Kicking it Old School With Your Personal Trainer

With all of the fitness equipment and exercise programs being created and marketed to the healthy lifestyle crowd it is easy to get caught up.  People like to stay ahead of the curve and be in front of the next big thing to sweep across the nation.  However, when it comes to exercise, sometimes the oldest programs and exercises can stand the test of time and can still be effective.  Plus, they require very little or no equipment.

One of the most complete upper body exercises can be performed in any room of your home.  Drop and give yourself twenty. Or 30, or 40.  The good old fashioned push up.  Without naming the specific muscles, you can work your chest, shoulders, back, arms, and abs all at once.  Keep your feet together, hands shoulder width apart.  Be sure to lift your butt up in the air and tighten those abdominals.  You’ll be working your upper body as well as your core.

Of course, there are many variations to this all in one exercise.  You may decide to do some pushups with hands closer together or wider than shoulder width, thus working different parts of the chest.  No matter what position you place your hands, keep your abs tight and butt slightly elevated.  It’s not unusual to see a personal trainer NYC have a client on the ground doing pushups in between other exercises.

If you are outside in the park, you can use a park bench to elevate your feet while performing your pushups.   You can also flip yourself around and put your hands on the bench.  The point is using these different positions can simulate and take the place of flat, incline, and decline bench press or dumb bell press.

Those who are in the early staging of their fitness programs or are prone to lower back problems, have options too.  By resting on the knees instead of the toes, you can reduce the body weight being pressed, as well as the pressure on the lower back.  Of course, if back pain is your problem, you will want to add some core strengthening exercises such as crunches or maybe some Pilates movements.  Ask your personal trainer NYC for some appropriate exercises given your situation.