Are You Fit for Office? Master These Seven Moves

Regardless of how you feel about the inauguration ceremonies, there is something to be said about making the next 100 days count in your fitness routine. And why not make it a challenge that is presidential in nature?

Here is a simple workout inspired by the Presidential Fitness Challenge to get you started. The President’s Challenge Physical Activity & Fitness Awards Program, is a program of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, dedicated to “empowering students to be fit for life.” Established in 1988, nearly 70 million Americans of all ages and ability levels have since been recognized for their physical activity and nutrition achievements.

Part of the program includes a longstanding and evolving youth fitness test. In 2012, the program experienced a refresh in partnership between the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Society of Health and Physical Educators; National Foundation of Fitness, Sports & Nutrition and the Cooper Institute.

Beyond the President’s Challenge, which uses the FitnessGram to test students, there is also a six-week digital fitness program for adults, which promotes physical activity and good nutrition, through a healthy lifestyle. PALA+ requires physical activity goals asks youth (6 to 17 years old) to be active at least 60 minutes a day (or 12,000 steps) and adults (ages 18 to 64) to be active for 30 minutes a day (or 8,500 steps), for five days a week for six out of eight weeks. You can do this too!

Over the next 100 days, add these moves to your fitness regimen and over time dial up your technique, build up your reps, increase your intensity and walk away fit for any office you find your way into. To follow the full 6-week challenge including a healthy-eating plan visit fitness.gov. Track your results for proof of progress along the way.

Fit Test 1: One-mile run

What it measures

Your aerobic capacity (VO2max) is an important measure of your health. It describes the maximum rate that oxygen can be taken up and utilized by the body during an activity. The One-mile run is a well-tested physical fitness measure that can reflect the overall capacity of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Running is a strenuous movement activity and can be used to demonstrate aerobic capacity.

How to do it

In this test, the objective is to run a mile as fast as possible. Warm up your body taking great care to prepare your joints for the workout and pick a safe one-mile route for your test or use a treadmill. Record the amount of time that it takes to achieve the distance. Alternatively, if running is not an option for you, at this time, consider the one-mile walk test, and instead walk one mile as fast as possible. To gather even more information on your performance, wear a heart-rate monitor.

How to improve your performance

Add more high intensity exercise into your life. Cross training your aerobic capacity with three or more sessions of moderate to high-intensity exercise that is sustained for at least 30 minutes is associated with an increased ability to run or walk. Options to consider include group fitness classes, or any dynamic activity such as swimming, cycling, walking, and interval training activities.

Fit Test 2: Curl-up

What it measures

The curl-up test set at a cadence is a measure of abdominal strength and endurance. Both are key to core stability and back health. The curl-up test is a classic movement activity accessible to most individuals used to assess core conditioning.

How to do it

Begin on your back, head down, with your knees bent, feet hip-width apart and feet flat on the ground. Rest your arms to your sides parallel to your body, hands flat on the ground with fingers stretched out. Keep your feet firm on the ground as you exhale and contract your abdominal muscles, to slowly curl up off the floor sliding fingers towards your feet lifting as far as comfortable and then returning slowly back to the mat. Keep the movement fluid and at a cadence of 1 curl up every 3 seconds and continue to exhaustion. Record your score.

How to improve your performance

Aerobic capacity of youth can be improved with sustained periods of higher-intensity exercise (Pate & Ward, 1990). Although the exact dose of exercise needed in youth has not been identified, three or more sessions per week in which moderately-high-intensity exercise is sustained for 30 minutes or more are probably required. Any dynamic exercise involving large muscle groups is suitable, such as vigorous walking, jogging/running, cycling, swimming, and vigorous games. Improvements are proportional to the amount of moderately-high-intensity exercise completed per week.

Fit Test 3: Push-up

What it measures

Push-ups are forever. They are a classic conditioning tool and an excellent way to measure your fitness status over time. They are not the only measure of upper-body strength, they are worth your time to finally master. In this assessment, push-ups are used to measure upper-body strength and endurance by counting the maximum number of push-ups performed at a rate of one repetition every three seconds.

How to do it

Start in a plank position with arms under shoulders, balancing on the balls of the feet, with feet hip-width apart and body held in one straight line. Keep the body strong and lower your body towards the ground until there is a 90-degree angle at the elbow, and your upper arms are parallel to the ground. Push the ground away and return to start. Time yourself to keep a steady rhythm of 1.5 seconds on the way down and 1.5 seconds to get back up. This is not easy. Perform as many as you are able to with excellent technique. Keep your core strong and avoid prolonged resting at the top of the move.

How to improve your performance

Once again, the poison is the medicine. Get stronger at push-ups by doing push-ups and at all angles, variations, using resistances, elevating the feet and elevating the hands. Mix it up. Add other push movements to your workout such as bench presses or warding movements and get out and move your body in a variety of ways with natural resistance for increased upper-body strength and core connection.

