Hi, I’m Kris Cann. I’ve been working at the forefront of the fitness industry for 13 years and I’d like to share with you some of the exercises I’ve found to be most effective with my clients.
This article is aimed at beginners, but rest assured more complex exercises will follow soon. I hope my tips will help you get fitter and healthier over the coming months.
Before we head into the exercises here is just a little more information on the importance of why we need to exercise: Research shows regular exercise can reduce the risk of chronic illness and disease, relieve stress, help to establish and maintain optimal body weight/fat ratio, boost self esteem, increase confidence, and improve appearance.
With these points in mind, can you afford not to exercise?
What can this workout do for you?
This first workout is designed for people who are able to exercise but at the moment aren’t really doing so. The moves I have included are based around key movements that are very similar to movements that people need to perform everyday tasks. By getting strong in these movements, you will not only make the things that you do every day easier, but after a few weeks you will get stronger and if you do enough, your body will start to feel firmer quite quickly.
Another huge plus in my experience is that subconsciously you will be inclined to eat healthier foods on the days you exercise and cut back on the foods you know are a bit on the naughty side. This short series of exercises shows you fundamental moves, and once you have mastered these there are many more movements you can learn that will burn fat and help you feel amazing.
Key points before you start
1. Think of your posture in all exercises, stand tall, shoulders back and aim to keep the spine in good alignment.
2. Breathing – ensure you do it, holding breath is a common mistake – for now, just breathe normally and try to take deep full breaths. I will talk a bit more about breathing in future articles.
3. If this is your first time at exercising for a while please be cautious. Although the exercises in this article are selected for beginners and upwards, they may be harder than you think. Be safe and remember that you should check with your GP if in any doubt about your health before you exercise.
Now for the exercises – Before starting, remember all exercises carry an element of risk and if you have any contra-indicatory factors or are unsure of your health you should consult your GP. If you feel unwell or experience dizziness, chest or joint pain then stop exercise immediately and seek assistance.
Large body movements produce big results – they burn more energy and strengthen more muscles than small isolated moves, helping to keep the body functioning at optimal levels.
Let’s start off with the basics...
A two minute warm-up of light marching on the spot, raising your arms and knees high and switching to bum kicks. Next, try the movements shown here using a smaller range of motion for a maximum of 15 reps each.
On this site you’ll also find a warm up, and try the stretches after your workout to ease post-exercise muscle soreness.
These videos contain general ideas for fitness and healthy living, but they are not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice for you as an individual. You must take personal responsibility for your own safety and well-being. Performing exercises can pose a risk to the exerciser, so before exercising check any equipment you are using is in good condition and be sure to know your own limits. You should consult a doctor if you have any questions regarding your health or the suitability of any fitness programme.
For the main workout repeat each movement six to 20 times – move slowly (two seconds in each direction and breathe deeply), if you feel like you can, perform up to three sets of each exercise:
1 and 1a: Front squat (works legs and postural muscles). If you can get parallel with the floor without it being painful, that’s great. Hold on to a chair for extra balance!)
2 and 2a: Standing twist (works abdominals, legs and shoulders). Start with small movements and avoid this exercise if you have a history of back pain. When you start the first turn concentrate on the muscles at the sides of your torso – your obliques (muscles under the love handles). They are what make your torso twist. Keep your spine upright and hold the shoulders high and let your hips move a little.
3 and 3a: Static lunge with arm movement (works legs arms and postural muscles). These help with running and walking movements, and are vital to everyday life. Aim for a 90/95 degree angle at both knees and keep your torso upright. Do one set left foot forward then one set right. Try holding a chair for balance.
4 and 4a: Doorway push up.
Take care with this exercise as strength is required to hold and push your body weight (the closer your feet are to the doorway the easier it will be).
This exercise works your chest, shoulders, back of arms (triceps), postural muscles and to a degree, your lower leg muscles. Pushing movements are identified as being important everyday movement patterns and use big muscle groups, so building strength in these areas is a good idea.
Keep your spine in a neutral position, taking care not to arch the lower back or round the shoulders. Lower yourself toward the door opening until the elbows are bent to approximately 90 degrees, staying on tiptoes throughout the exercise. Then push yourself back to the start and repeat the movement.
5 and 5a: Towel row – working your “pulling” muscles – back, rear shoulders and biceps. Use a sturdy towel and find a suitable and solid handle or banister to wrap it around. Make sure you stand on the side of the door that is jammed closed or you could end up with black eyes. You could also use another person to hold the towel for you if you cannot find a safe handle or banister to use. Now copy my stance in the picture, and with your spine in a neutral position, aim to pull yourself towards the doorway with your feet remaining in position and your posture remaining the same throughout. Then return to the start position and repeat.
6 and 6a: Hip extension. Moving on, the hip extension works the large muscles at the back of the legs, bum and lower back. Lie on your back with legs bent – tightening your bum muscles, push your hips straight up towards the ceiling and squeeze your bum even tighter at the top of the move before lowering back to the floor. Repeat as required
7: Finally we move in to a kneeling plank – working the postural muscles and shoulders. Stay statue-still but ensure you keep breathing, this exercise can get painful so don’t be afraid to stop until you are comfortable with it.
Place your elbows below shoulders and your knees well behind your hips. This is harder than you may think, make sure you maintain neutral spine in this exercise, and ever so slightly draw your belly button inwards. After some practice you could aim to get up to two minutes – then try the standard plank (coming in the next article). Proceed with caution if you have a history of low back pain, the closer your knees are under your hips the easier this exercise will be.
This series of exercises aim to get your body strong and healthy, in the coming articles there will be progressions and alternatives that you can use to stay on top of exercising at home. You may need to invest in some equipment for future workouts but it will be relatively inexpensive and will make you feel great.
Don’t forget to try the post-exercise stretches shown in the video to reduce muscle aches and keep you flexible. I really hope you have enjoyed these exercises – don’t forget try them any where from one to five times a week but remember, exercise safely.
These videos contain general ideas for fitness and healthy living, but they are not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice for you as an individual. You must take personal responsibility for your own safety and well-being. Performing exercises can pose a risk to the exerciser, so before exercising check any equipment you are using is in good condition and be sure to know your own limits. You should consult a doctor if you have any questions regarding your health or the suitability of any fitness programme.
Look out for more from me very soon You can find me on Facebook at Kris Cann Personal Training or Twitter at Kris Cann PT, Please contact me if you have any questions about getting fitter and I will try my best to answer.
Follow the instructions, be safe and enjoy these exercises, big gains follow small steps. See you next time!
All exercises are performed entirely at readers own risk
- kriscannpersonaltraining.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here