With age racing and a sedentary life style playing truant, without restorative adaptations, we progressively erode physical strength. This erosion, holds consequences in the long term restricting mobility and paving way for life styled induced physiological degeneration.
For better mobility to enhance our quality of life and not unintentionally cause self harm through sedentary existence, challenge yourself with a these progressively simple exercise adaptations.
You could do this around your work desk, kitchen walls, on a stationary car or even when under the shower - but beware, don't slip down that well polished marble gleam and land yourself uninvited on a physicians lap when trying to work around another health challenge.
Most are familiar with isometrics - Building strength and some muscle by loading a muscle without altering its length.
The wall sit isometric is used to test and develop lower body strength, primarily for your quadriceps, but in the process, loads other parts of your leg like hamstrings, glutes, calves and the core.
When executed by sitting against a wall using both feet for not more than 30 seconds, if your sedentary existence is worrying enough for you to give up before 30 seconds is done, your body will 'talk' to you about it. Age and experience not withstanding, it would do you a world of good to pay heed to sound advice from your legs - using your feet to think, so to speak !!
If no, and you can successfully execute this movement with little difficulty or ease, no reason to celebrate yet, move on to the next level...
So, If you have crossed the 30 second mark rather comfortably, take it to the next level and throw in that check for muscle balance while building strength using these variations of bilateral & unilateral holds for 30 sec.
How ?
That is simple ....when sitting on that imaginary chair against the wall, lift one leg, balancing your body weight on the other. In all probability, you will find the degree of the task go from 'relatively easy' to 'suddenly challenging'. If not, be proud of your lower kinetic chain strength. Hold on for 30 seconds, if you can, you are graded 'GOOD'
Does the progressive challenge on isometrics end here with a pat on your back and the word 'good' ?
Oh no...these are just the initial gradations of difficulty. One can increase the degree of challenging yourself by loading your single leg hold (unilateral) or two leg hold (bilateral) with any weight like a kettlebell, a dumbbell, a barbell plate or even your grocery bag.
For variations, you can throw in an exercise band around your shin bone or above your knees or both, pushing outwards, forcing an increase in intensity and effectiveness. It need not be an exercise band, a simple towel or a soft rope should work, but a band enhances dynamic resistance.
The additional effort needed to push your leg outward will engage your abductors, increase glute activation through load and stability and push your core to increase engagement to keep balance.
One can do bilateral (both legs) or unilateral (single leg) progressions.
To check balance and constantly challenge small movements, dynamic isometrics can be attempted with an inverted half crescent ball or a bosu ball.
So much variety and strength benefit, all stitched into one simple movement.
Keep in mind, isometrics build strength and not muscle. But this foundation strength holds immense restorative benefits. After 30 years of age, we lose 3 - 8% muscle per decade. After 60, it is 1% of your body weight per year. This can be offset to delay age related conditions related to mobility, coordination and balance.
Thus, what are u waiting for ? Find a wall and check your lower limb strength quotient !
