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Tom's Log: Strengthening and Stretching on Total Gym
Watch a cat get up from sleep or a dog waking up in the morning. The first thing they do is take a stretch. We have a wonderful tool in the Total Gym to stretch and strengthen at the same time! Many of us don’t take the time to stretch properly, which leaves us at risk for injury. Total Gym does the work of stretching while also strengthening your muscles!
Take the simple two arm Pull Over:
- Lying on your back with your hands holding the cable pulley handles overhead, just hang there for a minute. Breathe.
- Then slowly pull your arms over your head like you are reaching for the ceiling and down to your side.
- Now move your arms back to the starting position.
- After 5 repetitions, lift your head and crunch to activate your abs! Then go for 15 more repetitions.
Now, change to a leg stretch:
- Sit with your bum at the top of the glideboard facing the tower and put your feet into the foot holder.
- Now lie back and allow gravity to do the work of stretching your entire body. That feels so good!
- After a nice stretch, start to pull yourself up the glideboard from your heels and return down to a lying position.
- After 5 reps, do a mild crunch raising just your shoulders (not your back) off the glideboard to activate your abs. Now you’re getting a lower body stretch AND an ab workout!
Take 5 minutes to strengthen and stretch and you are ready to go for the day! All of the pulley exercises on Total Gym can achieve this combo of stretch and strength results! Click here to visit the Total Gym Exercise Library.
Total Gym users, fitness professionals and rehab specialists can get the latest Total Gym GRAVITY workout DVDs and exercise tips at GRAVITYClubhouse.com, our free online membership program. Gain access to acclaimed GRAVITY trainers like Rob Glick, Helen Vanderburg, Michael Steel, Jeff Groh and Elizabeth Leeds and their tips to progress your Total Gym workouts.
Have a great workout!
