Get fit, feel fit - Day 1
Exercise to ward off physical illsFlexi-Bar workout by Jennai Cox, Fitness Editor
EXERCISE helps to ward off many physical ills including, if it is done right, back pain. The many thousands who have suffered, or suffer, now know that an active back can be a pain-free one. But exercises specific to the muscles in the back are hard to come by if you are not a regular exerciser, which is where the Flexi-Bar can fill the gap.
Adapted from a rehabilitation tool known as a propiomed by a sports-trained physiotherapist, who believed it had back-pain prevention potential, the Flexi-Bar has proved extremely popular since its launch just over a year ago. It is one of the fastest-selling pieces of fitness equipment in Europe and is proving to be as versatile as it is easy to use and store.
The only way to stay balanced once one shakes the bar, which then vibrates, is to use all of the deep postural muscles in the torso. The muscles along the length of the spine that are activated by using the bar are the same ones weakened by hours of sitting at a desk, which leads to back pain.
Using the Flexi-Bar two to three times a week for up to 15 minutes each time has so far proved effective at conditioning the muscles with which we maintain good posture. This, in turn, increases our overall strength and a more efficient blood-flow. Of all the many fitness gadgets seen by Dean Hodgkin, this is the one that has impressed him the most. It is light to hold, easy to use and targets a difficult area of fitness.
DAY ONE
- Stand with your feet, hip-width apart and the knees soft, holding the bar in both hands down in front of the body. Elbows should be slightly bent, the shoulders back and the crown of the head lifted. Begin to shake the bar and focus on contracting the deep abdominal muscles by drawing the navel towards the spine. Ensure your gluteal muscles (in the buttocks) are engaged, lift the pelvic floor and keep the shoulder blades back and down.
- Lift the bar to chest level and shake again, concentrating on keeping the shoulders still and arms straight. this will help to target the core muscles and make them work.
- Now take the bar overhead and shake again. Do not arch your lower spine.
- Hold the bar in one hand out to the side at chest level, which is a good way of identifying muscular imbalances, as it is much easier to stabilise one side.
Exercise provided by Dean Hodgkin, international fitness presenter who teaches Flexi-Bar classes at Ragdale Hall (www.ragdalehall.co.uk). For more information on the Flexi-Bar, which comes complete with a total-body workout video, visit www.flexi-bar.co.uk
Talk to your GP before embarking on a new exercise regime and do not undertake any physical activity if you feel unwell or are recovering from injury.