Save your back – squeeze your butt

Exercising correctly is as important as exercising. Here are this week’s exercise tips from our resident health and fitness expert, Lisa Raleigh….

Save your back by squeezing your butt. Clenching your glute muscles when lifting weights automatically helps stabilise your spine. This helps lower your risk of injuries and improves your results.


If you want to get stronger faster, do the same amount of exercise in 10 percent less time. It forces your muscles to work harder and improves your endurance at the same time. If it takes you 30 minutes to do a full-body workout on Monday, try to do it in 27 minutes on Wednesday.

Practise tricep dips two ways and work different muscles. ¬Dipping with your elbows in and your body straight will work your triceps, whilst leaning forward and flaring them out will focus on your chest.

Here’s a handy tip to help you bench more. Next time you’re bench-pressing, keep your eyes on your dominant hand. You’ll be able to bench more.


If you can’t keep your heels on the floor when you squat, your hip flexors are too tight. Hold onto a chair or steady surface and squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Hold this for 30 seconds, then return to your starting position. Repeating this 5 times will loosen your hip flexors for better squats.


Catch Lisa Raleigh on Wellness in the WorkZone every day, Monday to Friday