To keep our muscles strong and our heart healthy, we need to add a minimum amount of movement and daily steps, but we also need to perform strength training. The problem is that sometimes we cannot cover it all with the limited time at our disposal. So that you don’t have to choose and renounce one of these two essential activities, there are joint alternatives like the one proposed by this trainer.
“We need to walk, yes, but we also need to work on strength. With this formula, you achieve both,” says holistic trainer Maria Giner in a video on social media. And the expert asserts that we can combine walks “with short workouts, using items such as a bench or stairs”.
6 strength exercises on a bench
“Here are six exercises that, alongside your walk or jog, will build strength across your entire body,” says the expert, who advises performing 8-12 repetitions of each exercise. “You can do them in the middle of your walk or intersperse these exercises with your pace,” she explains.
1. Step-up: Leg and Glute
- Step up with a single leg onto the bench, driving the knee up toward the sky as you rise.
- Swap legs with each repetition and work slowly to properly train the lower body muscles.
- Engage the core strongly to help maintain balance at all times.
2. Crunches: Abs
- Sit on the bench with your legs bent and raised forward, leaning the torso back, so you balance on your sit bones. Keep the arms extended forward.
- Lower your back to the floor as you extend the legs. You only need to touch the lower back to the floor.
- During each flexion and extension, keep your chin to your chest and the abdomen engaged.
3. Russian twists: Waist
- From the same starting position as the previous exercise, sit on your sit bones with the back slightly leaned back and the legs raised in a “table top” position.
- Interlock your hands and move them from one hip to the other, guiding the motion with the whole torso, without altering the leg position during the movement. For this, the core must be strongly engaged.
- Optional, and if you have full control of the exercise, you can extend both legs at the same time when your hands reach either side.
4. Arms and Glute
- Position yourself on the bench in a yoga‑table pose, i.e., like an inverted quadruped, gazing toward the ceiling. The knees should align with the ankles and shoulders, with the wrists. Your gaze remains toward the ceiling.
- From there, lower the buttocks to the floor and then lift an extended arm toward the ceiling, lifting the buttocks back up to the table position. The torso should remain laterally aligned at the top position.
- Keep changing arms with each set until you complete all the reps.
5. Bench Squat: Legs and Glutes
- Sit on the bench with hands clasped and arms bent. Lift one foot slightly off the floor.
- Stand up, lifting the knee of the foot that was in the air while you open the arms to the sides.
- Sit down again and switch feet. Remember to lift the foot slightly off the floor before rising from the bench so that the glute and leg work properly.
6. Dips: Triceps and Legs
- Stand with your back to the bench, hands supported and facing you. The body should be slightly away from the bench.
- Bend the arms and legs lowering the buttocks.
- As you rise, extend one leg forward. Swap legs with each rep.
If you want to work on strength and you haven’t been able to go for a walk or you’ll do so on a treadmill without leaving home, the trainer reminds you that “you can also perform these exercises with a chair or stool”.
If you have been out for a walk, you simply need to continue with your route and you will have achieved a much more complete workout.
