The 4 week bums, tums and arms challenge
Stuck at home, gazing out the window deliberating whether to go for a walk? It looks a little chilly, so a walk around the house makes for a more appealing activity. That adventurous stroll draws you into the kitchen where you visit the biscuit tin for the third time that morning – sound familiar?!
It is amazing how the smallest little habits become the hardest ones to break. Making new habits is a great way to ensure old ones are put to bed for good and what better motivation than a 4-week fitness challenge that will refresh your routine while improving your core strength.
We’ve created a simple daily challenge just for you. A mix of planks, squats and push-ups that will get your blood circulating and you feeling pumped for the day ahead. And the best part - you’re in control. If three exercises sound like a chore, pick just one or even two. The moves will take less than 5 minutes a day, but we guarantee you will feel motivated and raring to go.
Even better, don’t go it alone. Make sure you share with your friends and family – as they say, we are all in this together.
Not sure where to begin? here are our handy tips to get you looking like a pro.
How to nail the perfect plank:
- Body - Start by laying on your stomach, curl your toes under putting weight on the balls of your feet and push up on your elbows
- Back – Do not arch. Keep your back as flat as possible
- Shoulders – Drawing your shoulders into your body with help create a stronger base and help relieve neck pain which is a tell-tale sign of poor plank posture
- Hands – Make a fist to keep your balance
- Bottom – Squeeze those glutes hard! This helps to stop your back from arching
- Feet – Keeping your feet tight together is ideal however if this is too hard try widening your feet to ease off the pressure
How to squat with perfect form:
- Body - Keep upright
- Shoulders - Relax
- Feet - Set a hips-width apart
- Toes - Point forward
- Movement - Pushing into your heels, slowly lower your body down as far as you can comfortably go whilst keeping your body upright
- Core - Keep it tight
- Belly Button - Push towards your spine
Press-up perfection:
- Hands – Place slightly wider than a shoulder-width apart, pointing forward
- Body - Align your neck, back and legs
- Movement - Slowly lower yourself down bending at the elbows
- Elbows - Keep close to your sides
- Movement - In one controlled movement, bring your chest to the floor and push back up
- Knees – If you are finding full press-ups too tricky, drop your knees to the ground to simplify the move