Health

Top techniques for do-anywhere exercises

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No matter if you’re at home, work or travelling, it’s pretty easy to find a desk and a chair and a few minutes to squeeze in these body firming exercises.

Let us show you how with the right technique.

Smart chair squats

Pretend to sit down on a chair and just before sitting down stand up again.

Benefits: Ideal for strengthening and toning your thighs and buttocks and teaching you correct lifting technique to help your back. This exercise will also help you to get in and out of chairs without rocking backwards and forwards for years to come.

Top technique:

  • With this exercise it’s important to position a stable chair behind you that is knee height or a little lower for safety.

  • This exercise is similar to sitting down in a chair but just before your buttocks touch the chair, you stand back up again.

  • Before you start to sit down raise your arms parallel to the floor to assist your balance.

  • As you start to pretend to sit down, you will need to lean forward at your hips to maintain balance. Please note that it’s important to keep your back as straight as possible while completing the exercise, so you bend at the hips not the back.

  • Your knees at the bottom of the exercise (just before your buttocks touch the chair) should be in line with the middle of your foot, but not past the end of your toes. Your knees should also not be bent greater than 90 degrees.

  • Repeat the exercise until you are unable to return to standing position easily or approximately 10 times.

  • Breathe out on the way down and breathe in on the way up.

Desk push-ups

Just like a normal push-up, but done on a desk, you can make the exercise easier by completing it against a wall or harder by using a lower desk or chair then move to the floor.

Benefits: These will help those flabby arms to become strong and firm and strengthen the muscles in your chest.

Top technique:

  • Place your feet approximately one metre away from the desk about shoulder width apart.

  • Place your hands on the desk, again about shoulder width apart.

  • Use your feet as the axis and bend your arms and bring your chest down towards the desk.

  • When your chest reaches the desk your hands should be around shoulder height, if they are lower you will need to put your feet further away from the desk.

  • Now try and straighten your arms lifting yourself back to the starting point.

  • Repeat this 10 times if you can.

  • Breathing should be in on the way down and out on the way up.

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