Strength and Flex five-week plan (From Basingstoke Gazette)

A week-by-week breakdown of the five-week Strength and Flex podcast series.

Do each podcast at least three times within a week before moving on to the next podcast.

Once you've finished the programme, you can keeping using podcast 5 to keep your activity levels up.

Podcast 1

Strength workout

• 10 standing press-ups  

• 10 pull-ups

• 10 shallow squats

Flexibility workout

• thigh stretches

• calf stretches

• seated hamstring stretches

• chest stretches

• upper back stretches

Cool down

Podcast 2

We’ve made some of the podcast 1 exercises a bit more challenging and increased the length of your workout.

Warm up

• check your posture

• 5 shoulder rolls as you walk

• 10 chest presses as you walk

• 10 arm rows as you walk

• 10 knee bends as you walk

Strength workout

• 10 standing press-ups – option to increase difficulty 

• 10 pull-ups – option to increase difficulty 

• 10 deep squats

Flexibility workout

• Thigh stretches

• calf stretches

• seated hamstring stretches

• chest stretches

• upper back stretches

• tricep stretches

Cool down

Podcast 3

We’ve added some new moves and increased the difficulty level of some of the podcast 2 exercises.

Warm up

• check your posture

• 5 shoulder rolls as you walk

• 10 chest presses as you walk

• 10 arm rows as you walk

• 10 knee bends as you walk

Strength workout

• 10 sit-to-stands

• 10 standing press-ups – option to increase difficulty 

• 10 pull-ups – option to increase difficulty 

• 10 wide squats

Flexibility workout

• thigh stretches

• calf stretches

• seated hamstring stretches

• chest stretches

• upper back stretches

• tricep stretches

Cool down

Podcast 4

We’ve introduced some new exercises and stepped up the intensity and length of your workout.

Warm up

• check your posture

• 5 shoulder rolls as you walk

• 10 chest presses as you walk

• 10 arm rows as you walk

• 10 knee bends as you walk

• 10 sit-to-stands

• 10 standing press-ups – option to increase difficulty 

• 10 pull-ups – option to increase difficulty 

• 10 wide squats

• 10 bench dips

• 10 wide pull-ups

• thigh stretches

• calf stretches

• seated hamstring stretches – deeper stretch

• chest stretches

• upper back stretches

• tricep stretches
  

Cool down

Podcast 5

For the last podcast in this series, we’ve made some of the podcast 4 exercises more challenging.

Warm up

• check your posture

• 5 shoulder rolls as you walk

• 10 chest presses as you walk

• 10 arm rows as you walk

• 10 knee bends as you walk

• 10 sit-to-stands with calf raises

• 10 standing press-ups – option to increase difficulty 

• 10 pull-ups – option to increase difficulty 

• 10 wide squats

• 10 bench dips

• 10 wide pull-ups

• thigh stretches

• calf stretches – deeper stretch

• seated hamstring stretches – deeper stretch

• chest stretches

• upper back stretches

• tricep stretches