FITNESS 101: ASK AUDRA
Audra Yocom is a certified personal trainer based out of Los Angeles, who will be answering your fitness questions on a weekly basis (every Monday) and will also bring you monthly fitness tips via her regular column (resuming in April) to help us to disspell those myths we’ve all been subjected to regarding fitness at one point or another in our battle with the bulge. You can also hear Audra with her fitness tips during the early morning (5am – 7am) A.M. Blast block of upbeat tunes geared towards your morning workout and via her new “Fitness and Health” Show beginning Wednesday April 11th at 7:30 pm on intraffikradio.com (http://tinyurl.com/intraffikradio) or under Intraffikradio under the eclectic section under iTunes Radio. To learn more about Audra or to inquire about training sessions visit her site http://audrayocom.com.
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QUESTION: I’ve been wanting to take up surfing, but am a little hesitant as I’d tried it before and found it impossible to stand/stay on the board. Are there any exercises I could maybe do as prep for the next time I attempt to hit the waves?
ANSWER: What exercises shouldn’t you do would be a much easier question to answer in this case because surfing requires the use of pretty much all your major muscle groups. Since your main concern is staying on your board I would suggest focusing on stability/balance exercises as well as core strengthening ones. It’s a good place for everyone who is just taking up surfing to start at.
Some Good Workouts to Help Strengthen the Core Area (consisting of the hips, pelvis, abdominal area, lower back, and mid-back) Would Be:
Quadruped Opposite Arm/Leg Raises - Start on all fours, and keep the spine in a neutral position. Draw your abs in, tuck your chin and raise the right arm (thumb pointing up) and the left leg with toes pointing away from your body. Raise both limbs so they are level with your torso. Hold them for two seconds and return them to the floor and then do the same with the opposite arm and leg.
Floor/Ball Bridge – Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Your toes should be about shoulder-width apart and pointing straight. Place your arms out to the side palms facing up. Draw your abs in and lift your pelvis off the floor and raise until your knees, hips and shoulders are in a straight line. Then lower pelvis back to the floor.
Reverse Hypers – Lie face down on a bench torso fully resting on the bench. Extend your legs straight out behind you in the air until your entire body is in a straight line. Then relax and lower your legs back to the floor.
Crunches – Lie on your back on the floor and cross your arms over your chest. Keep your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Feet should be shoulder width apart. Flex your upper body toward your knees lowering your rib cage toward your hips. Then lower your body back to the floor.
Standing Cable Rotation - Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly flexed and your toes pointing straight in front of you. Draw your abs in and rotate your body away from the weights. You should feel it in your abs and in your glutes. Make sure your back foot pivots in the direction you are pulling the cable toward.
Standing Cable Lift – the same as the standing cable rotation except you’ll want your cable to be coming from a low position. You’ll be squatting down to grab the cable then standing and lifting the cable up toward the sky and pivoting your foot in the same direction.
Stability and Balancing Exercises Would Include:
The Single Leg Squat – Stand on one foot with leg slightly bent and other leg slightly bent and “floating” in front of your body. Squat down with the leg you are balancing on as though you are sitting in a chair then push through the heel, activating the glutes, and stand back up straight.
Single Leg Squat Touchdown – Follow the steps for the single leg squat except when you squat down you’ll reach the hand opposite of the balance leg toward the balancing foot while keeping your chest lifted. Hold this position for two seconds and then stand upright pushing through your heel.
Single Leg Romanian Dead Lift – Place one hand on your hip and balance on the same leg of the hip your hand is resting on. Your “floating” leg will be slightly bent but still next to your balancing leg. Next bend at the waist and reach your free hand toward the stabilizing foot. Lower down until your hand is right in front of the middle of your shin and then stand back upright (you may also incorporate a kettleball or weights to add to the difficulty level)
Audra will be answering your fitness questions every Monday. If you have questions you’d like answered you may email her at Audra@intraffik.com or send to info@intraffik.com. To see if your questions have been addressed check out past “Ask Audra” Column Entries here
surfing photo originally published here