3/12/24: Exercises We (Love to) Hate
Recently, the New York Times had an article titled “5 Exercises We Hate, and Why You Should Do Them Anyway.” Before reading on, you may want to quickly make a list of your five to compare.
The writer asked fitness experts which exercises their clients say they hate the most, and the experts explained why they are functionally important. I asked the folks who work out with me what they thought might be on the Times list, and what their own dislikes were – more about those responses below.
If the Times reporter had asked me, I would have said single-leg balance moves. Not that my clients absolutely hate single-leg balance; they are frustrated by it. First, many of them are actually better at balance than they think and second, the way to get better is to do it. In the photo, I’m doing a single-leg squat.
I’ll add that another personal dislike of mine is core work lying on the back, but I don’t know how necessary it is. There are reasons why I still do it myself and have others do it, though. I prefer for core work to be more functional, and fun. In the photo, I’m swinging a plate on a diagonal (don’t let go!). It’s an athletic movement that also comes in handy when lifting and reaching, and you can add some single-leg balance as well.
Now, for the Times list: it’s squats, planks, dead lifts, jumping, and burpees. Several of the people I work with mentioned burpees, which include jumping and plank, by the way. So next week’s newsletter will be about burpees, and the following week about jumping (which I love, but I know it’s not for everyone). Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!
3/19/2024: Love the Burpee!
As promised, today I’m spotlighting one of my all-time favorite exercises: the mighty burpee. (Named after the guy who invented it, Royal Huddleston Burpee – look it up!)
So, what’s the big deal about burpees? Well, it’s an easy-to-remember (not so easy-to-do) sequence of movements that combines strength, endurance and agility. And it really boosts your cardiovascular health. Burpees work just about every major muscle in a way that’s compact, efficient, and super effective.
Now, the burpee is often called a no-equipment-needed exercise, but most of us (myself included) will get more out of the moves with our hands on support higher than the floor. In the videos, I’m using a weight bench – I also use a step-up box, parallette bars, solid yoga blocks, and a BOSU ball.
The sequence of moves is: start standing, place hands on support, jump back to plank, do a push-up, jump forward, jump up. You can modify by skipping the push-up or by stepping instead of jumping in and out of plank. As you get more proficient, you can add more elements.
How many should you do? Start with five at a time if you’ve never done them before. Then add repetitions, multiple sets, and variety. You can do burpees almost every day – I mix them into my workouts 2-3 times a week.
If you want to know more variations, including some with equipment, let me know. Or better yet, come do some burpees with me!
3/26/2024: On Workouts and Yard Work
Last weekend, the gym was getting painted (and it looks awesome!) so I tackled some overdue tree trimming. The coco plum in the backyard and sea grape in front had grown up over and onto the roof. The very earnest guy who handles our pest control had been on me for a while to take care of it.
The weather was beautiful, so I got out the power saws and a small step ladder and went to work. I don’t know if there’s such a thing as too sunny, but I realized that as I progressed I was cutting away my shade!
You can see in my photos the end result of about five hours of work over two days – three more hours than if I had gotten in two workouts. And I had way more soreness the following days than I usually do from workouts (plus a few minor scratches).
Why am I telling you all this? Well, what I did last weekend shows why we work out in the first place.
We want to be in shape for the physical demands of life. That’s why it’s important to me that we understand the relationship between movements we do in our workouts and around-the-house tasks.
Among movements in a workout (or yoga), balance deserves a mention all its own. The ability to balance on one leg, or on the balls of the feet, or with one foot higher than the other, is so useful – and therefore, so worth practicing. I had to get up onto a small step ladder – one leg higher than the other – to do my cutting and trimming.
And man, was I sore afterward! It was a reminder that even when we’re in pretty decent shape, those household tasks take their toll. When we’re moving at the gym, we’re (hopefully) paying attention to the process. Out in the yard, I was twisting and reaching in some pretty awkward ways – but the work I’d done with mobility and balance made those moves possible.
As always, I hope I’m doing what I can to demonstrate what functional, practical fitness is. And I’d love to hear from you with your own examples.
Fitness With Chip 