Best Strength Exercises You Can Do Anywhere!

The evidence is clear – Strength Training is the True Fountain of Youth.

If you commit to conditioning your muscles against resistance at least a couple times per week, you can expect to improve your muscle endurance and strength, increase your bone density, boost your metabolism, lose weight, improve your body composition, improve your posture, increase your functional capacities and improve your overall health and how you look and feel.

The good news is you can achieve all of this right from home with no equipment starting today, right now!

Here are a few of my favorites. Complete 1-3 sets of the following 2-3x/week:

Lunges

Stand with one leg positioned in front of the other leg. Keep the front knee over top of the ankle or the foot. Keep the back knee underneath or slightly behind your hips. Slowly lower the back knee towards the ground keeping the front knee over top the ankle the entire time. Only go as low as you feel comfortable. Keep your body weight positioned over the front leg – this is your working leg.  Maintain proper posture and keep your abdominals contracted. Complete 8-15 reps each leg.

Squats

Start by standing with your feet between hip and shoulder width apart. Set your posture by contracting your abdominals, pressing your chest out and up and your shoulders back and down. Start by slowly squatting backwards while keeping your kneecaps pointing forwards – avoid allowing your knees to collapse inwards.Try to keep your weight equally distributed on all 4 corners of your feet – avoid allowing your arches to collapse inwards. Lower to a comfortable position. You’ll notice that your upper body will come forward slightly while your buttocks travel backwards. Now slowly extend back up. When getting started, you may want to just start with mini-squats until you master the technique and then start dropping lower and lower once your muscles get stronger. Perform a set of 8-15 reps.

Push Ups:

Lie on your stomach. Position your hands on the floor a few inches beside your shoulder.  Make sure that your elbows are directly over top or to the inside of your wrists. Keep your abdominals contracted and your back in its neutral position. Now slowly push up and slowly lower down to the starting position. Perform 8-15 repetition from either a knee or toe position.

The Plank

Start by lying on your belly with your elbows directly below your shoulders. Curl your toes under and lift your body off the floor. Pull your belly button toward your spine. Remember to breathe. To make the Hover a bit easier you can do it on your knees rather than your toes. If you need more of a challenge you can lift one foot.  Try to hover for at least one minute.

Straight Leg Lifts

Lie on your back with knees bent at about 45 degrees and feet on the floor. Put your hand on your abdominals and pull them in and up so your stomach becomes as flat as you can get it. Keep your stomach in this position throughout the entire exercise as you slowly lift one foot a few inches off the floor. Continue alternating legs. Your back should not move at all during the exercise. Continue for 60-90 seconds. To increase intensity straighten legs, to decrease intensity bend legs.

Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan

Join us for our Scary Run – Half Marathon, 10k & 5k
Oct. 29th in Washougal, WA
This race is a fun, costume-themed run/walk. Although titled ‘Scary Run’ your costume doesn’t need to be scary. Be creative and dress in any costume you like as long as you can comfortably and safely run and walk. Feel free to get together with friends and come up with a fun costume theme.