In my last post I got you started with 6 Great Exercises You Can Perform Right At Your Desk. In case you missed it, you can access it here. Let’s add 6 more exercises to make your “workout” complete!
1) Chest stretch–Standing nice and tall, tighten your abdominal muscles (without holding your breath!). Place both hands behind your head with your fingers locked and slowly lean backwards, arching your upper back. You are trying to open the chest and stretch your pectoral muscles (try not to arch your lower back). Hold for 15-20 seconds. Do 3 reps.
2) Chair squat–Stand in front of your chair with your abdominals tight. Pretend that you are going to sit down, but stop as soon as your butt touches the chair (but don’t actually sit!). Now stand back up as you squeeze your glutes at the top. Do 10 reps to start. As you build up, add 1-2 more sets for a total of 2-3 sets of 10.
3) Chair dips–Sit on the edge of your chair and place your hands on either side of the seat so that your fingers wrap around the edges. Lift your butt off of the seat and “walk” your feet out 2-3 steps, keeping your knees bent and your butt about 6″ from the seat. Tighten your abdominals and lower your butt by bending your elbows and keeping your arms close to your body. Now straighten your arms to return to the starting position. Start with 10 reps. As you build up, add 1-2 more sets for a total of 2-3 sets of 10. Note: Do Not Perform On A Chair With Wheels!
4) Standing toe raises–Standing behind your chair, place both hands lightly on the chair back. Tighten your abdominals and raise up on the balls of your feet. Also, tighten your glutes as you hold at the top for 3-5 seconds. Do 2-3 sets of 10 reps.
5) Standing toe raise to ballet squat–From the same starting position as the Standing Toe Raises, raise up on the balls of your feet. Send your hips back and bend your knees as you come into a ballet squat. Make sure your knees stay pointed straight ahead (remember–it’s a squat, not a plié). Bend your knees to 90 degrees while keeping your back straight and your chest up. Do 2-3 sets of 10 reps.
6) Rotating lunge–Standing with your feet wider than your hips, tighten your abdominals and perform a lunge by rotating your body to the left, pivoting on your toes, and bending your left knee and your right knee behind you. In one fluid motion, return to stand at center, rotate to the right, and repeat the lunge on the other side. Start with 10 reps. As you build up, add 1-2 more sets for a total of 2-3 sets of 10.
Now you’re complete! 6 additional exercises to add right at your desk. If you or someone you know have questions on how to get started with a strength training program, call my office at once at (302)691-9055 or visit my website at www.wildermanphysicaltherapy.com to schedule your FREE 30 minute consultation to see how Physical Therapy can help. Don’t delay–schedule now!