Step up

Planks with a Twist

Today’s movement is called a Plank Knee Twist. It it pretty much exactly what it sounds like. The move starts with a plank and then involves a twisting motion carried out with the knee.

This exercise builds cores strength, works on the oblique muscles along the sides of your torso, and challenges balance for stability work.

The move starts from a plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and a straight line running from shoulders to heels. If you slightly rotate your hands outward, so they would be pointing towards 11 and 1 on a clock rather than straight up towards 12, you will have a better base for balance. While holding your arms steady, pick up your right foot and bend the knee toward your left elbow, giving you a twisting motion. Bring the leg back down, and repeat on the other side.

Of course, all this means you are on the ground again. So have a plan for getting back up. If you do not get on the ground. This can be done by leaning on the kitchen counter or a stable chair in a plank position with your feet some distance away from the cabinets/base, and picking up your right foot, bending the knee towards the left elbow, putting your foot back down, and repeat on the other side.

Today’s workout:
WARM UP
2-3x
lay down on the ground on your back, roll right and stand up, if you cannot get off the floor, skip this
lay down on the ground on your back, roll left and stand up, if you cannot get off the floor, skip this
3 sit to stand with a two second pause while sitting

CIRCUIT
2-3x
8-10 plank knee twists – 4-5 per side
6 step ups alternating feet, 3 per side (scaled option is toe taps)
Rest as needed

One of the pitfalls of aging is the likelihood to increase our inability to get back up from the floor. This skill is rarely practiced because – duh, who is going to go around rolling across the floor. Well, the answer to that is – US. I spend in inordinate amount of time getting down and back up from the floor with all the workouts we do in the OPG (Old People Gym – or our garage). Craig, our son, our coach, and a firefighter, is often called out to help the people in Sun City get up off the floor. He does it with kindness and concern, but he would really like it if his parents didn’t have to make that call. So we are on the floor in some capacity for at least 75-85% of the workouts.

The thing is – with practice, it gets easier. Life is always like that. The first time is hard but by the 50th time, you don’t even have to think about it. We probably should have been practicing this for a long time by now. But if we haven’t, the next best choice is to start now. If this is completely out of your wheelhouse, if you KNOW you cannot get off the floor by yourself, the next best option is to work on balance so you never end up there.

We are each in a different place. We’ve had a different life with different experiences. But we can all look forward with less fear and greater confidence if we work on our weaknesses now, before they become more severe and more limiting. There is a real purpose to all this. It is worth it. Because you are worth it.

Stay balanced.
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Step Right Up

Here’s another bit of risky business. Today we will work with step ups. This entails stepping up on a raised platform or riser. It can be done on a staircase as well as with the fancy box stuff. It can also be done on lower rises. What needs to be considered no matter what you are using is not falling over. If you are on a staircase, you will have walls on either side with which you can balance yourself if you need it. If you are using something else, make sure you are either stable enough or near some object you can use to balance yourself if you get wobbly – such as a counter or wall.

When stepping up, the leg that is placed first will do the pulling up while the leg that remains on the floor at first will do the pushing up part. This means you want to switch legs to work both sides equally. Fun fact: if you always lead with the same leg, and if you do enough of these for one workout, one half of your butt hurts. It is an astounding feeling that I do not recommend. Switching legs means your glutes and quads work half the time and your calf works half the time.

If this is not available to you yet, you can do toe taps where you take your “lead foot” and tap the top of the stair/platform/dictionary/other book – whatever you are using to have a bit of a platform (those last things are NOT recommended for actually stepping on). You want something at least an inch high and up to as high as you are brave enough to do. After tapping the top, put your foot back on the floor and reset your balance. Always have something available with which to balance yourself it you need it. If you don’t need it – great. But if you do, you need it now. So have it available.

The entire movement should be made with you standing tall, chest up. You don’t really need to watch your feet. They are going to go where you move them. You do want to make sure your are clearing the height of your platform.

If you are using a stair or step, the goal is to bring one foot up, the other to meet it, and stand tall when both feet are together on the platform. You then use the same foot you started with to step backwards and back down to the ground. So if you put your right foot up first you will be pulling with the right leg, pushing off with your left foot that will then meet you on the platform. Rise until you are standing tall. Then step the right foot back down to the floor and follow with the left leg. TL;DR – right, left, right, left.

These are not just for strength and balance work, but they are actually cardio as well. They do take skill and power. Use walls, counters, or whatever is available to help with all three of those tasks as needed.

Today’s workout:
2-3 sets
3-5 step ups (or toe taps) with right foot first
3-5 step ups (or toe taps) with left foot first
5-7 bilateral DB curls with or without weights
rest as needed

Step ups are the goal, toe taps are the step to step ups. I watch a health YouTube channel out of Canada. Two doctors talk about all things health related. It’s called Talking with Docs. At the end of each video, Dr. Paul Zalzal says, “Remember, you are in charge of your own health.” He’s correct. You are the person to choose which scaling option, what the amount you want to do is going to be, and how much fun you have doing it. Workouts should be challenging without being dangerous. They should be fun and not daunting. They should make your proud of yourself when you finish. The workout I write is a guide, not a commandment. And I want you to be amazed at yourself when you are done.

Stay balanced.

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