Spring Conditioning
Spring is almost here and that means we can look forward to longer days and warmer weather. We’ll often experience a surge of energy and many of us will start dusting off our golf clubs, tennis racquets, hiking boots and bikes.
If you’ve been dormant all winter, it’s important to spend some time making sure your body is ready for all the outdoor activities.
Here’s a list of areas you should focus on:
Core Stabilization
Spend some time doing some planks to assure your core muscles are ready to brace and stabilize your spine. Strive for a 1-minute plank.
Torso Rotation
So many outdoor activities involve rotation of the spine including golf, baseball, tennis, and other racquet sports. Include some resisted rotation to prepare your body for that motion. Strive for 15 reps each side.
Agility
A lot of outdoor activities require that your body has the ability to move quickly forward, backwards and laterally. Set up some cones in a square and perform some drills travelling around the square running forward, sideways, and backwards. Go for 30-60 seconds one way, take a break, and then complete 30-60 seconds the other way.
Balance
It’s important for your body to inherently know where stable is. Perform some balance drills on one foot or on a BOSU trainer or other balance tool. Strive for the ability to balance on each leg for 1 minute.
Lower Body Strength
Most spring and summer activities require a strong lower body. Perform activities like squats, lunges and step ups. Start with gentle range of motion and get deeper and add more resistance as you get stronger.
Back Strength
To help avoid back injuries, be sure to perform back strengthening exercises like rows, pull-ups, reverse flies and prone opposite arm and leg extensions.
Along with the spring cleaning you may be tackling around the house, it’s important to get your body in tip-top shape if you want a fun-filled summer. Spend two to three days per week focusing on the above areas and spring training will be a homerun!
Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan
Sherri McMillan
Sherri McMillan, holds a master's degree in exercise physiology and has been inspiring the world to adopt a fitness lifestyle for more than 33 years. She has received numerous industry awards including 2010 CanFitPro International Presenter of the Year, 2006 IDEA Fitness Director of the Year, 1998 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, 1998 CanFitPro Fitness Presenter of the Year and 2005/2006 ACE Fitness Educator of the Year - Runner up. She is a fitness trainer, fitness columnist for various magazines and newspapers, author of five books and manuals including "Go For Fit - the Winning Way to Fat Loss" and "Fit over Forty" and the featured presenter in various fitness DVDs. She has presented hundreds of workshops to thousands of fitness leaders throughout Canada, Australia, Mexico, Jamaica, New Zealand, Germany, England, Spain, South America, Asia and the U.S. She is the owner of Northwest Personal Training in downtown Vancouver, the founder of WHY Racing Events & WHY Community, participates in various community fundraisers and can be found running, biking, or hiking around the community. Find more information at nwpersonaltraining.com.