All posts tagged: beginnerfriendly

Chris Hemsworth uses these three moves to build his core—here’s how to make them beginner-friendly

Chris Hemsworth uses these three moves to build his core—here’s how to make them beginner-friendly

Published by Jenni Sidey

Chris Hemsworth is known for undergoing intense physical transformations for his movies and this week he gave fans a glimpse of what he’s doing to prepare for Extraction 3. Ahead of reprising his role as black-ops mercenary Tyler Rake in the upcoming action thriller, Hemsworth took a break in Costa Rica, where he filmed himself doing a “little workout” for his 58 million Instagram followers. The post shows Hemsworth working through an impressive 19 exercises, with one fan joking: “even your voice sounds like it’s got abs”. Latest Videos FromFit&Well The strength training session—using resistance bands, kettlebells and bodyweight exercises—is fairly advanced, but many of the exercises can be easily modified for beginners. We’ve picked out three core exercises to modify. You may like These moves are important because they challenge your core muscles through different movement patterns: rotation, lateral flexion and forward flexion. When you do these different exercises, you train your core to be strong for the different twisting, bending and flexing movements you do in everyday life. Start your week with achievable …

A Pilates instructor says these are the three most effective beginner-friendly exercises to strengthen your lower body

A Pilates instructor says these are the three most effective beginner-friendly exercises to strengthen your lower body

Published by Jenni Sidey

Pilates is well known for strengthening the core muscles—but instructor Hannah Lawrence says that people underestimate the impact the practice has on other areas. “While your core is definitely involved, some of the best strength gains I see in beginners actually show up in their glutes and legs,” says Lawrence, who’s the studio manager at Sundrop Pilates in Denver, CO. She explains that Pilates helps people isolate and activate muscles that they might not be working—like the glutes—and strengthening these areas has a big impact on daily movement. Latest Videos FromFit&Well “Building lower-body strength helps support your hips, knees and lower back. It improves balance and makes everyday things such as climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or going for a long walk feel noticeably easier.” She shared her three favorite lower-body exercises that she uses with almost every Pilates newcomer. You may like “They’re simple, need zero equipment, and set up really good movement habits right from the start,” she says. Three lower-body strengthening Pilates exercises “If you’re brand new, start with just two rounds and …

Master the basics of Pilates with these five beginner-friendly moves that will teach you body awareness, flexibility and build your core strength

Master the basics of Pilates with these five beginner-friendly moves that will teach you body awareness, flexibility and build your core strength

Published by Jenni Sidey

Pilates has developed a fearsome reputation in recent years, with the style of exercise credited for many a sculpted torso on social media, and the occasional muscle-bound man admitting to being humbled by their first encounter with a Pilates reformer. But it would be a crying shame if this reputation put you off trying it, because it’s actually one of the most accessible forms of exercise out there and can improve the way you carry yourself in everyday life. “Pilates is low-impact and focuses on controlled movement, breathing, posture, flexibility, and core strength,” says Michelle Standfast, a physical therapist assistant and Pilates instructor at ATI Physical Therapy. Latest Videos From “While many people associate Pilates with abdominal exercises, it is actually a full-body workout that emphasizes quality of movement rather than speed or intensity.” Standfast tells Fit&Well that one of the reasons she particularly enjoys Pilates is that it can be adapted to suit almost anyone, at any fitness level. You may like “Whether someone is new to exercise, returning after an injury, or looking …

If you have stiffness in your back and shoulders, a Pilates instructor recommends these two beginner-friendly exercises

If you have stiffness in your back and shoulders, a Pilates instructor recommends these two beginner-friendly exercises

Published by Jenni Sidey

Pilates is often celebrated for its core-strengthening benefits or seen as a way to improve alignment. But this workout style offers another important benefit: mobilizing your body. It’s natural to think of yoga or a good stretching routine to unlock tight areas but Pilates doesn’t just stretch muscles and mobilize joints, it actively strengthens them too. This makes it effective at increasing your range of motion and moving with more ease. Rebecca Daodun, a Pilates instructor and founder of Pilates Prescription, has shared her two favorite beginner-friendly exercises for upper-body mobility. It’s common to hold tension and stiffness in the spine, shoulder and chest, especially if you spend a lot of time sitting or have a habit of slouching. Latest Videos From You may like “A lot of people, when they first start Pilates, haven’t done these kinds of moves before,” Daodun tells Fit&Well. “I always find that beginners love that feeling of finally opening up the body.” You can do these moves as a standalone sequence whenever you need, or as part of a …

Get stronger with this beginner-friendly resistance band workout for full-body fitness

Get stronger with this beginner-friendly resistance band workout for full-body fitness

Published by Jenni Sidey

Resistance bands are an underrated piece of fitness equipment in my opinion. They can build strength just as well as free weights, but are easier to store and less expensive. But one downside of bands, compared with free weights, is that you don’t know precisely how much more resistance you’re working against when you change your hand position. At least that was the case until I discovered Strong Band from Cyan Koay and Matt Van Mol, two personal trainers who have added numbered markers to their bands to help track progress. Latest Videos From You may like Cyan Koay and Matt Van Mol (Image credit: Strong Band) “Most resistance bands leave people guessing,” Van Mol tells Fit&Well. “How to set them up, how much resistance they’re using, and whether they’re actually progressing. We found this limits people from actually building strength with bands. We started Strong Band to remove that guesswork so people can get effective results. “Strong Band turns resistance bands from a general tool you gauge with feeling into something more clear and …

