5 Exercises You Should Do Every Day

5 Exercises You Should Do Everyday

By fitstoppt 29 Jun, 2015 Advice, At Home, Exercise, Fitness, Health Tips, Physical Therapy, Workout advice, exercise, faq, function, health, healthy, lifestyle, physical therapy

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As a doctor of physical therapy, I see a lot of different patients for a lot of different reasons. Sure there are some with sprains, strains, bumps, and bruises, but would it surprise you to hear that the vast majority of people that I see in the clinic have pain/discomfort simply because they’re weak?! No kidding! I honestly believe that many people wouldn’t have the aches and pains that the do if they would just spend 10 minutes of their day focusing on strength training. Today I wanted to share with you 5 exercises that you could literally do everyday to strengthen key muscle groups in you body to avoid pain and maximize function. Here we go!

With this post I want to share not only these exercises, but also give you some recommendations for sets/reps to make it more of a comprehensive workout. That being said, the numbers I give you below are a baseline – they’re the bare minimum I would recommend. If you have no more time (or no more strength!) than to perform the recommended number you’re still getting a little focused activity into these key muscle groups. If you have more time (and more strength!) try to run through up to 3 sets of each of these exercises:

1. Squats

Essential for the legs, hips and core. One of my most-recommended exercises for everyone from low back pain to runners. 15 reps

2. Push Ups

The best bodyweight exercise out there for the chest, shoulders, and arms. 10 reps

3. Plank

My all-time favorite core exercise. Many people that come see me are so weak in the abdomen that they have to work up for weeks to be able to hold a 5-second plank. DON’T let that happen to you! 30 seconds

4. Bird Dog

A good exercise for the back, but when done correctly with the appropriate stabilization component from key back muscles it becomes a GREAT exercise! Try to focus on form – not number or difficulty. 10 reps each side

5. Bridge Progression

We’ll finish how we started – another one of my favorites for your core, hips, and butt. These muscles are key to stabilizing your lower back, decreasing pain, and maximizing ability. Two-legged bridge too easy? Try them with a march! Still not enough? Single leg bridges are for you! 20 reps

Questions about any of these recommendations or do you think we can help you with your pain? We would love to hear from you! Click on the links below to get the contact information for each of our clinics:
Heber City        Salt Lake Downtown        Farmington

Jared Beckstrand, PT, DPT
Fit Stop Physical Therapy – Farmington
172 N East Promontory Ste 200
Farmington, UT 84025
(801) 558-8612

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