Welcome to Week 4 of VIM Fit Fest! We are having a great time seeing your posts and hearing about your adventures. It is a wonderful way to celebrate Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) Clinic’s 25th Anniversary. This week we are working out at Kiwanis Park. It is a great park to enjoy while visiting the shops and restaurants of Downtown Stuart with lots of shade and playgrounds for the family.
This week we are led by Amanda Michel of Whole Body Performance & Fitness. Amanda will be showing us how to progress into some of the more challenging exercises like burpees, pull-ups, and box jumps.
Amanda begins by showing us how to work our way up to a burpee. A burpee combines two exercises, a push-up with a jump. This exercise provides a cardio benefit as well as strengthening the muscles in your legs, hips, buttocks, abdomen, arms, chest, and shoulders. Start by stepping down into a push-up position then stepping up one foot at a time. End by jumping when you are fully upright, then return to the push-up position. As you progress, you’ll start in a standing position, bend and place your hands on the ground in front of you and jump your legs back into a push-up. After you complete the push-up, you jump your legs forward, stand up and jump. Give it a try!
If you’ve ever wanted to accomplish a pull-up, the best way to build up the strength necessary is a reverse pull-up. Use a stool to get in the pull-up position, then lift your feet off the stool and slowly lower yourself down. Lowering uses the same muscles as the pull-up allowing you to progress into this advanced exercise.
The final exercise is a box jump. Be sure you are using a very sturdy bench or step that is designed for this activity. Although Amanda demonstrates on a park bench, you can use a much lower stair or step to begin. Start by stepping the right foot up, followed by the left foot. Then step down with the right foot, and down with the left, tapping it at the bottom, then stepping up with the left foot first. This can be a little tricky, but it switches up the foot that starts first to give an even workout on both legs. Once you master the step ups, you can attempt to jump up with both feet at once and step down one foot at a time, and progress to jumping up and down with both feet together.
Share your progress with the hashtag #vimfitfest and #stuartflparks and post on your favorite social media sites. If you don’t do social media, no worries! Simply send us an email to [email protected] and tell us how you’re doing with your wellness journey.