I asked a yoga instructor how to improve my hip mobility and she recommended this 10-minute, beginner-friendly flow

I asked a yoga instructor how to improve my hip mobility and she recommended this 10-minute, beginner-friendly flow

Published by Jenni Sidey

I find sitting cross-legged far from comfortable. My hips feel tight, my groin and lower back quickly feel achy, and my knees remain well above the floor. This posture always reminds me that I need to do some hip mobility work. So I asked Cesca Dinardo, yoga teacher and founder of wellness platform Align, how to improve my hip mobility and she recommended the following flow. It should take five to 10 minutes, is suitable for all levels and requires only a yoga mat. A rolled-up towel or block can also be helpful if your hips are very tight. Article continues below You may like Dinardo recommends moving slowly through these five poses, breathing deeply, and spending between 60 and 90 seconds on each side to experience the full benefits. It can be particularly useful to incorporate at the beginning or end of your day, especially if you are a desk worker or someone who spends a lot of time seated. Let me know in the comments how you find the flow and if the …

Canyon Spectral:ON CF 8 Electric Mountain Bike: Beginner-Friendly, Under K

Canyon Spectral:ON CF 8 Electric Mountain Bike: Beginner-Friendly, Under $5K

Published by skeptic

The Shimano XT/SLX drivetrain and brakes are popular across the eMTB market. You’re not getting the very lightest tech, but they are reliable workhorses. Suspension comes from a FOX 38 Rhythm fork and Float X shock, which, like the drivetrain and brakes, are classy performers. There’s 160 millimeters of travel up front and 155 mm at the rear, which gives good support for rough, technical descents, while remaining efficient on longer rides and over mixed terrain. Also included here is Canyon’s in-house iridium dropper post, a 30.9-mm internally routed unit with 125- to 170-mm travel, depending on your frame size. It’s solid, reliable, and easy to use, although I did find it fairly slow to return to position. It’s not a big deal, though. The DT Swiss HLN350 (15 x 110 30-mm) tires are very much in keeping with the rest of the bike—trusted eMTB options that, while not flashy, will perform well and last. The constituent parts all add up to a hugely impressive electric mountain bike that’s a heck of a lot of …

No equipment? This beginner-friendly workout slows things down to help you build strength without weights

No equipment? This beginner-friendly workout slows things down to help you build strength without weights

Published by Jenni Sidey

My car broke down recently, which meant I had no way of transporting weights to my weekly circuit training class, so I had to design a workout that used minimal equipment. The solution? Introducing isometric holds and tempo training. Isometric holds are exercises in which you hold a position rather than use movement. To put it technically, it’s an exercise that involves static muscle contractions without joint movement—such as planks and wall sits. They are often used in rehabilitation, pain management and stability training because they reduce joint impact while strengthening supporting muscles. The low-impact nature of isometric holds makes them ideal for beginners and seniors, or people recovering from injury. Article continues below You may like Alongside the isometric moves, I added tempo training, tempo simply referring to the speed at which you perform the movements. A slower tempo increases the time your muscles are under tension, which makes the exercise harder—building strength, muscle mass and body control without the need for heavy (or indeed any) weights. When you slow down an exercise move, …

Strengthen your lower back, loosen your hips and offset the effects of prolonged sitting with a beginner-friendly alternative to the 300-rep kettlebell swings workout

Strengthen your lower back, loosen your hips and offset the effects of prolonged sitting with a beginner-friendly alternative to the 300-rep kettlebell swings workout

Published by Jenni Sidey

Part of my duty as a fitness writer with a background in personal training is to try workouts and interrogate fitness fads so you, dear reader, don’t have to. At the start of the year, I undertook the 300 kettlebell swings a day challenge, which involved, you guessed it, doing 300 daily kettlebell swings every day for 30 consecutive days. Before going any further, I want to highlight that this is an advanced challenge and not one I’d recommend a beginner or even intermediate-level exerciser embark on. Article continues below You may like Even with my background I approached the challenge cautiously, starting with an extra light weight, breaking up the 300 swings with lots of rest, stretching thoroughly before and after, and resting and refuelling adequately when not performing kettlebell swings. Caveats aside, after 30 days, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Performing daily hip hinges, the movement pattern that underpins the kettlebell swing, strengthened my glutes and loosened my hip flexors, helping reinforce my slightly weak and injury-prone lower back, while offsetting …

Can’t do a plank? A Pilates instructor shares three beginner-friendly alternatives that still build core strength

Can’t do a plank? A Pilates instructor shares three beginner-friendly alternatives that still build core strength

Published by Jenni Sidey

Planks are often seen as the gold standard for building core strength, but they’re not the only way to do it. Jenny White, Pilates instructor and founder of The Kai Life, says there are other options that still train stability and control. “There are many reasons why someone can’t do a plank, including being a beginner and not having built up the core strength yet, being postpartum, or having limitations like an upper-body injury or sensitivity in the lower back,” she says. You may like Give the moves below a try. Practiced consistently, they can help you build core strength just as effectively as a plank. 1. Dead bug Reps: 10-15 Lie on your back, with your knees raised and bent to 90°. Extend your arms up over your chest. Engage your core to gently press your lower back into the floor. Slowly extend one leg forward, keeping it just above the floor, and lower the opposite arm behind your head. If your lower back rises off the floor, stop lowering your leg just before …