5th - 10th Sept : 45/15

With or without a weight at chest height, standing with feet shoulder width apart. Engage core (stomach in, back neutral) Lunge by stepping forward slightly more than a normal step. Drop the back knee down towards the floor as if kneeling. Keep the body upright as the legs drop towards the floor. Return to standing position and repeat on the other side.

Like basic except arms need to be by your side. As you lunge forward your fingertips should touch the floor before return to standing position. Make sure as you touch the floor, your back doesn’t round. Try to maintain straight back and looking ahead throughout. Repeat on the other side.

To prepare for this exercise, step forward and lower down in lunge position with fingertips touching the floor. Ensure the back is straight and not rounded with your head is facing forward throughout. From this position, power up pushing the weight into both feet, so that you jump up into the air. Switch the leading/front leg to the other side in the air so that you land on the opposite side. To ensure the knees aren’t damaged by impact, as soon as the feet hit the floor, the body should lower back to start position so that the impact of landing is shared across the
whole body and not just in the legs. Think soft and light landing.

Place weight at chest height, elbows tucked in. Pull shoulder blades together and keep shoulders down. Start to lower the body by pushing the hips back as if sitting on the chair. Maintain a straight back and look ahead. Keep lowering and push the knees outwards. The aim is to lower the body as far as possible into a deep squat (unless bad knees). Once as low as possible, push back up to standing and repeat.

Sit upright in a chair with back against the chair as support. With weights in hands raise arms into a right angle position at elbow joint and hands at ear height with weights facing outwards. Draw the arms in towards each other so that the hands meet, with the lower arm moving in the same plain. Fly the arms out back to start position.

Same as basic only standing. Ensure shoulders don’t lift as the weights are drawn towards each other during the movement.

Standing holding a weight at chest height, elbows tucked into the waist. Tuck the pelvis under, glutes squeezed. Slowly round the back allowing the stomach to crunch pulling the weight towards the waist. Return to standing. All the work should be felt in the stomach.

Lying on the mat with legs bent and back flat on the mat. With or without weight at chest height, lift your head off the mat and curl the torso upwards lifting off the mat as far as possible, keeping feet on the floor. Curl back to start and repeat. Go slowly allowing the stomach to do the work, rather than rely on momentum.

With or without weight, adopt the same position as intermediate however this time feet off the floor and legs extended, with shoulders off the floor. Crunch by snapping the knees towards the chest, then extend the legs back out and the upper body too. Repeat the crunch.

Standing tall. Keeping arms straight throughout, as you bring one arm up above the head, step the opposite leg back. Repeat on the other side.

Same as basic only this time do a jump to switch legs.

Leaning against a wall. Drop down into a seated position and hold. Raise arms out in front.

N.B anyone with knee problems should only bend as far as the knee will allow.

Same as basic except hold a weight to the chest.

Same as basic however hold the weight away from the body. There are two options with the weight.
1) Elbows tucked into the body and weight extended away from the body.
2) Shoulders against the wall, arms outstretched at shoulder height with the weight.

Standing against the wall, place hands at shoulder height. Step back from the wall onto the balls of your feet. With stomach pulled in and back straight, lower left or right arm to the wall, placing the forearm on the wall. Bring the other arm into the same position. With the leading forearm push the arm away from the wall bringing the hand to the wall and do the same to the other side returning to the start plank position. Repeat but start on the opposite side so that there is fair distribution.

NB. For all levels, to make it more challenging encourage members to start on one side for one set and then switch for the next set. Where the number of sets are 3, you will need to give the members a switch half way through the final set.

Come onto the matt on all fours, with stomach pulled in and back straight. Bring the hands slightly ahead of the shoulders. With stomach pulled in and back straight, lower left or right arm to the floor, placing the forearm on the mat. Bring the other arm into the same position. With the leading forearm push the arm away from the matt bringing the hand to the wall and so that only the hand rests on the mat and do the same to the other side returning to the start knee/plank position. Repeat but start on the opposite side so that there is fair distribution.

Same as intermediate however get into plank position. Starting on all fours with shoulders aligned with the hands, extend one leg out, then the other bringing the body into plank. Ensure the back is parallel to the mat so that the bottom isn’t raised up towards the ceiling.

With Resistance Band (RB)
Place both feet, shoulder width apart on RB. Place hands through each end of the RB. Stand tall. Slight bend in knee. Hinge upper body forward as if bowing. Bend arms up, pulling RB, elbows to waist.

OR with individual weights
Place both feet, shoulder width apart. Bow the body forward by hinging at the hip and create a slight bend in the knees. Ensure the back stays straight by opening the chest and squeezing the shoulder blades together. With both weights in the hands and arms full extending, bend the arms, pulling the weight towards the body, keeping elbows tucked in before returning the arm to the start position.

With Resistance Band (RB)
Place both feet, shoulder width apart on RB. Place hands through each end of the RB. Stand tall. Slight bend in knee. Hinge upper body forward as if bowing. Bend arms up, pulling RB, elbows to waist.

OR with individual weights
Place both feet, shoulder width apart. Bow the body forward by hinging at the hip and create a slight bend in the knees. Ensure the back stays straight by opening the chest and squeezing the shoulder blades together. With both weights in the hands and arms full extending, bend the arms, pulling the weight towards the body, keeping elbows tucked in before returning the arm to the start position.