Plank Challenge Days 16-20

Well I hope you took my leave of absence as a time to practice your handstand. I'm sorry I left you all out there plankin'. I'm back though so lets get to it!

Today marks day 16 of the challenge. Perform one plank for time and 2 sets of 15 push-ups.

Day 17 Since it's calling for snow there is a chance you will be home from work! Meaning more time to work on handstands! When I've been practicing my handstands I've noticed that I feel most weak in my shoulders. I was told by practicing this push-up variation I'll feel more comfortable holding myself up.  Practice your downward dog for a few breaths and then perform a set of 8 push-ups. Go back to
downward dog for a few more breaths and repeat for 3 sets. Your shoulders are sure to be burning after completing 4 sets.

Next flip over and get into tabletop position. Exhale your hips and straighten your legs so that your hips hover the floor. Make sure your hands are underneath your shoulders and your ankles underneath your knees. Hold for a few breaths and exhale your hips and straighten your legs all while keeping your arms straight. I know I know, it's a lot to think about. Take your time with it. Perform 5 reps.

Time to get that tummy tiiiight. Perform 1 minute of bicycle crunches.  Rest 60 seconds and repeat circuit two or three times.

Day 18 L Stand. This move is going to work our upper back and shoulders. What your going ot do is place your heels against the bottom of a wall. Hopefully you are doing this somewhere that you don't mind scuff marks on the wall! Walk your feet up the wall until your legs are parallel to the floor and your body forms a 90-degree angle. If this is enough for you, hold for a few breaths and walk your way back down. Repeat this 10 times. If you are comfortable to move on, raise your right leg, hold for 2 breaths and repeat on right. Return to start and repeat 10 more times!

Day 19 Rest!

Day 20 Perform 2 timed planks.


xoxo,

Upside down love.

I'm slowly falling in love with being inverted. Each time I'm in a yoga class the instructor always mentions how being inverted is good for you, making me even more excited to be able to do a handstand.

While casually running through my Instagram timeline, I came across one of my friends hanging upside down. I immediately commented on the picture and asked where and when this was. Turns out there is an Aerial Yoga studio in St. Michael's. We immediately made plans to do it together the next day.

This is the most relaxed I may have ever felt. Last week I noticed I felt a lot of pressure in my lower back and couldn't find any relief. Aerial Yoga was what I needed alright!

Aerial Yoga allows for deeper stretching and provides the benefits of yoga without straining your neck or joints. Each fabric can hold 1,000 lbs and is suspended a few feet from the ground. Space is naturally created in your body with the help of gravity and the fabric.

I will definitely be going back and hope to have a hammock in my house one day. I highly recommend researching and seeing if there is Aerial Yoga in your area today!

Plank Walks & Push-Ups OH BOY!

I hope everyone has been enjoying the challenge thus far! Here's what we've got going on for the next few days.

Day 6 Plank Walks

Check out this YouTube video if you are unfamiliar with the exercise.

You will perform 3 sets of 12 reps. 1 Rep = Forearm, Forearm, Hand, Hand

Focus on keeping your hips square to the floor.

Day 7 Push-Ups
Today you will perform the same amount of push-ups you did on day 2.

Day 8 Rest

Day 9 Decline Push-Ups
To set up a decline push-up you're going to need something to put you feet on. If you're not at the gym, you can use your couch. Get in push-up position with your feet elevated. Place your hands wider than shoulder-width apart and keep your eyes focused on the floor. Be sure not to lead with your head. Keep your abs tight and back straight. Bend your arms to lower yourself towards the floor. Once you've lowered as far as you can, exhale and press yourself back up to the fully extended position. Perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.

xoxo,

Let the games begin!

Tomorrow marks Day 1 of our challenge! I hope you are ready to get your plank on guys and gals. Here's how the first few days will go...

Day 1 Plank twice today. Hold as long as you can! I recommend either right when you wake up and lunch or lunch and before you go to bed. Be sure to keep track of both your times. As soon as you start to loose form you're done. That means if your hips are saggin' call it quit. Form is the most important factor, not your time.

Day 2 Take yesterday's BEST time and divide it by 2. Thats how many push ups you have to do today. If you planked for 30 seconds you will do 15 push ups...45 seconds 23 push ups. Yeah we are rounding up! You do not have to do them all at once. Remember you must have proper form to count them so if you can only do 2 at a time, do 2 at a time. If you are a monster already and held your plank for over a minute, you have only 30 push-ups to do.

Day 3 Try and get a friend or family member involved. A little healthy compitetion never hurt anyone. Today you will plank twice. Try and beat your best time from Sunday!

Day 4 REST!

Day 5 Plank once for time.

Check back later next week for days 6-10.

xoxo,

What's form got to do with it?

Three days until we start our next challenge!  Before we dive in headfirst, we need to go over proper form. Planks and push-ups are generally safe and effect exercises but that’s only if they are done properly. Let’s tackle the plank first.

The most common mistakes that are made when performing a plank are rounding of the shoulders and sagging of the hips. To start, place your elbows directly beneath your shoulders. Your weight should be distributed directly beneath your upper arms, under the elbows. There should be no additional weight on the forearms or hands. Be sure to keep your hands relaxed. Now make sure your shoulders are packed down on the ribcage. You should be contracting your muscles to keep your shoulders down in relation to your torso. At this point, your spine should be lengthened in opposite directions. Lift your head away from your shoulders, lengthening your neck while simultaneously reaching your tailbone in the other direction. DO NOT ROUND THE SPINE! Activate your core by pulling your belly button in towards your spine and contracting your glute muscles. This will cause your tailbone to tuck. Position your feet hip-width apart. Contract your quad muscles and straighten your legs. Push your feet backwards into the ground. Now you’re planking!  A way to check if you are doing it right is to have someone place something like a broomstick on your back. There should be three even points of contact: the top of the head, between the shoulder blades and between the glutes. If you can feel all three points of contact you are doing it right! If your core isn’t able to handle this position, modify it by taking it down to your knees. The same cues apply for the modification. Now give it a try!

xoxo,