Saithalyasana (Animal Relaxation Pose)
Bodyweight Military Press
The Bodyweight military press is a basic shoulder exercise that primarily targets the shoulder muscles. This is a variation of the traditional military press, but instead of using weights like dumbbells or barbells, you only use your body weight for resistance.
How to do:
- Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides.
- Raise your arms up to shoulder level, bending your elbows at a 90-degree angle, with your palms facing forward.
- Engage your core and squeeze your glutes to maintain stability throughout the movement.
- Slowly press your hands directly overhead, extending your arms fully without locking your elbows. Imagine pushing the ceiling away from you.
- Pause for a moment at the top, ensuring your arms are fully extended.
- Slowly lower your hands back down to the starting position, maintaining control and a controlled pace.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Here are some additional tips for performing the bodyweight military press:
- Maintain proper form throughout the exercise. Keep your head aligned with your spine, and avoid arching or excessively leaning back.
- Engage your core muscles to provide stability and support for your spine.
- Focus on using your shoulder muscles to lift your arms overhead rather than relying on momentum or excessive upper body movement.
- Breathe naturally throughout the exercise, exhaling as you press your arms overhead and inhaling as you lower them down.
- Start with a weight and repetition range that challenges you without compromising form. If necessary, you can gradually increase the difficulty by performing the exercise on an elevated surface, such as push-up handles or parallettes.
Bodyweight Military Press – Benefits
- The military press is a bodyweight exercise that mimics the pushing motion you often perform in daily activities or sports. By strengthening the muscles involved in this movement, you enhance your ability to perform tasks that require overhead pushing, such as lifting objects, reaching, or participating in sports like basketball or volleyball.
- Bodyweight military press work the muscles surrounding the scapula and shoulder for both dynamic and static stability. It is a frequently used exercise for upright posture and postural disorders. Applying this exercise, which is beneficial for posture, as a dynamic warm-up before shoulder exercises, provides benefits for the development of shoulder muscles.
One of the advantages of the bodyweight military press is that it can be performed without the need for external weights or equipment. This makes it a convenient exercise that you can do anywhere, using just your bodyweight.
Bodyweight Military Press – Muscles Worked
How to Sphinx Pose
Hold for up to 10 breaths. To release, exhale as you slowly lower your torso, chest, and head to the floor.
Sphinx Pose Benefits
- The Sphinx is a wonderful yoga pose to open the upper body and gain more strength and mobility in the mid-back and the thoracic spine. This move strengthens the erector spinae muscles that provide support to the spine. Strong back muscles can prevent postural deviations that lead to poor posture and discomfort, such as kyphosis (“hunchback”). Sphinx movement improves your posture by extending your back muscles and reducing the tension between your lower back and core areas. It also enhances your lower back’s strength, making it easier to stay upright throughout the day.
Muscles Worked in the Sphinx Pose
How to Standing Rotation
1- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your elbows raised to each side.
2- Keeping your hips straight and aligned, rotate your upper body with a smooth motion to your right.
3- Pause at the edge of the movement, then rotate back through the start position, keeping your movement fluid, not jerky.
4- Continue the movement to your left side, keeping your hips and your elbows raised to each side. Pause at the edge of the movement, then rotate to the start position.
Standing Rotation Benefits
- A dynamic flexibility exercise that you can do before starting workouts. It can help you increase flexibility and range of motion, including core and abdominal muscles
Muscles Worked in The Standing Rotation
How to: Upavistha Konasana
Dynamic stretching consists of active movements. It is usually done before a workout to help warm up your muscles and increase your heart rate. Move slowly, stop and repeat, dig a little deeper each time and improve your range of motion. Pre-workout dynamic stretching improves circulation, prepares your muscles for movement, and temporarily increases your range of motion.
Static stretching, more commonly done at the end of a workout when your muscles are warm, is when stretches are held in place for a certain period of time, not moving. Static stretching is the most effective form of stretching for loosening up your muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons, while also improving flexibility and range of motion. Static stretching requires you to move a muscle to the end of its range of motion and maintain this position for 20 to 45 seconds. Repeat this 2 to 3 times each.
Upavistha Konasana Benefits
- The Upavistha Konasana is a challenging yoga pose. The asana forms an angle that gives a great stretch to the body, especially the lower body. It stretches your legs, hips, shoulders and groin muscles, strengthens your back and improves your posture. Stretching the body increases the flexibility of the muscles and reduces the risk of injury and prevents muscle soreness.
People with herniated disks should consult a doctor before performing this pose. This pose is also not suitable for Individuals with back, hips, knees and hamstring injuries. Therefore, in case of a tear in your groin and hamstring area, it is recommended that you don’t practice the Wide Angle Seated Forward Bend Pose.