Fit Test 4: Pull-up

What it measures

While this is used as an optional part of the presidential physical challenge, the pull-up or modified pull-up is a key indicator of total body fitness and total physical prowess. We all love the idea of being ready to pull ourselves over a wall if needed and it is a good skill to have regardless of your ninja tendencies. Pull-ups measure upper-body muscle strength, core strength, grip strength and endurance.

How to do it

Find a bar that allows you to hang from freely and safely. Use a spotter if necessary. Select a grip either an overhand grip (palms facing away from body) or an underhand grip (palms facing toward body), and extend your arms fully and hang from the bar. Stiffen your body and keep freedom in your breathing, then pull your body up to the bar until the chin completely clears the top of the bar. With control, release the body back to the starting position. Keep your movement measured and controlled and complete as many as you are able to do safely. Avoid swinging the body or kicking and jerking your way to the top.

How to improve your performance

Adding pulling movement patterns and pull-ups of all variations, including those that challenge your ability to grip and hold on to a bar will greatly enhance your ability to pull your bodyweight and execute the pull-up test more effectively and efficiently. Introduce negative reps, meaning slowly increasing your time under load as you descend from the bar and do not shy away from modified pull-ups as they are keep to building your strength with the critical technique and also adding to your stamina.

Fit Test 5: Trunk lift

What it measures

Lower-back pain is a major source of disease and chronic pain and is exacerbated by the sedentary lifestyle all too common across demographics. The trunk life test measures the strength of the body’s ability to extend the spine the range of motion available and postural endurance.

How to do it

Begin prone on the floor, with your legs stretched out and together behind you, arms alongside your body and your face pointing down with neck in neutral alignment. Brace the core and anchor the legs and work to slowly lift the upper body off the floor slowly and with control, maintaining neutral alignment in neck and head. Acknowledge the height of the lift and slowly release. Attempt once more and notice the height of your movement and the feeling of freedom or restriction in your body.

How to improve your performance

Improved spinal extension and range of motion in your spine is critical to total body health. To build specific strength for the test, use the movement as a progressive set and perform it up to 20 repetitions with excellent technique and freedom of breath. Adding cross training yoga, Pilates, barre training and conditioning to your fitness regimen will further balance out your movement patterns and increase your ability to move in all directions.

Fit Test 6: Back-saver hamstring stretch

What it measures

Lower-back pain is a massive source of disability and discomfort for many individuals including athletes and young adults. Often movement is the best remedy and the body is in pain as a result of restricted range of motion and overuse and abuse of other specific postures or repeated movement patterns. This is a variation of the original sit and reach test. It serves to measure the flexibility of the back along with the left and right legs separately.

How to do it

Start seated, shoes off and extend one leg out straight in front of you anchored against a block or a bench or any prop that allows an anchor and ability to reach and place your hands towards. Bend the other knee with your foot flat on the floor next to your inner thigh. Establish excellent posture and sit up tall. Hinge at hips, and reach your hands toward the foot and the prop and evaluate your range of motion and the sensation you have in your back, hips, hamstring and calves. Do not force the stretch and continue to breathe naturally throughout.

How to improve your performance

Daily stretching and mobility is key to your longevity. Yoga, Pilates, and barre classes are great options to learn new ways to stretch. A classic way to also stretch your hamstrings includes reclining on your back with one leg stretched to the ceiling and the other flat on the floor. Introduce active stretching and dynamic stretching to further increase range of motion and add therapy ball rolling to add health and circulation to your muscle tissues.

Fit Test 7: Shoulder stretch

What it measures

The shoulder stretch was added to the protocol as an option and not as a requirement to emphasize that hamstring flexibility is not the only measure of performance in this area. Flexibility and mobility are critical throughout the body and while restriction in one area will impact the body systemically it must be measured and addressed specific to each joint. The assessment is intended to evaluate the health of the shoulder girdle and give perspective to adding more vitality to the upper body.

How to do it

For many, this is a super challenging stretch. Begin standing with good posture and place one arm behind your back and reach the other arm up into the air, bringing your elbow close to your neck, bending the elbow and turning your palm down to reach towards the middle of your back. Bring the other arm behind your back turning the palms out and reaching it up towards your other hand in an attempt to touch fingers or clasp hands. Do not force this movement and be mindful to not alter the spinal or neck posture as you attempt the stretch. Notice the distance between the hands along with the ease or challenge of the stretch. Repeat on both sides.

How to improve your performance

The first quick fix is to manage your posture throughout the day to reduce curing the spine and allowing your head to fall forward as you tyipe and work and manage all the many things and devices in front of you. Once again, yoga and other conscious movement patterns are excellent to learn a variety of shoulder stretches and mobility patterns to return health to your shoulders. Scheduled massages as well as partner support from a friend or a trainer to gently stretch the arms behind your back are excellent and delightful adds to your weekly or everyday routine or anytime you are able to take advantage of them.

Once you can master these seven moves, you’ll be fit for duty!

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