Davis a member of Best Fitness lost 97lbs since she became a member one year ago!
Check out some of the fun exercises you could learn by signing up to meet with one of our Fitness Professionals.
"My name is Shannon Davis and about a year ago I came to Best Fitness at a weight of 265. I currently weigh 168. With coming to Best Fitness, I lost a lot of weight and I am very proud of myself. The classes helped tremendously, without classes I would not be where I am now. I learned a lot and I gained confidence in myself that I can do anything I put my mind to. The trainers and instructors at best fitness gave me encouragement and is always there for any questions. Coming to best fitness changed my life and I now am happier than I ever was."
Whether you’re maintaining your top form or shaving off those last 10 pounds, you probably know the importance of balancing cardio and strength training. But what if those crunches aren’t translating into the results you want to see? Or if the push-ups you’ve been doing have only resulted in significant lower back pain?
Doing the exercises the right way is vital — not only for improved results but to prevent injury as well. “Sit-ups can be really difficult when you’re making a big C-curve with your lower spine, because you aren’t using your core,” says Hollan Bonjukian, a trainer at Steuben Athletic Club in Albany. “You might be straining your neck or contracting your shoulders.” Over time, she adds, you can increase the risk of getting a herniated disc, which is a tear in the spine’s outer, fibrous ring. Herniated discs can also result from improper weight lifting.
And if you aren’t using your whole body as a single unit doing those push-ups, Bonjukian adds, “shoulders come up” and you aren’t getting the full benefit of the exercise. The spine curves, she says, “and you can get significant back pain that can stop you from doing them altogether.”
Jason DeFalco, a trainer at Healthplex in Clifton Park, is a self-described “big fan of planking.” Planking is essentially a modified push-up, in which the person lies facedown, resting on their forearms, palms flat on the floor. The person then lifts herself up onto her elbows and toes, contracting her abs and tilting their pelvis downward to keep their core aligned. Most importantly, DeFalco says, do planking with the guidance of a trainer. “If you don’t, you could fall and physically injure yourself, like bang your chin or worse,” he says.
We talked to some area experts on the right and wrong way to do the most common exercises, including sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, shoulder presses and squats. You’ll learn that the most important aspect of doing any exercise the right way, DeFalco says, is maintaining proper form. “The best way to avoid injury is by taking the time to do it right, even if it means less weight and fewer reps at first.”
SHOULDER PRESS
DO:
Place feet hip width apart
Look forward
Keep shoulders down and squeeze upper back as you raise your arms
Keep knees soft and weight in heels
Choose a correct weight for your level
DON’T:
Stand with feet too close together so you’re not off balance
Have your arms and the weights go too far forward or behind your head
Lean forward and have weight on the toes
Look too far down or have head tilted back
MODIFICATION: To choose the correct weight that both challenges but allows for proper form, start with 5 lbs. If you can do 8-10 reps correctly and rather easily then you’re ready to move to the next level. If you struggle with doing just a few reps correctly, then the weight is too heavy.
SQUAT
DO:
Keep feet shoulder width apart
Keep weight in the heels
Keep buttocks down and parallel with knees as if you were about to sit in a chair
Place arms in front for balance
Shoulder should be down and head looking forward
DON’T:
Have knees too far forward over the ankles or feet
Look down or have head tucked in towards chest
Put weight going forward on to toes
Hunch shoulders up and forward
PULL UP
DO:
Squeeze the shoulder blades tight and together to help propel you up
Keep the core tight
Keep hips facing forward and in line with body
Keep a neutral spine with hips back
DON’T:
Hunch forward or down toward your knees. This is not an ab exercise.
Look down, bend head back or to the side
Use legs to get you upward
Hold your breath
Hunch shoulders toward ears
PUSH UP
DO:
Keep a neutral spine with buttocks in line with the body
Keep the core sucked in and tight
Place chest over the arms and shoulders
Keep elbows tucked into the sides at 90 degrees
Keep fingers spread and facing forward
DON’T:
Drop or sag the hips down towards the ground or resting on the ground
Hunch the shoulders up to the ears
Raise buttocks in the air
Push arms and elbows out to the sides or have shoulders too wide
Look slightly forward to not strain the neck
MODIFICATION: drop to the knees if regular push ups are too difficult.
SIT UP or CRUNCH
DO:
Place elbows behind the neck with arms out to side, out of view from the corner of your eye.
Keep feet placed flat and firmly on the floor, hip width apart
Keep head and eyes looking upward at ceiling
Breathe in on the way down and exhale on the way up
Keep the navel and belly sucked in
DON’T:
Pull on the neck or bend elbows in towards the head when crunching upward
Look down or off to side
Have legs and feet too close to the buttocks or too close together
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