Trainer, author and fitness model Kirk Charles, NASM-CPT CESYou know that as you get older, life can get more complicated. But that shouldn’t stop you from staying on top of your game. He’ll help you answer the tough training questions that come with age so you can be, too. Fit beyond 40.
I often give my clients a daily challenge, which is simply to work on one exercise per day for the week (or sometimes the entire month). I’ve found it to be an easy way to build momentum in your overall progress and strengthen a muscle group for other exercises.
I recently introduced an exercise called V-sit halo, a move I’ve been doing to strengthen my shoulders and work on joint mobility. But that’s not all: the V-Sit position pushes me to work my core too, something I always need more of as I get older. Keeping your core engaged prevents awkward torso movement, which takes away from the exercise’s sense of moving the weight through your shoulders.
To start, grab a light kettlebell (you can use a dumbbell) and grab it by the horns (with the weight facing down). Sit on the floor with your legs fully extended and your back straight. Hold the kettlebell in front of your face and lift your legs off the floor a few inches off the floor.
From that position, make a aura lifting the weight and turning the head. Try to keep the implement low, below head level and as close to your head as possible. When you finish the circle one way, do it the opposite way.
When you do a halo, your shoulder mobility is tested as you move the kettlebell through its full range of motion. Make sure to focus on the form there, but don’t neglect the other aspect of the movement. I find that the most challenging aspect for my clients (and me) is the V-sit position. To maintain good posture with your feet off the ground, you need to strive for core and spine stability. The goal is to keep your spine and legs from shifting for balance, which can be quite a challenge as you move the kettlebell around your head and the weight shifts from side to side.
Another challenge with the V-sit halo is keeping your knees fully extended as your feet come off the ground. You can also fight the urge to lean back too far to keep your legs elevated. To compensate, you can bend your knees to maintain the V position, but work to keep your back straight and your torso tight.
The V-sit halo has presented a challenge for some of my older clients, but it is well worth the effort. If you want to develop shoulder mobility and core strength, this may be the perfect exercise for you. To start, try this with a light weight as you work to perfect the sitting V position with your abs tight and knees fully extended. Start with five alternating halos. As you get better, increase the weight and reps.
This content is created and maintained by a third party and is imported into this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content on piano.io
