COVID19 – Home Exercise Protocol

Inchworms – Stand wider than shoulder-width, reach down to the floor as much as you can while keeping knees straight (Bend the knees, if you can’t touch the floor), crawl forward with the hands into a push-up/plank position and hold for 2s, reverse the movement by crawling with the hands back to standing position from the start.

BW Squats (3-5s Tempo) – Feet position is dependent on the individual, experiment narrow or wide position without any discomfort while squatting. Maintain a high chest, keep the core engaged as you sit into the squat, the distribution of weight should be on the midfoot from start to finish. The tempo is defined as the speed of the movement, during the lowering phase of the squat, should be 3-5s on the way down, and 1s up.

Incline Push-Ups – Find a stable platform e.g. chair, the edge of the bed (knee level or higher, the lower the more difficult the higher the incline, slightly easier) place your arms straight, shoulder-width apart (Visualize being in a straight arm plank position but on an incline).

Keep the elbows to a 45-degree angle during the lower phase of the push-up movement, maintain stiffness in the core and squeeze the glutes throughout the entire movement.

Hollow Plank Crunch – Lay on your back, arms overhead with the thumbs pointing down to the floor (Visualize standing tall with arms above your head, but on your back of the floor). Inhale through the nose, engage the core, in a controlled motion; lift your arms and leg 1 inch from the floor (keeping your knees straight) and hold for 2s and reset back to the floor and repeat the movement as prescribed.

Reverse Lunge – Start with feet shoulder width apart (if balance is an issue start wider) bring back one leg approximately 2-3 feet in distance (this will depend on the individual, due to the leg length, so experiment what feels stable and comfortable!). Focus on bending the back leg of the knee to 90 degrees (or safe range of motion without discomfort). Bring the back leg from the reverse lunge position, straight into the high knee up to the chest.

Sumo squats – Feet are wider than shoulder-width apart (Experiment for wide feet stance, for balance and groin/glute activation). Same cues as the bodyweight squat, but the only difference here is that the weight distribution on the way down should be more emphasized on the heels and midfoot, as opposed to having even weight on the foot. Visualize sitting the butt back more (or sticking your butt out more as you squat down while MAINTAINING a high chest.

Glute bridge – Start on your back with both legs straight, bring both legs up (shin angle should be approximately 45-60 degrees, heel should be a foot away from the glute). Place your arm and palms 45 degrees from the torso, palms facing down for added contact + stability to push down if needed). Engage the core by pushing the lower back to the floor. Engage the glute, by squeezing, and pushing the hips to the ceiling, while maintaining a straight lower back without overarching the lower spine. Hold for 3s at the top and repeat.

Multiplanar lunge – Three different movements broken down into forward lunge, 45-degree forward lunge, and lateral lunge/Cossack. Perform all three movements = 1 rep. 

• Forward lunge: Opposite of reverse lunges, bring one leg forward (2-3-foot distance from the opposing leg. Focus on bending the back knee, while maintaining core stiffness and high chest.

• 45 Degree forward lunge: As the name says its, bring your leg into a forward lunge on a 45-degree angle, toes pointing straight at 45 degrees.
• Lateral lunge/Cossack squats: Start with both feet wider than shoulder-width apart, in a controlled motion while maintaining a high chest (minimize rounding of the upper back) shift your weight to the right side (as if you’re squatting to one side of the leg). The left foot can either be planted or on the heels -if ROM is limited.

Lateral walks – Start with feet shoulder width apart, squat halfway down and maintain that position throughout the whole movement, while keeping the toes straight. Keep both feet a foot apart and start by taking a sidestep each rep.

Step-ups – Use a staircase or elevated platform minimum a foot height or higher (higher it is the more difficult it is). Start by placing the whole foot onto the platform (in case the platform doesn’t fit the whole foot, do your best and make sure to feel balanced and stable on the foot before you step-up), engage the core while maintaining a tall posture, bring the opposite leg from the platform into a high knee tuck, and step back down to alternate the next leg.

