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Exercise in School
The warm-up
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Calf stretch
Stand facing a wall with your right foot close to the
wall and your right knee bent. Place your hands flat
against the wall at shoulder height. Now stretch your
left leg out behind you as far as it will go without
lifting your toes or heel off the floor and lean towards
the wall. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds and relax. Switch
legs.
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Quad stretch (front of thigh)
Stand with your right hand holding on to the back of a
chair or pressed against a wall. Bend your left knee and
bring your left heel up to your bottom grasping your
foot with your left hand. Your back should be straight
and your shoulders, hips and knees should all be in
line. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds. Switch legs.
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Hamstring stretch (back of thigh)
Stand up straight and place your right foot onto a
table, bench or chair so that your leg is almost
parallel to the floor. Slowly move your hands down your
right leg towards your ankle until you feel tension on
the underside of your thigh. Try to lean forwards from
the hips, keeping your back straight from the tailbone
to the top of your head. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
Switch legs.
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The workout
Squats (work the legs and
bottom)
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Stand up straight with your arms at your sides.
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Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your head up.
There can be a slight arch in your lower back.
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Slowly bend your knees while pushing your rear out as
though you are about to sit down. Keep lowering yourself
down until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor.
Make sure your weight is on your ankles so your knees
don't extend over your toes.
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Tighten your thighs and buttocks for more of a
challenge.
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As you come back up to a standing position push down
through your heels. Repeat 10 to 15 times.
Press-ups (work the chest)
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Kneel on the floor on all fours. Bend your arms and
drop your chest forward and towards the floor and
inhale.
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Keeping your legs in the kneeling position, exhale as
you push yourself up with your arms. Control the move by
counting to three on the way up.
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As you push up, tighten your stomach muscles to take
pressure off your back. Hold for a couple of seconds.
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Repeat 20 times.
Lunges (work the thighs and bottom)
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Stand with your back straight and feet together (you
may hold light hand weights if you are advanced).
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Inhale as you take a big step forwards, landing with
the heel first. Bend the front knee no more than 90
degrees.
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Keep your back straight and lower your back knee as
close to the floor as possible, making sure that the
front knee lines up over your ankle and your back thigh
is in line with your back.
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Exhale and push down against your front heel,
tightening your buttocks as you rise back to a standing
position. Repeat 10 to 15 times. Switch sides.
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