Andrea Metcalf, NBC5 Fitness, Team Host of Fit Today and Better TV Fitness Specialist
Recently, I was made to think about my back side-- “Be Kind to Your Behind” promoting Cottonelle (the toilet paper with the puppy on the package) came to the Windy City and it was my job to get people to understand that your bottom does alot for you and just sitting on it isn’t the best for it or your body! Remember we move in a forward direction almost 90% of the time and those muscles in the front of your body: your chest, biceps, hip flexors, quadriceps, etc. get strong from repeated motions. The problem is that the back side muscles become tight from being pulled out of balance and create havoc on our spines. Eight of ten people will suffer from chronic back pain and it is the number one reason for missing work! So it is so important to train the posterior. The best exercises to lift your bottom line are “lat pull downs and rows”, “shoulder blade squeezes”, “bridging on the floor” and simple “rear leg lifts”. Check out http://www.podcastgo.com/ to download these exercises for FREE and many others to get your fitness BACK on track and build yourself a better bottom! Walking backwards help stretch out the hip flexors, balance the pull on your lumbar spine and is another easy way to strengthen the glutes. Just remember to keep an eye out behind you and/or hold onto the treadmill to prevent falling. For every mile you walk forward, try walking 1/5 of that mile backwards- you’ll like the results bottom line.
Recently, I was made to think about my back side-- “Be Kind to Your Behind” promoting Cottonelle (the toilet paper with the puppy on the package) came to the Windy City and it was my job to get people to understand that your bottom does alot for you and just sitting on it isn’t the best for it or your body! Remember we move in a forward direction almost 90% of the time and those muscles in the front of your body: your chest, biceps, hip flexors, quadriceps, etc. get strong from repeated motions. The problem is that the back side muscles become tight from being pulled out of balance and create havoc on our spines. Eight of ten people will suffer from chronic back pain and it is the number one reason for missing work! So it is so important to train the posterior. The best exercises to lift your bottom line are “lat pull downs and rows”, “shoulder blade squeezes”, “bridging on the floor” and simple “rear leg lifts”. Check out http://www.podcastgo.com/ to download these exercises for FREE and many others to get your fitness BACK on track and build yourself a better bottom! Walking backwards help stretch out the hip flexors, balance the pull on your lumbar spine and is another easy way to strengthen the glutes. Just remember to keep an eye out behind you and/or hold onto the treadmill to prevent falling. For every mile you walk forward, try walking 1/5 of that mile backwards- you’ll like the results bottom line.
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