03/22/09
Editor's note: The Bee asked personal trainers Alisa and Chris Lene, owners of the Sacramento gym Lean on Me, to provide instruction on exercises that target different parts of the body. In many cases, the Lenes chose stretches that can be used with several different muscle groups. They picked exercises that participants can do either at home or in a class without access to weight-training equipment. They stress starting slowly, with fewer repetitions, to build strength and fitness before progressing to more strenuous exercises. WHO ARE THEY: Alisa Lene has 11 years' experience as a personal trainer, group exercise instructor and Pilates master trainer. She holds a degree in exercise physiology from Sacramento State and is nationally certified in personal training, Pilates, kickboxing, youth fitness, and group exercise. Chris Lene is a former college athlete who studied exercise physiology at UC Davis and built a career in personal training. TOWEL STRETCH How to do it: 1. Sit on the floor, keeping your knees straight. 2. Loop a towel around your foot and pull the towel toward you until you feel the stretch in your calf muscle. 3. Hold for 30 seconds. What it helps: Increases ankle flexion and stretches calf muscles. FOOT ROLL How to do it: 1. Sit in a straight-backed chair with your feet bare. 2. Place a rolling pin or large dowel or tennis ball under the arch of your foot and roll it back and forth. What it helps: Stretches the ligaments in the arch of the foot. CALF RAISE How to do it: 1. Stand on both feet and slowly rise up until standing on the balls of the feet. 2. Take five seconds to rise, then hold for five seconds. Lower heels for five seconds to the ground. 3. Repeat. Try it while standing on just one foot the whole time. Then switch feet. Make sure the ankle does not roll out of alignment. What it helps: Stretches and strengthens the calf muscles and stretches the foot. BALANCE BOARD How to do it: 1. Stand barefoot with one or both legs on top of an uneven surface, such as a balance board, disc or bosu ball. 2. Gently move your body weight around in circles or rock forward and backward at a comfortable and slow pace. What it helps: Strengthens lower legs and muscles of the ankle and foot. Towel Stretch Calf Raise Foot Roll
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