MASTER CLASS : Pressed for time? Press and Crunch
Posted on Monday, May 12, 2008
Multitasking has become an accepted part of modern life. Now more than ever, people are looking for ways to improve productivity by combining tasks. Naturally, this mentality has trickled into the world of physical fitness and is very much a part of exercise programs.
This week, I’ll discuss ways you can use multitasking to your advantage, and I’ll introduce one of my all-time favorite time-saving exercises.
Fitness multitasking has to be approached very carefully. The idea is to maximize workout effectiveness while maintaining optimal efficiency. But you must first have a clear, concise plan from the time you set foot in the gym.
I recommend planning one week’s worth of workouts ahead of time.
This allows you to evaluate your schedule and operate within those parameters without getting too far ahead of yourself. If you’ve got a plan when you get to the gym, you’re less likely to waste time selecting the various parameters of your workout (how many repetitions and sets to do, and so forth ).
When planning your workouts, select exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time. A unilateral concentration curl is a great workout for the biceps in one arm, but the rest of your body is relatively inactive. A Swiss ball Squat and Curl would be a much better option. You’re working the quadriceps, gluteals and both biceps while engaging your core to maintain balance. Not only have you challenged many more muscle groups, you’ve made the initial movement (biceps curl ) much more difficult. Your program will have effectiveness and efficiency.
This week’s exercise is another great combo movement designed to challenge the chest, triceps, shoulders, abdominals and gluteals. The Chest Press and Crunch takes some time to feel comfortable with, but it’s appropriate for people of all fitness levels.
1. Begin by selecting a lightweight pair of dumbbells (after you’re used to maintaining your balance, you can advance to medium-weight dumbbells ).
2. Lie face up on a Swiss ball with the ball supporting your head and neck.
3. Press the dumbbells upward as you would with a normal chest press exercise.
4. Once your arms are fully extended, hold the position.
5. Walk your feet backward slightly and curl your torso up while maintaining your position with the dumbbells. You should feel your abdominals engage.
6. Crunch upward to about 30 degrees, then lower your torso.
7. Walk your feet forward so that you are back in the starting position.
8. Lower the dumbbells.
9. Repeat this sequence for two or three sets of 12 repetitions.
This exercise will definitely take some getting used to, but I think you’ll like the feeling you have when finished. It truly provides the stimulus to challenge all the muscles in the front of your torso simultaneously.
Remember, start off with very light weight until you get comfortable with the balance aspect of the exercise. Enjoy ! Former Arkansan Matt Parrott is assistant professor of Health and Fitness Management at Clayton State University in Atlanta.
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