Part 3
Flexibility Test
Q S tan d w ith y o u r low er back p resse d
against a w all, elbow s a t 90 degrees.
Your u p p e r arm s sh o u ld b e ag ain st th e
w all a t sh o u ld e r height, p alm s forw ard.
T ry to to u c h y o u r k nuckles to th e wall.
D id y o u g e t y o u r h a n d s
A. all th e w ay to th e wall?
B. a b o u t 1 to 5 in c h es away?
C. m ore th a n 5 in ch es away?
0
S tan d an d d o a classic quad
stretch : grab th e ankle o f y o u r left
leg w ith y o u r left h an d an d pull y o u r
heel as close to y o u r b u tt as y o u can.
S w itch legs an d repeat.
H o w f a r d id y o u g e t o n e a c h s id e ?
A. All th e w ay to m y b u tt
B. L ess th a n 1 in ch to 5 in ch es
aw ay
C. M ore th a n 5 inches aw ay
How’d you do?
M o stly As: You’re o n e flexible
girl. N ice job!
M o stly Bs: W ell done! You’re w ell
o n y o u r w ay, alth o u g h a little
m o re w o u ld n ’t h u rt.
M o stly Cs: L ooks like y o u ’re
a little stiff. N o th in g a few key
ex ercises can ’t fix.
Want to improve
your flexibility?
S c o re d m o s tly As: You’re
p ractically a p retz el, b u t if you
d o n ’t in clu d e flexibility in y o u r
reg u la r w o rk o u ts, it’s tim e to
th in k a b o u t in c o rp o ra tin g yoga
stre tc h e s in to th e m ix.
S c o re d m o s tly Bs: If y o u ’re
flexible b u t n o t rea d y to tak e
o n yoga, s ta rt w ith dynam ic
stre tc h e s, w h ich flow fro m one
m o v e m en t to th e n e x t w ith o u t
h o ld in g in o n e p o sitio n fo r m o re
th a n five seco n d s.
S c o re d m o s tly Cs: S ta rt
in te g ratin g stre tc h e s to
th e en d of every w orkout.
H old each stre tc h fo r 15 to
30 se co n d s an d do tw o o r
th re e se ts. ■
© Sit o n th e floor w ith legs ex ten d ed , feet flexed.
R each y o u r fingers straig h t o u t (still sittin g tall, n o t
b en d in g forw ard) an d place a y ard stick o n th e floor
by one leg, w ith th e zero en d directly below y o u r
m iddle finger. N ow rea ch fo rw ard fo r y o u r toes.
W h e re w e r e y o u o n th e y a rd s tic k ?
A. M ore th a n 12 inches
B. 6 to 12 in ch es
C. L ess th a n 6 inches
How to Boost Your Balance
B alance can d o every b o d y good. “B alance is a
g re a t in d ic a to r of h o w stro n g you are,” say s Joey
G onzalez, celeb rity tra in e r a n d CEO o f B arry’s
B oot C am p in Los A ngeles, US. In c o rp o ra te th e se
b alan ce-b u ild in g ex ercises in to y o u r n e w fitn e ss
p lan im m ediately:
• W alk a s tra ig h t lin e. K ick off y o u r sh o e s and
w alk h ee l-to -to e in a stra ig h t line fo r 20 ste p s.
Look stra ig h t a h e a d — n o t d o w n — as y o u w alk.
T his can h elp you a s s e s s y o u r b alan c e level an d
im p ro v e it a t th e sa m e tim e.
• T ry yoga. T ry a yoga class a t a n e a rb y gym or
h ire a tra in e r w h o do es h o m e visits. Yoga can
h elp b u ild core stre n g th , im p ro v e balance, an d
in c re ase flexibility.
• U se u n s ta b le su rfa c e s. “W h e n y o u d o y o u r
reg u lar ex ercises o n an u n sta b le surface,
you force y o u r core to w ork h ard er,” say s
Je ssic a M atth ew s, M S, C o n tin u in g E d u catio n
C o o rd in a to r of th e A m erican C ouncil on
E xercise. F or exam ple, try sq u a ts o n a BOSU
sta b ility ball (an ex ercise ball c u t in half).