Muscles Worked in the Upavistha Konasana
How to Seated Hamstring Stretch
Dynamic stretching consists of active movements. It is usually done before a workout to help warm up your muscles and increase your heart rate. Move slowly, stop and repeat, dig a little deeper each time and improve your range of motion. Pre-workout dynamic stretching improves circulation, prepares your muscles for movement, and temporarily increases your range of motion.
Static stretching, more commonly done at the end of a workout when your muscles are warm, is when stretches are held in place for a certain period of time, not moving. Static stretching is the most effective form of stretching for loosening up your muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons, while also improving flexibility and range of motion. Static stretching requires you to move a muscle to the end of its range of motion and maintain this position for 20 to 45 seconds. Repeat this 2 to 3 times each.
Seated Hamstring Stretch / Benefits
- The seated hamstring stretch forms an angle that gives a great stretch to the body, especially the lower body. It stretches your legs, hips, shoulders and groin muscles, strengthens your back and improves your posture. Stretching the body increases the flexibility of the muscles and reduces the risk of injury and prevents muscle soreness.
Muscles Worked in the Seated Hamstring Stretch
How to Kneeling Quad Stretch
Dynamic stretching consists of active movements. It is usually done before a workout to help warm up your muscles and increase your heart rate. Move slowly, stop and repeat, dig a little deeper each time and improve your range of motion. Pre-workout dynamic stretching improves circulation, prepares your muscles for movement, and temporarily increases your range of motion.
Static stretching, more commonly done at the end of a workout when your muscles are warm, is when stretches are held in place for a certain period of time, not moving. Static stretching is the most effective form of stretching for loosening up your muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons, while also improving flexibility and range of motion. Static stretching requires you to move a muscle to the end of its range of motion and maintain this position for 20 to 45 seconds. Repeat this 2 to 3 times each.
Kneeling Quad Stretch Benefits
- It is applied to stretch the quadriceps muscles. Stretching your muscular regularly can improve your flexibility and performance, and also prevent injury and stiffness.
Muscles Worked in the Kneeling Quad Stretch
How to: Seated Groin / Adductor Stretches
Dynamic stretching consists of active movements. It is usually done before a workout to help warm up your muscles and increase your heart rate. Move slowly, stop and repeat, dig a little deeper each time and improve your range of motion. Pre-workout dynamic stretching improves circulation, prepares your muscles for movement, and temporarily increases your range of motion.
Static stretching, more commonly done at the end of a workout when your muscles are warm, is when stretches are held in place for a certain period of time, not moving. Static stretching is the most effective form of stretching for loosening up your muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons, while also improving flexibility and range of motion. Static stretching requires you to move a muscle to the end of its range of motion and maintain this position for 20 to 45 seconds. Repeat this 2 to 3 times each.
Seated Groin Stretch / Benefits
- The seated adductor groin stretch forms an angle that gives a great stretch to the body, especially the lower body. It stretches your legs, hips, shoulders and groin muscles, strengthens your back and improves your posture. Stretching the body increases the flexibility of the muscles and reduces the risk of injury and prevents muscle soreness.
People with herniated disks should consult a doctor before performing this pose. This pose is also not suitable for Individuals with back, hips, knees and hamstring injuries. Therefore, in case of a tear in your groin and hamstring area, it is recommended that you don’t practice the Wide Angle Seated Forward Bend Pose.
Muscles Worked in the Seated Groin Stretch
How to: Lying Hamstring Stretch
Dynamic stretching consists of active movements. It is usually done before a workout to help warm up your muscles and increase your heart rate. Move slowly, stop and repeat, dig a little deeper each time and improve your range of motion.
Static stretching is typically done at the end of your workout, once your muscles are warm and relaxed. Hold the stretch for 15 to 40 seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
Lying Hamstring Stretch / Benefits
- Hamstring stretches will help keep the muscles flexible and mobile. The best way to keep these muscles relaxed and flexible is by including dynamic stretches in your warm-up and static stretches in your cooldown routine. Stretching your hamstring regularly can improve your flexibility and performance, and also prevent injury and stiffness. Pre-workout dynamic stretching improves circulation, prepares your muscles for movement, and temporarily increases your range of motion.
Muscles Worked in the Hamstring Lying Stretch
How to do Standing Toe Touch
1- Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Engaging your core, raise your arms above your head, keeping your elbows soft.
2- Begin to roll down through the spine, initiating the movement from the head and upper back. Drop the arms forward and below your shoulders in a smooth controlled motion.
3- Continue the movement until you are as fully folded through the spine and hips as possible without straining. Relax your head, neck, and shoulders. Hold briefly, then return to start position in a slow, fluid motion.