Incline push-ups – Can be performed on the edge of a chair pushed against a wall, or edge of a bed (make sure it’s firm enough on an elevated platform when performing this movement) with arms shoulder-width apart. Maintaining a flat back, engage the core and squeeze the glutes to activate the muscles. Descend, by bending the elbow on a 45-degree (make sure to not flare the elbows out to shoulder level as it will put a lot of stress in the shoulder girdle) in a controlled motion for 3-5s, and push back up.

Straight arm plank to rotation – Start with arms shoulder-width apart (Push up position) and feet wider than shoulder-width (wider the feet are, the more balance so play around with the difficulty level!). Start by taking the right hand off the floor and slowly rotate the elbows up to the ceiling and extend the arm straight, while keeping both feet planted and straight. Reverse the movement back to the starting position and repeat = 1 rep.

YTW – Find a mat and roll up a towel or a shirt to place on the forehead to keep the neck in place and have room to breathe. In this prone position, there will be 3 different movements involved, the rationale behind this exercise is to fire your rotator cuff muscles and mid-upper back muscles to strengthen posture.

Y – Start with arms fully extended 45 degrees, keeping the chin tucked in, raise both the arms with the thumbs pointing up as much as you can while focusing on squeezing the mid-upper back, WITHOUT shrugging the traps. Hold for 3-5s at the end range, and relax the arms back to transition to the “Y” s

T – Start with the arms straight 180 degrees with the thumbs pointing up, the same direction as with the “Y’s focusing on squeezing the upper back fibres and hold for 3-5s.

W– Start by pushing the elbows to the pockets as much as you can, the arm position is slightly tucked in as if you are flexing your biceps. From a bird’s eye view, the arms and elbows should resemble the letter W. From this position lift the arms up by 1 inch and focus on squeezing the upper back for 3-5s. After each letter is performed for one round = 1 rep.

Bench dips – Using the edge of a chair or a stable platform, place both hands on the edge, maintain a tall chest, and slightly turn the elbows towards the body. Slowly descend by bending the elbows and shifting the weight to the arms (Using the legs as a spotter, can help minimize the weight on the shoulders if there is too much pressure).

Standing rear flys – Standing feet shoulder-width apart with knees slightly bent, push the hips back and lean the shoulder forward (similar position to a standing dumbbell row with shoulders past the toes). From this position, have both the arms fully extended and thumbs pointed towards the back and bring the arms back as if you’re performing a “T’. Another option is to hold a water jug or something with a bit of weight to feel more of a squeeze.

Rocking plank – Start on the forearms with the elbows two inches in front of the shoulder and push the toes back by an inch. In this position, it should almost feel like your body is being pulled apart. Plant the palms to the floor, and slowly rock back and forth while maintaining a flat back, visualize a ceiling 1 inch from your back and try not to raise the hips too high during the movement.

Side plank – Start on the right side, then with the right shoulder stack over the elbow. The shoulder, hips, knee, and ankle should be relatively straight with the top leg resting on the base leg. Before raising the hips into a side plank, be sure to engage the core and squeeze the upper back to prevent the shoulders rounding forward. Alternate sides.

Leg raise – Lay flat on the back, with legs straight and toes pointed up. Push the lower back into the floor, and slowly raise the leg up to 90 degrees. If there are any back issues or discomfort, slip a rolled towel or a soft pillow to cushion the lower back AND/OR bend the knee towards the chest to limit the leg raise, if back discomfort persists.

Mountain climbers – Start in push-up position. Feet can be shoulder-width apart, bring one knee up towards the chest and hold for 2s, and restart back to the original position.

Flutter kicks – Similar to the leg raise, raise both legs straight feet away from the floor. Slow and controlled going up and down. Keeping the lower back and neck in contact with the floor. 

Hollow plank hold – Lay flat on the back with arms extended overhead. Visualize the whole body moving in unison, raising both the arms, neck, and heel 1-2 inch off the floor, and hold the position for the specified time.