Keeping fit in the office: exercises using your own body weight
Core strength exercise
- Sit on the edge of your office chair and lean backwards slightly
- Push your chest forward, tense your stomach muscles and then lift each leg alternatively at a 90-degree angle
- Lift each knee up to desktop level and let it fall again
- Don’t put your foot back on the ground. Instead, tap lightly on the ground with the tip of your foot
Important: Try to keep your upper body still and your chest proudly out.
Triceps dips
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your back against the edge of the desk
- Support yourself with your arms on the desk
- Hands close to the body and feet slightly forward
- Lower the body, keep the buttocks close to the edge of the desk and push the elbows straight back until a 90-degree angle is reached
- Chest out, proud posture
- Use your palms to push back up into the start position
Important: The further you stand away from the desk, the more strenuous the exercise. Begin close to the edge of the desk and gradually increase the level of difficulty. However, it is important that the buttocks remain at the edge.
Push-ups
- Stand approximately one big step away from the edge of the desk
- Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the edge of the desk. Your feet should be hip-width apart.
- Push your elbows outwards and bring the chest to elbow height
- Now push up again to the start position. Keep looking straight ahead (at the desk).
Important: In this case too, the further you stand away from the desk, the more strenuous the exercise. Beginners can stand close to the edge of the desk and do the same exercise from above to below. Then gradually increase the distance.
Squats
- Stand with your feet a little more than hip-width apart with the feet pointing slightly out
- Press the knees outwards too and go into a squat position
- Push your chest forward, tense your stomach muscles, look forward
- Lower the buttocks down to knee height (you can always use the office chair to gauge the height)
- Push up again by applying pressure through the heels and press the buttocks firmly together.
- You can stretch your arms forwards in the downward movement to help you keep your balance.
Important: The knees must not protrude over the tips of the feet because this would mean that the entire body weight would be on the knee joints. Sit back. Imagine you're sitting yourself down on a chair.
07.03.2018