Apologies for the late post, and the fact that I’ll be putting most of it’s content in tomorrow morning, I’ve had a hectic end to the week and have just got home from after leaving the house at 5:30... get glasses of grape juice and, hopefully a lie in tomorrow.
Hope everyone enjoyed their running last week... I had a great time out there. Maybe some of you also have a new found love for planking too! This week it’s squats that are featured... and type will do with the exception of diddly squat!
This weeks runs:
Distance: 3k, 5k, 6k
Timed: 15, 30 and 39 minutes.
Have a wonderful week, and check back here tomorrow for the rest of my intended post.
EDIT: Hi all! roseabi here - UnfitNoMore's away at the moment, he'll be back soon.
Please remember to check the PINNED MAGIC PLAN POST for lots of useful information:
healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...
About those SQUATS...
Moving to the lower body this week, we introduce another great exercise for runners and life! The Squat predominantly targets the quadriceps (fronts of the thighs), hips, gluteals (bum), hamstrings (backs of the thighs), and core - but you’ll also feel your calves, feet, and even your shoulders, working!
There are many variations of the squat, but it’s best to start off with the basic, two legged, bodyweight squat.
★ When should I squat?
I suggest that you do your squats when you’ve returned home from your run. Your muscles will still be warm, and the three-weekly short rounds of exercise are a good foundational practice.
But you can choose to do your strength work on a non-running day - it's entirely up to you! 😊😊😊
In later weeks, when we have gone through all the exercises, I will discuss an option to put all of them together into a more extensive strength workout.
★ How do I squat?
I have put together a list of instructions, with illustrations, that can be viewed here:
docs.google.com/document/d/...
If you’ve never really tried squats before, it is useful to start with a chair behind you (or a loo is really good - I’d have the lid down!). This is really helpful for learning the correct posture and building confidence. Begin by just slowly sitting down onto the chair (or loo!), working towards being able to lower yourself until you can just feel your bum brush against the seat before you rise again.
I suggest you aim for 10-15 squats in each session this week. If you can’t manage that many yet don’t worry - it’s far better to do fewer, but with good posture, and build up to more as you continue with your strength workouts.
To perform a basic bodyweight squat, begin by standing with feet slightly wider apart than your hips, toes pointing slightly outwards.
Gently, keeping your back straight, push your hips out behind you, whilst at the same time allowing your knees to bend - keep your knees tracking in the same direction as your toes.
Lift your arms forward as you begin the squat - this will help with balance. You can have your arms straight out, or elbows slightly bent, or elbows bent with one forearm on top of the other. Keep your neck and shoulders relaxed, head up, gaze forward.
Lower your body until your thighs are roughly parallel with the floor, if you can manage it - if not, don’t worry, it will come. Go further if you can do it with your back straight - eventually you will notice your lower back is rounding, so stop there.
Be sure to concentrate on keeping your feet flat on the floor, but most of your weight on your heels. This will help stop you from tipping forwards, and will really work those glutes and hamstrings!
When you reach your lowest point, pause for a second, then slowly move back to standing.
It’s up to you how slowly you perform the squat - I suggest you try something like going down on a slow count of five, then up again on the same count. Don’t just bob up and down though - you really won’t get much benefit from that 
Last week's post: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...
