New leg exercises

I added two new leg exercises to my routine Monday.  The one is a combination of two exercises that I currently do, but combined together they add a degree of difficulty.

If you are familiar with my Smart Exercise Guide, one leg exercise (leg lifts) called for you to straighten your leg out in front of you while in a seated position.  Another exercise (knee lifts) has you lifting your knee straight up and holding it while in the seated position.  I combined the two and came up with the following.

New Exercises

Raise and Lift:  While seated, lift the knee up as far as comfortable, straighten the leg out in front, hold the leg straight for a count of five, lower the leg, and then lower the knee back to the starting position.  Now switch to the other leg.

Switch back and forth until you have done 10 repetitions (or as many as comfortable).

Hip Abduction/Adduction:  Sit up straight with your legs in front of you.  Slowly move the legs widely apart, then together again.  Relax.   Repeat 15-20 times to complete one set.

• Level 2: Perform exercise above using ankle weights. Start with a weight that you can fully lift 15 times with mild to moderate fatigue and no pain. Then increase the number of sets or amount of weight.

Note:  To avoid straining your lower back, use the armrests of a chair for assistance, and tighten your stomach before you lift and separate your legs.

Give these new exercises a try and let me know how it works for you.

My Exercise Program

I continue to add reps to several exercises.  Monday my program lasted almost two hours (115 minutes).  With the new exercise and additional reps I found myself rushing a little near the end of the program because it was taking so long.  I need to find an in between weight as a transition to reduce the number of reps, but still get the same workout.  Yet, I must say that I really enjoy my program especially since I began taking dutasteride.