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 | | IMAGES: JENNY SATHNGAM FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | | |
| | | Train your body and your brain | | |
| You're more than halfway there! Life gets hectic, so you should feel really proud for sticking with the Challenge this far. There was a time when I would have abandoned my workouts if I couldn't do them in the morning. But I've learned to trick my brain to make myself exercise when I'm not feeling motivated. There were times during the Workout Challenge that I didn't think I had 30 minutes for a workout, so I told myself I would just do one round of exercises instead of my usual three. Once I started and felt good, I ended up squeezing in two rounds and really made them count by focusing on form and going all-out on my line drills. Let's talk about those line drills. They take coordination, and moves like this week's crab toe touch will help nurture strong motor skills as you age. And making your body move in a new, specific way can make new neurological connections and keep our brains nimble. This week, focus on mindset. When you are running through the workout, you could be thinking, "Ugh, 10 more seconds of line drills!" or, "Awesome, only 10 more seconds of line drills!" Have fun! —Jen Murphy | |
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| 🤸🏾 Activate your muscles. Start with a dynamic warm-up of five to six exercises for one minute each to raise your heart rate, increase blood flow and range of motion. Here's an example. | |
| 🎵 Here's another song for your playlist to get you moving. When she is seeking motivation, ski legend Mikaela Shiffrin listens to "Guts Over Fear" by Eminem, featuring Sia. Find it on the Workout Challenge playlist. | |
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| Renee Wilcox, a ceramics instructor and recreational surfer at our coach Samantha Campbell's gym who was 51 when this Challenge was created, demonstrates this week's workout, which will require a step. Perform two to three rounds of the circuit with little rest between sets. Aim to train two to three days per week.
1. Kneeling wrist mobilization—palms up, fingers back
10 to 20 pulses Start on hands and knees. Rotate your wrists until your fingers point toward you, palms facing up. It is OK if you can't rotate them all the way to face the knees. Maintain straight arms and a flat back as you slowly shift backward over the fingers until you feel a stretch in the wrists. Unlike previous weeks, you will keep most of your weight on your knees. Keep fingers spread. When you find a tight spot, pulse. 2. Crab toe touches
10 to 20 reps | |
 | | Renee demonstrates the advanced version of crab toe touches. | | |
| Begin in a seated position with feet on the floor. Keep your knees bent and your hands behind you, flat on the ground with your fingers pointing outward. (This is where those wrist-mobility drills pay off!) Lift your hips a few inches off the ground so you are in a reverse tabletop pose, with arms straight and knees bent. Beginner: Tap the butt to the ground, then raise it up to hip height. Repeat.
Intermediate: Hold for 20 seconds while maintaining level hips. Repeat once.
Advanced: Alternate touching your right hand to your left foot, then left hand to right foot without letting the hips sink. | |
| 3. One-leg balance backward step tap
One round per leg | |
 | | Renee shows off her one-leg balance backward step tap. | | |
| Place your left foot in the center of a step (and if you don't have one, use a stair) the same height of the one you used for your test-in. Balance on your left foot and try to maintain level hips as you tap your right toes to the step, then to the floor 20 times, as fast as you can without losing your balance. Increase speed. Switch sides. | |
| 4. Double-leg hop, side-to-side line drill
20 seconds, two times We are mixing up your line drill again this week. Stand behind a line. You can put a belt across the floor or head outside and use the line of a parking space. Hop laterally over the line with both feet, then back to the other side working down the line and up again. You can keep your feet together or a few inches apart and your knees soft. Make the hops quick. Make sure you are completely clearing the line. Increase speed. Here's a reminder on how to do all versions of the line drill. 5. Wall plank
Five slow breaths | |
 | | Renee demonstrates the advanced version of the wall plank. | | |
| Beginner: Place hands on a countertop or couch. Walk feet backward on the floor until you find a challenging angle you can maintain without letting your hips sag. Don't let shoulders hunch up to ears. Engage your core.
Advanced: Start on your hands and knees, with your feet touching the corner of the wall. Press your hands into the floor as you walk your feet 1 or 2 feet up the wall. Walk hands out until your body forms a high plank, with hands just in front of shoulders. Engage the core and press your feet hard into the wall to prevent sliding. 6. Push-up
10 reps | |
 | | Renee shows off the advanced version of a push-up. | | |
| Beginner: Press hands into a wall at shoulder height. Step back so your body forms an angle that feels challenging for you. Bend the elbows to bring the chest toward the wall.
Intermediate: Perform with hands resting on the edge of a counter or low table.
Advanced: Perform from a plank position, with hands slightly wider than shoulder width. Keep the core engaged and think about pressing through the heels. | |
| Tip: A wider stance with the feet provides more stability. | | |
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| ❓ Your questions answered Still unsure about how a part of this regimen works? We have answers to some of your fellow exercisers' FAQs. | |
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| 💪 Nice work! You are crushing it. Are you sore? Feeling stronger? Think about the progress you're making. | | |
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| Next week: Learn to love cardio | |
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| By participating in this workout challenge, you acknowledge that the workout could be strenuous. You should consult a physician before proceeding. By submitting photographs, video, text, or other material ("Content") to Dow Jones & Company, publisher of The Wall Street Journal, you agree that Dow Jones has the perpetual right to use, publish, and modify the Content in any medium now known or hereinafter developed and that Dow Jones can credit you by name if it publishes your Content. You represent and warrant that (a) you own the rights to the Content you submit, (b) the Content does not infringe any third party's rights, (c) the Content has not been altered and does not convey a false impression, and (d) any information you submit about the Content is accurate. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Subscriber Agreement and Terms of Use. | |
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