Well I decided that this year things are going to be a little different so I came up with my own Honey-do list. Let me share an example. “Honey, do you mind if I try to squeeze in a round of golf after I finish this list?” I think it’s pretty clear who’s calling the shots around here.
So what’s on your list for this weekend? Rebuild the stone wall that the plow guy demolished. Tub-up the winter gear and hide it in the basement. Standard springtime chores, all of which involve lifting and relocating awkward and/or heavy objects. If I’m not careful I’ll be sporting a heating pad sooner than my golf cleats.
Thankfully, I’ve been a good lad and have been consistent with my balanced training routine — pushing, pulling, core, and total body — the latter of which is really going to pay off this weekend.
An exercise I do to keep my awkward-heavy-object-lifting technique in order is the Squat with Shoulder Press. You can use almost any object for this, though I’d start light before getting too heavy. At the gym I use a medicine ball or a dumbbell.
Take a wide stance — you’ll need to be able to fit your arms between your knees at the bottom of the exercise. With your butt back and weight on your heels, begin with the weight just off the floor, arms hanging straight down from your shoulders and back flat (drawing your shoulder blades together can help with this). As you stand upright, lift the weight to your chest, then press the weight overhead and slightly in front of you — unless you’re storing tubs on your head you shouldn’t be lifting the weight directly over it. Lower the weight to your chest, then squat down as you lower the weight back toward the floor and repeat for 15 repetitions.
Lift well and hit straight!
Jon Frothingham is a NASM-CPT certified personal trainer at Natural Fitness in Falmouth. To learn more about personal training contact him at 781-3900 or visit www.naturalfitnessme.com.