180 - marching glute bridge

        1 X 90 - forward plank with leg lifts

        1 X 120 - glute bridge on stability ball with hip drops

         

        Jay

        Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.

        OrangeMat


        MM #6177

          Here ya go Mike. Have a beer while you watch this one.

           

          MTA: Notice how her knees separate slightly when she rolls in? Not good. You get a better ab crunch when you keep the knees together, the same position as when the legs were straight. Sure, you might feel more of a squeeze in the butt allowing your knees to open a touch, but you're cheating yourself of the full benefit of the exercise by slacking off on the core engagement in that segment. That's why I said take a full 2 seconds for each part. She's doing it a bit faster. Just wanted to point that out. Wink

          OrangeMat


          MM #6177

            I've been doing my planks in the morning, after either a workout, or lots of easy stretching. I tried a second set last night, but my hip (which has been giving me grief) flared almost immediately, so I came to a quick halt. Bummer.

            Jay, were you warmed up when you did your evening set? Maybe some easy cat-cow stretches before you do the later set, as well as some opposite arm & leg extensions to open up the back and wake up the hips before you start. Hey, that could even count as part of the evening regimen. Wink Hope the hip is feeling better today.

            jeffdonahue


              eta: and there are only 4 days this week left in the challenge. Then I gotta come up with something else and I'm not getting any inspiration. anyone dying to do something in particular?

               

              Pushups?

              Pullups?

              Dips?

              Burpees?

              L-sits?

              Squats?

              hand stand pushups?

              box jumps (though everyone might not have access to a box to jump up on)?

               

              Just some thoughts as run through some old bodyweight workouts.

               

              My suggestion would be to go for the Burpee Challenge - 1 burpee day 1, 2 burpees day 2 until you do 28 on the last day.  The Challenge typically doesnt require that they be consecutive so you can do them 5 at a time if you want as the number gets higher, or you could try to do them consecutively.  And technically the challenge is supposed to be for 100 days but 28 would be a good start.

              TammyinGP


                good suggestions everyone! A part of me wants a butt challenge also because I know that I could certainly use that. And then another part of me wants to continue on with ab work because we've made such good progress on the planks and I'd like to add to that. But I also know that working on abs again, albeit in a different type of exercise, might get boring for some. I'll come up with something though.

                 

                did my 2nd set of 3 minutes worth of planks last night and then another set this morning. Abs still sore from sundays gym workout too.

                :90 forward

                :45 right

                :45 left

                Tammy

                OrangeMat


                MM #6177

                  Before run (7:30)
                  3x :60 prone
                  2x :45 side
                  2x :60 side
                  1x :60 prone

                  After run (7:30)
                  2x :60 straight arm prone
                  2x :30 prone, single leg
                  2x :45 side w/:15 leg lift
                  3x :60 double leg lifts (10x/set)

                   

                  Not sure how I feel about a burping challenge, but if that's what the group chooses, ok I guess... Clown


                  Marathon Maniac #957

                    Good one OM. Why don't we just pull semi-trucks up a hill? Geeze, you women are trying to kill me!

                     

                    Big grin

                     

                    OM - the only thing about making the challenge involve a stability ball is that not everyone has one.  I like the one-legged dead lift squats for balance:

                     

                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ6Llq3L7Xo

                     

                    My version is similar to this, but reach down and touch the opposite toe, rather than both hands touching at once.  The real balance problem for me is when I swing the leg forward, for some reason, the backward swing isn't so hard.

                     

                    And I balance much better on my right leg. Totally off on my left.

                     

                    3 minutes of planks, all 30-second at a time today.

                    Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."

                    OrangeMat


                    MM #6177

                      Holly, I was about to say that yes, working one-legged is great for balance, but that I personally don't like working with dumbbells because of my joint instability issues. But then I watched your video link and saw that she wasn't using any weights. I guess when you said "dead lift" I assumed that meant with weights. Sorry! Blush That's a great exercise, absolutely! And yeah, I was afraid not everyone might have a stability ball to use....

                       

                      I do, however, remember watching a video where this woman used paper plates under her hands and feet on a wood floor to simulate the sliding of those Ab Roller devices. I always thought that was pretty creative and resourceful!

                      Mike E


                      MM #5615

                        I watched both videos.  I will fall over trying to do Holly's.  I'm thinking about popping my stability ball after watching OM's.

                         

                        I did 100 crunches + 3 minutes of planks (90 seconds forward + 45 seconds each side) + 12.3 miles + 100 crunches + 3 minutes of planks (90 seconds forward + 45 seconds each side)

                        arf


                        MM #405

                          Mike E - No ball popping......this is a safe-ball zone

                          OrangeMat


                          MM #6177

                            Here are the paper plate exercises that I mentioned. Added Jeannine's instructions and form tips (all her words).

