Join me for a 30-minute workout on my patio – 20 minutes of barefoot cardio focusing on squats and balance, followed by upper extremity and core strengthening in plank and then a short cooldown session – all accompanied by the beautiful sounds of early morning birdsong.
In the video, I talk about moving with intention – focusing on foot placement and engaging your muscles for balance and smooth, strong performance.
When you move into plank work, you’re activating just about everything and especially your core. I find plank extremely challenging. There are so many things to focus on:
- Hands under your shoulders.
- Press down through the hands.
- Pull your shoulders down away from your ears.
- Lengthen through your neck.
- Pull your abs in without lifting the hips.
- Tighten the glutes.
- Squeeze your inner thighs towards each other.
- Oh, and don’t forget to breathe!
That’s a huge laundry list of items to work on. While you’re sweating it out in plank, run through this checklist at least once, if not several times. However, I really don’t think there’s a need to endure for hours in this position. Just get it done and do it well.
And finally, enjoy a nice stretch at the end.
Stay fit!
