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To do this exercise, start in a plank position with your forearms lifting and supporting your upper body and your palms placed flat on the ground. While in this position, your arms should be at a 90-degree angle at your elbow, and your toes should be supporting your lower body. Keeping your forearms directly below your shoulders, your spine should stay straight while your eyes and fingers point ahead.
Move into a pushup position by straightening one arm and then the next while maintaining a straight spine and keeping your arms shoulder-width apart. Go back to your original plank position, starting with one arm and then doing the next, to finish one repetition. Do three to four sets of eight to 12 reps of this "pushup plank". Make sure to alternate the arm you move first with each rep.
This combination exercise helps strengthen and build your triceps, chest, shoulders and core muscles. It also benefits your lower back and hips. This exercise helps build up your arm strength and increases the mobility in your shoulders, making them less prone to injury. When these pushups are completed in timed, burst intervals of 20 or 30 seconds, the pushup planks also give you an intense cardiovascular workout.
It is best to warm up before doing this exercise with something that will help get your blood flowing, such as a full-body loosening exercise. Some common choices for this are jogging, jumping jacks, or jumping rope. This will help loosen up your joints and reduce your chance of getting injured while doing the more intense workout.
When you do the pushup plank, keep your core muscles tight and take deep, regular breaths for the duration of the exercise. Also, make sure to maintain proper form by imagining a straight line extending along your entire body. Using an exercise mat under your arms will not only make you more comfortable, it will also keep your body stable.
There are several variations that you can add to this exercise to make it more or less challenging. For those who are more advanced and are looking for more of a challenge, remain in the plank and pushup positions for up to 30 seconds on every rep. To make it even more challenging, complete three or four pushups after you've moved into the pushup position, but before going back to your plank position.
If you want to target your shoulders, move into a close-hand placement by forming a diamond with your thumbs and pointer fingers. This will also put you in a position that will target and strengthen your triceps. Finally, if you want to make this exercise a bit less challenging, balance your body on your knees instead of your toes. This will move your center of gravity, putting less weight on your arms.
Even with variations, pushup planks, as well as each exercise individually, should make up only a portion of your fitness routine. Doing cardio and strength exercises on a regular basis is critical in the prevention of diseases and for maintaining both physical and mental health. Additionally, getting proper exercise will slow down the aging process by encouraging cell regeneration, especially in the mitochondria, which produce energy.
In addition to bodyweight exercises such as the one described here, make sure to add other strength-training exercises and high-intensity workouts to your routine. Make sure to always listen to your body if you feel pain and change up your workouts so your body will continue to be challenged and have ample time for recovery.
Midlife Fitness Keeps Chronic Disease at Bay
Does it really help to start exercising in our 40s or 50s? Or by that time have we left it too late to do much good?
Investigators at the University of Texas and The Cooper Institute have found that we should still “go for it”. ...Read More
Should We Go Bare?
I’m sure you have heard about people running in “finger shoes” and bare feet. It is a movement that has probably passed “fad” status amongst runners. And possibly for good reason. There is evidence that when a healthy, normal, well trained foot (attached to a normal ...Read More
Headaches: Relief for chronic headaches
Rest, exercise, heat or ice packs….or a long, hot shower….may be all you need to relieve an occasional tension headache. If not, perhaps there are structural or biomechanical problems that need to be addressed.
The neck and head are complex structures. Within these structures are many ...Read More
Headaches: Relief for chronic headaches
Rest, exercise, heat or ice packs….or a long, hot shower….may be all you need to relieve an occasional tension headache. If not, perhaps there are structural or biomechanical problems that need to be addressed.
The neck and head are complex structures. Within these structures are many ...Read More
Did you know that each year one out of three Americans falls? That’s not normally a big deal if it’s a child or young adult. But when an older adult falls, it can have life-changing effects.
Just one fall in an older adult can cause serious injury such ...Read More
Midlife Fitness Keeps Chronic Disease at Bay
Does it really help to start exercising in our 40s or 50s? Or by that time have we left it too late to do much good?
Investigators at the University of Texas and The Cooper Institute have found that we should still “go for it”. According to their recent study, being physically active during midlife helps extend lifespan and increases the chances of aging healthily and preventing chronic illness.
Analyses of 18,670 patients showed that when patients increased fitness levels by 20% in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, they decreased their chances of developing chronic diseases—congestive heart failure, Alzheimer disease, and colon cancer—decades later by 20%.
"What sets this study apart is that it focuses on the relationship between midlife fitness and quality of life in later years," said Benjamin Willis, MD, MPH, lead author of the study. "Fitter individuals aged well with fewer chronic illnesses to impact their quality of life."
My parents are coming to visit this month from Australia. They are in their 70s but look amazing. They’re still working out most days and climbing mountains. Literally climbing mountains! Now that’s the kind of life that you may be able to have in your retirement ...
Should We Go Bare?
I’m sure you have heard about people running in “finger shoes” and bare feet. It is a movement that has probably passed “fad” status amongst runners. And possibly for good reason. There is evidence that when a healthy, normal, well trained foot (attached to a normal healthy body) walks or runs without much support or protection, the individual experiences less injuries. In a recent study, runners in traditional shoes were found to be over three times more likely to report injuries than experienced “minimalist” shoe wearers.
Now the authors of the study do caution that further research must be done before we can conclude that for a healthy population minimalist shoe wear is better. But it does raise some interesting thoughts.
For example, would our feet, knees and backs be better off if we could train our feet to tolerate not wearing supportive shoes during the day? I’m sure the answer is a resounding “maybe for some people…sometimes”.
I’m certainly not advocating throwing away the shoes that you are enjoying now. But for many people, training their feet to function without much support may be a healthy thing to do.
If you’re thinking about making the switch to a minimalist ...
Headaches: Relief for chronic headaches
Rest, exercise, heat or ice packs….or a long, hot shower….may be all you need to relieve an occasional tension headache. If not, perhaps there are structural or biomechanical problems that need to be addressed.
The neck and head are complex structures. Within these structures are many tissues that may be causing repetitive or chronic headaches.
A common cause of occipital headaches is the upper cervical spine and related tissue reaching into the occiput. This is an area rich in nerve tissue. When spasm occurs in the muscles around this area, the nerves can become irritated, causing immediate localized pain.
As spasm continues, it may lead to postural adaptation in which the facet joints of the upper cervical spine become compressed. C1/2 and C2/3 can refer directly to behind and above the eyes. This is often how headaches extend into these areas.
The cause of spasm.
Why do these areas fall into spasm and irritation? There may be an underlying condition of the cervical spine. Joint irritation will cause muscles to spasm in an attempt to prevent motion and further irritation. This will cause joint stiffness and muscle weakness with reduced activity.
Weak muscles will also spasm as they are ...
