The fibromyalgia I suffer from means that pounding the pavement is not healing exercise for me. In fact, I had to give up running and high impact aerobics because the result was joint pain and swelling from leaking synovial fluid. That’s why I’m always on the watch for fitness programs that I can modify to suit my limitations.
One that caught my eye came from Shape Up Like Spiderman
Well, with the superhero workout below, you can shape up like Spider-Man, too. But these three activities aren’t for the weak. If you’re a beginner, start slowly and work your way up to this challenge. Try these three times weekly.
Peter Parker push-ups:
Start on the floor in traditional push-up position. Keep your abs braced and your body in a straight line, parallel to the floor. Slowly lower yourself down, and as you do, bring your right knee toward your right elbow. Try to rotate your knee so it is outside your elbow, keeping your foot off the ground. Hold for 5 seconds, pushing through your chest, shoulders and triceps, and then return to the starting position. Aim for 5 to 10 push-ups per side.
Superhero side planks:
Side planks will help build your core strength, which is important for balance and dexterity. Start by lying on the floor on your left side. Then lift up on your left elbow so that your hips are off the floor and your entire body is in a straight line. Hold for one minute and then repeat on the right side. That’s one set. Aim to do three sets on each side.
Spidey sprints:
To do your best Spidey imitation, you need to be built for speed. Get outdoors for this one. The goal is to do 10, 100-yard sprints. Be sure to warm-up first with some jogging and half-paced practice sprints, then pick up the pace. Sprint as hard as you can — go, go, go, go, go! Record your times and see how you improve each week. At the end of each sprinting session, take a little walk to keep things loose and then get in some nice stretches.
Maybe you can handle the whole enchilada or maybe you will need to modify the Spiderman work out to make it suit. In my case I’ve cut the push-ups down to 2 per side but the rest of the work-out I can cope with as is.
Ack! Those push-ups sound like murder! I used to teach aerobics and strength training, but i never could do a decent push-up :D
Until December 8th I had 3 high impact aerobics classes per week. It was during the Christmas break that I discovered that the swelling in my ankles and knees had subsided. By the end of the month I recognized that the associated pain in my hips as well as in my knees, ankles and toes had also subsided. Although I did so reluctantly, I had to make a change.
I have a daily yoga program and now I walk rather than running. Granted, the push-ups are really hard but I’m only doing 2 per side three times weekly.
I know they sound totally corny, but have you tried aerobics in water? Several pro athletes I know of use it to replace land workouts for just the reason you’ve explained. You don’t have to use the silly float vest/belt thingies; you can just align yourself laterally to do many of the leg moves and they work just as well as vertically. More resistance than ordinary aerobics nd no pounding.
I may do a post on that soon. Harumph! Nobody likes my “make your nest pretty and become happier” posts anyway.
I hate being immersed in chlorine and that’s what swimmingpools are all about so “no”. But thanks for the suggestion anyway. :)
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