3 Exercises to Keep Dad Fit
June Newsletter
In appreciation of our dads this Father’s Day, we at Palmer Concierge Physical Therapy recognize that many fathers suffer from different types of pain that affect everyday life.
This may vary from having trouble walking or running due to knee pain, lifting their kids due to shoulder or arm pain, or difficulty working from home due to neck pain, and we want to help.
To honor our dads, we want to share how these three quick exercises can help keep dads fit, strong, and pain free.
SQUATS
To lift up your children or climb that steep hill with ease, I recommend performing squats. You will strengthen your complete lower body in one exercise. For a proper squat, start in standing position with your feet shoulder width apart. Reach your arms straight forward. Now “sit back”, lowering your buttocks towards the floor and stop when your hips are at the same height as your knees. Keep your head up and back straight! Pause, then push up to standing. Squats may be made easier by using a chair to sit down and stand up from. Squats can be made more difficult by holding weights in your hands. Complete 10-15 squats. Rest. Repeat for 2-3 sets of 10-15 squats.
PUSH UPS
To push a couch across the floor, the baby jogger uphill, or lift children overhead for play with ease, I recommend performing push ups. You will strengthen your chest, shoulders, arms, triceps and biceps in one exercise. For a proper push up, start in push up position on the floor with your arms wide apart and body straight. Now lower your body to the floor by bending your arms. Keep your head and back straight! Pause, then push up to your starting position. Push ups can be made easier by resting on your knees instead of your toes. Push ups can be made more difficult by placing your hands close to your body instead of wide apart. Your child can climb on your back for additional resistance. Complete 10-15 push ups. Rest. Repeat for 2-3 sets of 10-15 push ups.
PULL UPS
To pull junk out of the garage, pull the baby jogger up stairs, or have a tug of war with the neighbors with ease, I recommend performing pull ups. You will strengthen your upper back, shoulders, arms, and biceps. For a proper pull up, take a wide grasp of a pull up bar or top of a sturdy door. Place a soft towel on top of the door to protect your hands. Your body should be handing towards the floor. Now pull your body upward so that your head comes above the bar. Keep your head and body straight! Pause, then lower your feet to the floor. Standing pull ups can be made easier by resting your feet on a chair, then using your legs to assist you by pushing up to bring your head above the bar. An alternative pull up is to lie on the floor, head and upper body under a sturdy desk or table. Take a wide grasp of the desk edge, and pull your upper and lower body up toward the bottom side of the table. Leave your heels on the ground. Complete 10-15 pull ups. Rest. Repeat for 2-3 sets of 10-15 pull ups.
Patients often have to wait weeks or months to gain access to providers—long enough for conditions to move from acute to chronic. I bring physical therapy to you, to meet your wellness goals with the convenience of a mobile service that comes to your home or office. My goal in delivering you personalized one-on-one care is for you to have a pain-free and healthy lifestyle. I provide a mobile physical therapy experience to Northern New Jersey and New York City that empowers, educates, and restores balanced healthy movement without the drive to appointments, having to re-schedule your day, or cope with crowds and traffic. – Jim Palmer, Physical Therapist
What clients are saying…..
I started PT with Jim over FaceTime in the height of COVID. I have done a lot of PT, but this is the first PT that feels function oriented and strength building. Jim is encouraging and affable. He is always ready to cheer on my small wins! I highly recommend seeing Jim in-person or online!
Catherine Galateria
Working with Dr. Palmer has been a pleasure. He took time up front to understand my injury, assess where I was stronger and where I was weaker and to talk through what I wanted to achieve. I can’t speak highly enough of Jim. He’s both technically excellent as well as just a genuinely nice person.
Alex Lorton
…. After listening intently to my symptoms and doing some manual tests, Jim realized I had a different injury than the doctor had prescribed. He recommended fresh strengthening exercises which, combined with his stretching, improved my condition quickly. Jim also set me up for lasting relief by teaching me how to address the pain if/when it arises again.
Marc Adelberg