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.
Print out and stick it on your fridge to help keep you motivated.
Not confident about your form? 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