Tag Archives: Fitness Friday

Jan 08, 2016

Pushups can be the best upper body exercise to hit the chest, shoulders & triceps, but only if done correctly.

The set up of a pushup is critical for good form.

pushupsetup1

1) Start on your stomach with your thumbs under your chest (nipple line).

2) Now slide your hands out wider and check to see if your elbow is directly over your wrist (vertical forearm).

pushupsetup2

3) Push yourself to the top of the pushup. If you are on your knees make sure you keep your feet firmly rooted into the floor.

pushup3

4) Keep your abs engaged and don’t let your head drop.

5) Lower yourself “forward and down” so that your elbows go behind you 45 degrees (or 4 & 8 o’clock). Make sure you keep your elbows over your wrists at the bottom and in a 90 degree angle.

6) Work to get your chest to touch the floor before you go to pushups on the toes.

Tip: to keep your shoulder blades down and your chest open imagine you have a big paper towel under both hands & your are tearing it apart at the seam in the middle on the way down & up. Hands don’t move, however.

1.08.16 | TARA GUÉRARD
Beauty, Bridal, Weddings | Comments >>

Dec 18, 2015

Fitness Friday with Tracie Long

plank

The Plank

Low plank is a great exercise for your whole body but designed for core / spinal stabilization.

Often we think we are in a good plank (alignment) but could use some feedback from our bodies! Using a dowel stick or broom stick really helps.

The idea is to have the stick stay in contact with your head, shoulder blades and top of your lower back/ tailbone.

Often we are not drawing our abs in enough & have a big “gap” at the lower back or “arch”. Getting the space as small as possible is the goal.

1) Start on elbows with forearms parallel to each other (clasping hands encourages rounded shoulders). Make a fist or have hands flat, wrists in contact with the floor.

2) Wider feet makes the plank a little easier – wider base of support.

3) Have someone place a dowel stick on your back.

4) If your head drops try to pull it back to the stick. If your head is too high you will cause the stick to come off the shoulder blades. If your middle “sags” the stick will no longer touch your shoulder blades. If you round your back too much the stick will leave the tailbone (and probably roll off).

5) To keep the upper body from fatiguing use that same “tear the paper towel” visualization to keep the shoulder blades from winging causing you to collapse in the shoulders and now feeling the plank in the upper body & neck.

Hold as long as possible in good form. On on the knees (hover plank) is a great way to start out & you might even feel your “core” even more in this modification (less is more sometimes!)

12.18.15 | TARA GUÉRARD
Beauty, Uncategorized | Comments >>

Dec 11, 2015

Fitness Friday With Tracie Long

For this edition of Fitness Friday with Tracie Long, we’re going to focus on upper back posture which is something every woman has to think about (since we tend to carry our stress in our shoulders and hunch), and of course makes that angle that everyone sees during the ceremony if you are wearing a strapless dress look amazing!

Posture / band pulls- This simple exercise works on scapular retraction (pulling the shoulder blades together) and reinforces good upper back posture. You can find a long band in any sporting goods store or online.

Tracie Long Fitness

1. Sit in a comfortable manner for you (on the floor, in a chair, on your knees)

2. Keep abdominals tight & ribs down to keep good spinal alignment.

3. Extend your arms out in front of your chest with a little bend at the elbows.

Tracie Long Fitness

4. Without arching the back pull the shoulder blades together and hold for a 3 second count. Fully release the arms back to the front to finish.

5. Try to keep your chin level and avoid hunching shoulders up as you pull the arms back.

6. Do 10 times, rest, repeat for a total of 3 sets. (can also be performed diagonally which is great for back of shoulders)

12.11.15 | TARA GUÉRARD
Beauty, Bridal Style, Charleston, Dresses, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>