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Gillard Top 5
Well….at the moment there is certainly a lot of discussion around who should be leading our great country. Personally I think both of our options are far from ideal, but hey….I am certainly no expert on politics and I don’t want to bore all of us by getting into it.
What I do want to do is analyse our current leader and suggest the top 5 strength exercises I think would help our PM look, feel and perform better in her everyday duties.
So, let’s get started…
- Stability ball Bridge – We can only imagine the amount of time Julia spends seated, at her office desk, in the House of Representatives, in the back seat of a car and on her weak version of Air Force 1…:) which suggests she needs solid core/torso strength to maintain a solid posture throughout the day. This exercise focuses on core stability and the strong isometric contraction of the glutes (butt) will help strengthen and tighten this area. As an added bonus she gets to spend a little time on her back!
Goblet Squat – This is a great lower body exercise for Julia. This will strengthen her Glutes (butt), Quads (thighs) & core all in one leaving Mr Abbott speechless as he follows her tighter buns down the hallways. Also think about how many times a day she gets in and out of a chair….she needs to have strong quads & glutes to ensure she maintains a strong postural position throughout these movements.
You can use a dumbbell, kettlebell or medicine ball for this exercise. Place dumbbell in the goblet position at chest height (as seen on the right). Stand in the start up position with feet shoulder width apart and engage or contract your abs. Then while maintaining a neutral spine, pivot at the hip as you bend your knees to approximately 90 degrees. Make sure you maintain the proper posture as seen in the pic. Weight should be heavy enough to make sure you can complete 12-15 reps using good form.
Single Arm Dumbbell Rows – Now the reason I have chosen this exercise is that it is a great back and biceps exercise for beginners as it is easier to keep your back in a neutral position than some of the other exercises. Having a strong back is very important for Julia as it will assist in keeping her upper body in the correct posture. What tends to happen to people who work at a desk or are seated for long periods is their upper back starts to hunch over and stretch out and the shoulders begin to pull around towards the chest. This over time can become very uncomfortable and cause major spinal problems such as kyphosis & lordosis of the spine.
- Mountain Climbers – If you are one of my clients then you know what these are all about. This is a great exercise for Ms Gillard to assist in tightening that stomach region as it will charge the core (abs) while bringing in the cardiovascular system to get your pulse pumping.
Start in the push-up position and engage your core (abs) so they are nice and tight. Keep your torso in the push-up position and begin driving your knee one at a time towards your chest until you are basically running on the spot. The key is to maintain that push-up position. Try this one for 30-60 seconds depending on your fitness level.
Seated Dumbbell Press – You could say Ms G has a lot of weight on her shoulders running this country so let’s help her lighten the load by strengthening up her shoulder muscles (deltoids). As seen in the pic, I would advise she use the stability ball for this one as it will bring the core muscles more in to play because she needs to focus on maintaining her balance and posture throughout the movement.