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November 2007
Strong & Agile
When it’s game time, strength alone won’t help you on the field or court. “You see these guys at the gym pumping 400-pound weights, but they can’t run down the block!” says New York City trainer Kristen Gagne. “Total fitness means being strong and agile.” Here are her two favorite exercises:
To gain strength, try this core-building move. “The ‘plank pose’ requires you to support your own body weight, building serious upper body strength,” says Gagne. Put yourself in a push-up position, press your forearms and hands firmly down, keep your chest up and push back through your heels. Hold for as long as possible. Repeat, and try with one arm (and remember to breathe).
Try out that weird, bouncy step thing. Step onto a Bosu trainer (it looks like a wobbly half-sphere), lunge forward on it, then switch legs. “You’ll have to fight to maintain your balance, and quickly recover if you lose it,” says Gagne. Since you’re forced to dramatically change positions within seconds — while maintaining form and direction — performing this exercise steps up your agility ability.