Fitness Model...

While I was at physical therapy one day back in May, the staff was complaining about the illustrations they hand out. When they assign a batch of exercises, they like to give out pictures to remind the patient of the proper form. At the time they were taking photocopies from a book, which produced terrible quality. The model in the photos was really nice looking, you just couldn't see him very well amid the fuzz & other degradation inherent in copies. The PT assistant remarked offhand that they should get a couple of us ladies (who happened to be doing the main exercises at that moment) to come in & pose for them so they could make clearer pictures to hand out. I joked "I'll model for you!"

So the next time I showed up for PT, they grabbed the camera and started shooting. This is probably the closest to modeling I'll ever get, so I went for it. I really wanted to ham it up a bit, but proper decorum dictated I behave myself. Such is life...

Above we see the side plank. Note the straight body-line extending from head to toe and the top foot placed slightly forward for added balance. Also note the eyes, which weren't sure where to look, and so aimed for a pleasant, far-off expression that most definitely did not say "my right arm is trembling and I might fall over..."

This one is the bridging with leg extensions. Depending on your PT you will either do repetitions somewhat rapidly in a jerky pseudo-march, or hold the pose continually while alternating legs every 10 seconds. If you are a PT yourself you might notice my left hip dropping a bit, which means something or other in there needs strengthening. Hence this exercise...

Here we have the opposite arm/leg extensions. Again, depending on your PT you will approach this one slightly differently. One option is to do 3 sets of 15 reps on each side. If your PT is on the more sadistic side, as they seem to be in CA, you will do 3 sets of 2 minutes worth of reps, totalling more like 24 reps each side per set...

And finally the basic plank. Deceptively simple, yet oh so painful. Straight body supported only by elbows and toes. As you increase in awesomeness you will move your feet toward each other, creating a more concentrated weight distribution and more work for the abs. Eventually you'll do this exercise on one foot at a time. Again, the eyes are staring slightly ahead, trying not to bore holes of concentration into the wall...