Sunday, September 28, 2008
Basic Cardio, Partner Resistance and Tons of Fun!
Yesterday's workout was primarily Experiential PT,
a whole new level of fun for the participants.
Equipment required:
1. Jogging Shoes
2. Short Towel
3. Exercise Mats (if you're particular about comfort and cleanliness)
4. A friend
We jogged as long as we could around bishan park,
and when the out-of-breathless kicks in,
we continued moving by brisk walking.
Just one round around the park took around 30minute.
An active effort to correct the jogging / walking gait was introduced to ensure maximal efficiency in the movement itself and possibly correct the muscle imbalance.
Fitness is about balance as well!! Next up, was the upper body and core strengthening program to balance up the lower limbs workout (from the jogging / brisk walking).
The basic
calisthenic exercises were executed, namely:
1. Bench Step Ups
2. Push ups
3. Crunches
Participants did 2 sets of 10 repetitions each but you could adjust this if you're of a higher fitness level.
The Fun part of the entire workout, came from the partner resistance exercises.
We started out with assisted back stretch where participants sits facing each other,
pulling the other person's towards themselves. This stretches the back substantially and prepares the participants for the workout to come.
Partner Resistance Workout:1. Seated Tug-O-WarThis exercise aims at activating the back and the biceps through the pulling action of the exercise. Participants can opt to tie 2 stopper knot at the end of the towel to prevent slipping through loss of grip and believe me, this is really good fun!!
2. Seated Shoulder PressesAs the exercise implies, the workout trains the shoulder. Have your partner stand behind yourself (while you're seated on the floor) and have him/her resist your attempt to push your arms towards the sky. Moderate the resistance to ensure a good workout.
3. Seated Back CurlsPosition yourself such that you sit back to back with your partner, feet's flat on the ground for support. Attempt to push the other party by Flexing your back, sucking your tummy in at the same time to activate the entire core. You can also do this workout against the wall.
All the above partner-resisted workouts gives you more benefit than conventional exercises and her are some that i can think of:
1. You'll have lots of Fun with your friends while attempting the exercises
2. You get twice the workout benefit through eccentric contractions
(where your muscles stretches and contracts simultaneously)3. You won't require specialized equipments
4. You can attempt this workout anywhere and everywhere
5. You'll get a good workout and achieve fitness in the process
Remember, Fitness is not just physical!! Having fun, building relationships and learning from the activities completes the idea of "Holistic Fitness".
Are you ready for Holistic Fitness??But then again, which part of the workout contributed to the fact that it was experiential PT??
Its the learning portion of the exercises.
Challenging the participants to analyse the workout that they just did, getting them to think a notch more in-depth about the benefits of the workout, the muscles used, and the purpose of the activity made the activity more meaningful than anything else!!
In the long run, such learning aims to shape the lifestyle of the participants and create a sustainable Fitness Lifestyle, one of which will be great!!
Are you ready to experience the difference??Labels: experiential, Fun PT, Holistic Fitness, Lifestyle, partner resistant
Josh 97330703 blogged at 1:49 PM
Training-Buddy