                             

                            Paper Plate Ab Slides -- This exercise focuses on stabilization and strength in the core, shoulders, and back. The most important things to be mindful of here:

                            1. Keep the abs braced and do not let your back drop toward the floor. Maintain that nice long line from your tailbone to the crown of your head.
                            2. Make sure you move your whole torso as the arms slide forward. (your hips move too)
                            3. Press into the plates the whole time. Do NOT lift your hands away from the plates to make it “easier”
                            4. Only move the hands as far forward as you can without letting the shoulders collapse toward the floor. Keep your shoulder blades drawing onto your back. 

                            Reverse Lunge Slides -- You can also do these with a chair beside you for some balance assistance, if you are feeling wobbly. Hold on as little as possible, however. The goal is to be able to do these free standing eventually or you will never get the true benefit. Tips:

                            1. Stand tall with your abs braced, shoulders over your hips, and one foot on a paper plate.
                            2. PRESS INTO the paper plate with your moving leg and slowly slide your leg directly behind you as you bend your knee.
                            3. Do not lean your torso forward as your leg goes back. Stay tall.
                            4. The back knee MUST BEND. (I see a lot of people slide the leg back but keep it extended. Don’t do that!)
                            5. As you slide the moving leg back to start, again, PRESS INTO the plate with your moving leg.

                            Glute Bridge/Eccentric Hamstring Slides -- This is a great exercise which helps to strengthen the back, glutes, and hamstrings, and it is well worth repeating. Be sure to keep all four parts of this movement clean and precise. Tips:

                            1. You must keep your abs braced throughout. By keeping the abs braced, this should also prevent you from overly arching your back. Keep your abs braced to help stabilize your spine.
                            2. You must keep your hips lifting away from the floor as your legs slide away from you. Stabilize.
                            3. Do not lift your head off of the floor. Be careful not to strain in your head and neck, or to shrug your shoulders up to your ears. Keep your head, neck, and shoulders relaxed.
                            4. Fully extend your legs away from you before you slowly lower your hips and legs down to the floor. Do not let the hips just drop and do not stop short with the legs.

                            Sliding Knee Tucks -- This is another terrific total body exercise. The main goal here is to stabilize the torso while you draw the knees into the chest and then back to what is known as Plank position. Tips:

                            1. Keep your abs braced and your hips lifted
                            2. Keep your shoulders aligned directly over your wrists the whole time
                            3. Don’t overly round your back (elevate your hands on a step if you need more space)
                            4. Keep your torso still as your legs move

                            Sliding Lateral Lunges -- This is a great strengthener for the inner thighs. If stepping lunges are too hard, you may have an easier time with the slide variation first. Tips:

                            1. Brace your abs and stand tall
                            2. As you slide your moving leg out to the side, bend the non- moving knee. The action of the hips must go back to the wall behind you.
                            3. Keep your torso squared straight ahead
                            4. Keep the foot of your moving leg pressing down into the plate at all times
                            5. Do not lean forward too much 

                            Sliding Mountain Climbers --

                            This is a great cardio exercise that gets your whole body involved. If traditional Mountain Climbers are too challenging, you may find these to be a nice transitional move. Once you have them down, and you can really stabilize, try and increase your speed! Tips are the same as for Sliding Knee Tucks:

                            1. Keep your abs braced and your hips lifted
                            2. Keep your shoulders aligned directly over your wrists the whole time
                            3. Don’t overly round your back (elevate your hands on a step if you need more space)
                            4. Keep your torso still as your legs move

                            Crocodile Walks -- This is a fun exercise that really works your upper body as well as your core stabilizers. Tips:

                            1. You guessed it. Brace your abs! Keep your back and your hips lifted. (If you feel any discomfort in your back stop immediately)
                            2. Keep your fingers, and wrist creases facing forward at all times!
                            3. Don’t let your head drop below your shoulders
                            4. Keep your arms fully extended
                            5. You must smile while you do these! (Yes, I am serious)
                            coastwalker


                              Jay, were you warmed up when you did your evening set? Maybe some easy cat-cow stretches before you do the later set, as well as some opposite arm & leg extensions to open up the back and wake up the hips before you start. Hey, that could even count as part of the evening regimen. Wink Hope the hip is feeling better today.

                               

                              OM, I thought I was warmed up enough just from the evening's activities, but apparently not. Thanks for the cat-cow stretches - I'll give them a shot. What I've been doing at night is balance exercises and hurting myself with my foam roller, and I can do those without any major hip flare-ups.

                               

                              Jan. 30

                               

                              Easy stretches, plus squats and crunches.

                               

                              2 X 60 - forward plank with leg lifts

                              1 X 180 - marching glute bridge

                              2 X 45 - side planks (one on each side)

                              1 X 120 - glute bridge on stability ball with hip drops

                               

                              Jay

                              Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.

                              TammyinGP


                                Last night I did my 2nd set of planks for Tuesday

                                 

                                This morning I did my 1st set of planks for the day.

                                 

                                just a note about the monthly challenges: I am happy to come up with something different each month, BUT I also invite anyone that would like to "lead" for a month to volunteer. Many of you have some great ideas of different exercises to do and having someone different take over for a month will bring more creativity and interest because we all have different ideas. SO, if anyone would like to lead up a challenge for a month, just let me know! 

                                Tammy

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