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Overall, strength can help decrease your risk of injury and prevent degeneration in the body, like osteoporosis.
Photo: Shutterstock. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Here are ten exercises that can helpbuild total body strengthand that can be modified for any fitness level.
Push-Ups
Push-ups are a greatbodyweight exerciseto work the chest, core, shoulders, and arms.
There are also so many different variations to match your strength level and change the targeted muscle groups.
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To adjust the difficulty, change your incline.
To adjust targeted muscle groups, change your arm position.
Lower your body down by bending your arms, maintaining the plank position.
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The elbows should move out at approxa 45-degree angle.
Use your chest and arm muscles to push yourself back up into a plank position.
Hands directly under shoulders and knees directly under hips.
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check that the spine is in a neutral position.
Push through the shoulders and hover the knees off the ground.
it’s possible for you to hold this, it’s possible for you to lift and lower.
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To increase the difficulty, you might do alternating shoulder taps or you might start crawling in this position.
Forwards, backward, and side-to-side crawls work!
Squat
A squat is a must in any movement practice.
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It is great for the lower body (quads, hamstrings, glutes) and core.
For a classic squat, start with the feet about hip distance with the feet slightly turned out.
The core should be engaged the entire time and the back should stay in a neutral position.
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Calf Raises
Calf raises are great for ankle stability, balance, and lower leg strength.
Try performing calf raises in a variety of different ways.
Start with the classic.
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Stand with feet sitting bones distance apart.
see to it the spine is neutral, and the core is engaged.
Lift the heels off the ground, hold at the top for a few seconds and slowly lower down.
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-you could try calf raises in hip internal rotation as well which would be a pigeon toe position.
you’ve got the option to vary your calf raise by changing the distance apart your feet are.
you could also try any of these positions with bent knees instead of straight.
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And you’re able to make calf raises even harder by trying single-leg calf raises.
Repeat on the other leg.
Start with the feet and bones distance apart.
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Lunges are great at strengthening the lower body, and I love how many variations there are.
My four favorite lunges are a forward lunge, reverse lunge, side lunge, and curtsy lunge.
you could hold side planks or you could move up and down.
Whichever variation you choose, ensure not to collapse through the bottom shoulder.
Push through the feet and engage the glutes to lift the hips off the floor.
The further away your feet are from your glutes, the more hamstring action you will get.
you’ve got the option to modify this bridge by elevating your shoulders or your feet.
I
I love using a bosu ball or an ottoman/couch for this.
Prone Back Extension
This exercise helps strengthen the posterior chain which is crucial in supporting upright posture.
lying prone (on your stomach) with your arms down by your sides.
