Wall Sit Challenge:
Get your timer out — find your wall — and get to it!
By Bernadette Kathryn, LMT, IHLC
Wall Sit — this is an excellent exercise that you can do anywhere you have a flat surface to press your back into. It is great for your thighs and safe for your knees
This is an easy challenge which you can do while watching TV commercials, brushing your teeth, talking on the phone or riding in an elevator; it only takes a couple of minutes and is really easy to do.
Doing wall sits…
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- Strengthens the muscles in your legs, primarily your quadriceps which helps stabilize your knees.
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- It allows you to stay in the ready position longer which makes you that much of a better player for your sport!
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- They also help your muscles strengthen which will make you be able to jump higher, better for your sport!
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- To vary what muscles you work, place a ball between your knees, squeeze and hold it for adductor activation ~ working your inner thighs.
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- Take a strap or belt and wrap it around your thighs just above the knee, press against the strap to activate your abductor muscles ~ outer thighs.
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- To add intensity, use weights or add to the amount of time you stay seated.
Make Sure:
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- Press your back firmly up against the wall – support your spine
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- Use your abdominal muscles to protect your back
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- Slide down only as far as you are comfortable with — don’t hurt your knees
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- Do not go deeper than a right angle and make sure that your feet are far
enough away to keep the right angle
- Do not go deeper than a right angle and make sure that your feet are far
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- Your thighs will scream — and shake — unless you are already a pro at this!
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- Stay for as long as you can safely — time it
- And, repeat daily — see how long you can hold it
Get your timer out -- find your wall -- and get to it! #LivingFitLifestyle Click To Tweet
sometime soon, i hope to be back to regular exercise. for now i’m jumping into the pool for something new! hopefully this won’t hurt my back.
The wall sit is actually one of the exercises I am doing in PT. Now incorporating it at home with a small ball between my knees.
play Sudoku on smartphone.
Another great idea — thanks !
I like to add a soft ball between my knees and squeeze when I do this exercise. this somehow adds to my stability and helps to flatten my back against the wall? this one is a goodie.
that is a great idea. I will incorporate that.
I did this today for 2 sets of a minute each. I have pretty strong legs and could have gone longer, but it got really boring. Any ideas to liven it up?
It is rather boring isn’t it? What I do with clients is have them do some upper body exercises — bicep curls, lateral raises, over head presses.
But, you can also do this while brushing your teeth — riding in an elevator (alone)…have a contest with a friend?
Anybody else have some ideas?
play some music, listen to a book, watch a t.v. show (my favorites are cooking shows) or read a book while doing this :o)……….talk on the telephone? maybe have out your iphone and do your daily challenge? anything to distract your attention. the time will fly by.
Great Ideas — thanks Debbie!
I often do biceps and that does help. I like debbie’s ideas as well. How long should I aim for? Exactly how strong do my quads really need to be?