By now, you have learned some serious strength exercises that you can practice at home, no equipment required.
I invented this variation, Power Fish, because I like to inspire people to move in new and fun ways.
Power Fish
Lie on your back with your knees bent.
Place your middle finger on your belly button.
Keeping your elbows exactly where they are, extend your forearms straight up the ceiling.
Straighten your legs.
Now dig your elbows into the floor, lift and spread your chest and roll the back of your head onto the floor.
Squeeze your upper back muscles and hold for a count of 3. Repeat at least 10 times, building up to a minute to strengthen your upper back.
Serious Power Fish With Ab Work
Many people find power fish challenging enough, especially if they have been spending most of their day schlumping over a desk, rounding over a computer and crunching themselves in front of their steering wheel on the way home.
Serious Power Fish With Ab Work is a four count movement.
Lie on your back and bend your knees.
Place your forearms out to the side as in Power Fish.
Count 1: Dig your elbows into the floor and lift and spread your chest.
Count 2: Extend your bent knees into straight legs at a 45 degree angle, keeping your tailbone on the ground and a 30 to 35 degree curve in your low back, belly pulled in. Hold!
Count 3: Bend your knees back to the starting position.
Count 4: Lower your upper body to the ground.
Recovery stretch:
Sit with both legs extended in front of you.
Cross your left knee over your straight right leg.
Lean back on your left hand.
Cross your bent right elbow across the left knee.
Press your elbow into your knee to accelerate the stretch in your whole spine.
What I love about Power Fish:
1. Let’s face it, even people who do upper body strength work often suffer from terrible posture, their chest collapsed forward and their shoulders rolled to the front. Power Fish retrains your upper body. You strengthen your upper back and learn how to lift and spread your chest into a strong position.
2. Practicing this exercise will help you get rid of neck and shoulder pain.
3. Adding the ab variation is a major challenge but will give you a very strong core.
4. You won’t need to use weights to develop a very strong upper body.
5. Get out of your box! Too many people get bored with exercise routines because they are performing the same movement patterns. Challenge your body to move in a different way.
Questions? Comments? Need help developing an exercise routine to heal your body or lose weight? You can set up an appointment in person, over the phone or via Skype by emailing Catherine@totalfitness.net or calling 678-612-8816.