Beauty in Prague: Exercise of the month
Exercises that use your body weight to strengthen your legs, arms and stomach are extremely effective. Exercises like push ups, pull ups, squats and lunges can be used as both cardiovascular and strength training if you do several sets at once. Learning how to do lunges correctly can help get your quadriceps, hamstrings, bottom and hips into shape.
There are three types of lunges you can do that focus on different muscle group, Today we are focusing on
Forward Lunges
- Stand up straight, with your legs hip-width apart. Place your hands on your hips. Flex your abdominal muscles inward and upward. Take a moment to relax your chin downward, stand up straighter and relax your shoulders down as far as they will go. It is essential that you keep good spinal posture throughout the duration of the lunge.
- Step forward with your right foot approximately 2 or 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9m). The taller you are, the further you will need to step forward. Keeping your back straight as your body moves forward.
- Lift your left foot up slightly, so that the toe is in contact with the floor, but your heel is not.
- Bend both of your knees at the same time. The aim is to make both of your knees stop at a 90 degree angle. Make sure your right knee does not go over your toe line. Check whether you are doing this by looking in the mirror. At this point, you may need to correct your form, especially if you are trying a lunge for the first time. You may find that your right foot stepped too far forward or did not step far enough forward. Adjust and try again, if necessary.
- Pause in this position for 1 to 5 seconds. Stopping your forward momentum will help you to put more effort into rising from the lunge.
- Push off of your right heel to rise. Return your right leg to its starting position.
- Repeat with the left leg. Check your form in the mirror again and correct if needed. Repeat 10 times on each side, or do 2 to 3 sets of 10.
To get the full benefit of the cardiovascular and strength training, you will need to lunge until your thigh muscles become fatigued and your heart rate is up. Stop doing the exercise if you are no longer able to hold proper form.
Once you are confident in completing lunges you can increase the difficulty by using hand weights. Start by holding 2 lb. (0.9kg) hand weights in each hand. Hang your arms at your sides. Do your lunge sets while holding the weights. Increase the amount of weight you hold as you get stronger.
Remember that Beauty in Prague promotes a healthy lifestyle in order to prepare for and recover from surgery. Before you start any diet or exercise, you should contact your doctor to ensure it is safe for you to do so. Beauty in Prague accepts no responsibility for any injury caused.
For more information, please call 0800 023 2592 or apply for our free email consultation by filling in the Medical Questionnaire and sending us the photos: http://www.beautyinprague.com/…estionnaire/
