Stepping Stone Fitness Series – Week 3

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Many gardeners experience pain in their low back, knees, and wrists (Park et al., 2008, as cited in Nicklett et al., 2016). By targeting certain muscle groups and rebuilding vital movement patterns we can start to reduce that pain and reduce the likelihood of future injuries in the garden (Burton, 2008)

Week-to-week we will post a set of 3 exercises. One for your core, upper body, and lower body. These exercises are designed to be simple and easy at first and progress as the weeks go on. We will also include regressions to make the exercises easier and progressions to make them harder. 

We suggest doing each exercise atleast 2x / week. After completing the recommended reps for an exercise take a short break then repeat the exercises 1-2 more times. If you want to make your chosen exercise easier/harder add or subtract 1-2 reps and increase or decrease the length of your holds to a more manageable level. 

Scroll down to see exercise explanations

If you’re feeling pain that’s abnormal, sharp, or excessive, stop the exercise and consult a medical professional.

If you are beginning a new fitness program, it is highly recommended that you complete the standardized Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q). This is educational material and not professional medical advice. If you have any medical conditions, injuries, or concerns about your readiness for exercise, it is best to consult with a healthcare provider first.

https://eparmedx.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PARQPlus2025ImageFile.pdf

Wrist Mobilization

• 8-10 rotations in each direction

Purpose:

Exercise Explanation:
Coming down onto all fours with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. Put as much pressure as is comfortable on your wrists. Start making slow circles in one direction and gradually widen them as your body warms up.

Regression:

1. You can do this exercise standing with your hands on a table or leaned back sitting on your heels
2. Lighten the weight/pressure on your wrists
3. Slowly move in one direction at a time. (Forward then backward back to the starting point, sideways then back to the starting point, etc)

Progression:

Instead of mobilizing the wrist we can build strength to help alleviate wrist pain by improving the surrounding structures

1. Bend your wrist back so your fingers are pointing upward.
2. Use your other hand to act as resistance
3. Push down into your resisting hand until your arm in straight

McGill Side Plank

• 10-30s per side

Purpose:

Exercise Explanation:
Lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder and your knees bent. Brace your core as your lift your hips off the ground. Hold this position for 10-30s based on your fitness level. Continue to take bracing breaths (while keeping your core braced take diaphragmatic breaths as learned in Week 1). Slowly lower yourself down to the ground. 

Regression:

1. Can adjust into a straight arm, bent knee side plank to put less load on our muscles
2. Instead of holding a plank, lift your hips off the ground and hold for up to 5s then lower yourself back down onto the ground

Progression:

1. Add a clamshell or a leg lift
2. Add an arm lift
3. Utilize a full side plank with your feet on the ground instead of your knees
4. Raise your arm
5. Raise your leg

Resources:

Staggered Good Morning

• 4-6 reps

Purpose:
Our Lower Body exercise is the staggered hip hinge. Designed to help you develop balance and learn the correct bracing and hinging techniques to keep your back safe.

Exercise Explanation:
Create a strong base with your feet slightly staggered with one in front of the other. Slightly bend your knees, brace your core and push your hips back. Keep your head, back and hips in a straight line to avoid rounding or arching your back. You can also bend your knees at this point if hamstring flexibility is limiting you Once you get as far as comfortable while maintaining good form push your hips forward maintaining a neutral spine to come back to the starting position. 

Regression:

1. Reduce the range of motion to a level you’re comfortable with.
2. Stand a foot away from the wall and push your hips back until you feel the wall. Then brace and bend forward keeping your head, back and hips in line with each other.
3. Use a chair or another implement to help decrease the load on your spine.

Progression:

1. Place one foot on the wall to challenge your balance, you can use a chair to help you get the range of motion.
2. Add internal and external rotation of your hip by keeping your foot on the wall and opening up your knee and hip.
3. Try a single leg hip hinge without using the wall.
4. Try adding internal and external rotation to your non-assisted single leg hip hinge.
   

Progression:

Nicklett et al., 2016. Gardening Activities and Physical Health Among Older Adults: A Review of the Evidence. Journal of applied gerontology: the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society, 35(6), 678–690. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464814563608 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4469628/

Burton, et al., (2005). How to prevent low back pain. Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology, 19(4), 541–555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.berh.2005.03.001