Garden and Yardwork Without the Pain
Spring is in the air and if you are like me and enjoy gardening, don’t miss out on these simple exercises to help reduce the risk of injuries.
Seated good mornings
Sit at the end of a chair with the knees apart. You can hold a weight close to the chest to increase the intensity of this exercise. In this position, bend forward from the hips paying careful attention not to arch or bend the low back and keeping the core tight. Go as low as you can without breaking form.
Modified sumo deadlifts
Place a weight on a raised surface or box. Position the feet pointed out about 45 degrees and greater than shoulder-width apart. Make sure the is weight close to the body. Once the setup is complete, contract the core and keep the spine in neutral and bend at the hips to grab the weight. Grab the weight and return to the starting position. The movement going down and up should look the same.
Hip flexor stretch
Place a foot on a chair or raised box. In this lunge position, posterior tilt the pelvis and hold. Then, slowly thrust your hips forward until a stretch is felt in your bottom leg quad, and hip flexor. Hold the end position.