Military Muscle: Progressions ratchet up fitness - Military Health, military health and wellness, military physical fitness - Military Times

Military Muscle: Progressions ratchet up fitness

You can’t make fitness gains unless you add progressions to the exercises in your program.

A trainer at the Navy Wellness Center in Pensacola, Fla., Amiee Maddox is a master at finding the little tweaks that can kick an exercise up a notch. Here are a few to try. Believe me, these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how you can advance a specific exercise.

Push-ups

This classic hits the triceps, some chest, and — when done in a strict manner — tags the core muscles.

Foundation: Back straight; hands underneath armpits; elbows facing rear; eyes looking at a point on the floor about 4 feet in front of you so that your head, neck and back are aligned. Execute the downward portion until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.

Progressions:

• Incline push-ups: Start with your feet higher than your head. The higher the feet, the harder the push-up.

• Diamond push-ups: Hands together under chest, thumbs and forefingers touching.

• Incline diamond push-ups: Combine the previous progressions.

Squats

One of the all-time best strengthening exercises, squats done to the 90-degree bend at the knees attack the glutes, key muscles that are often forgotten. As I have said many times, if you have a knee issue, then keep your squat above the 90-degree position.

Foundation: Feet a bit wider than shoulders, where they need to be to maintain a neutral back; feet flat on the floor throughout the squat. Squat at least to the 90-degree position. Keep your knees lined up over your feet. Ladies, especially, watch that your knees do not track inside your feet on the way down or up. Your back should be neutral and lean slightly forward during the execution. Take the downward portion more slowly than the upward portion.

Progressions:

• Add weight across the shoulders — a bar or a pack.

• Single-leg Bulgarian squat: Place one foot on a bench behind you; you’ll probably have to hop a couple of steps forward to maintain balance. Perform a squat, driving to the 90-degree position. As you come up, your entire glute muscle on the side of the squat leg will light up. Always come to a full up position.

• Hold a weight directly overhead while performing a squat or Bulgarian squat. You will need to lighten the weight when you do the Bulgarian.

Dumbbells

I like dumbbells because they show me a client’s imbalances that may not be apparent when working with a bar. You can apply this general progression to a number of dumbbell exercises.

Foundation: Pay strict attention to technique. Watch a video (you can find them on YouTube) or get a trainer to demonstrate.

Progression:

• Merge several exercises into supersets or a complex set (resistance exercise followed by a matched plyometric exercise).

• Shoulder complex: Front raise, followed by side raise, followed by one- or two-arm bent-over row (try to crunch the shoulder blades together).

Bob Thomas is director of the Navy Wellness Center in Pensacola, Fla. Email him at jomof14@cox.net.