Red Bull wakeboarder Omeir Saeed finds himself working out between three-five times a week during the holy month of Ramadan as well as being on the water every day. For the final article of his column this month, Saeed talks about the exercises he does in the gym, which he knows are good for him – but doesn’t enjoy.
Burpees
These are probably my least favourite exercise of all. I do ones with a push up in between jumping as well so it makes it even harder. I start with my hands by my side and then squat to the floor and kick my feet back into a plank position and then do a push up and spring upwards as quickly as possible. 40 seconds of these are a really tough workout, the benefits are obvious though. Burpees work your arms, chest, quads, glutes, hamstrings and abs. So as much as I don’t enjoy doing them I’m always glad when I complete sets.
Star jumps
I don’t like anything that has to do with jumping up and down during a workout. This is a really good way to get your heart rate up at the start of a workout though. Star jumps [also called jumping jacks] require full-body movements so they tone your whole body. I usually do a high tempo for 30-40 seconds, then rest and repeat for three sets. To add to the intensity I do ones where I bring my hands down to my feet and jump up into the star position. The worst thing about these is there’s no excuse not to do them, no matter what physical shape you’re in, you should be able to complete a few star jumps.
Hanging knee raises
I don’t enjoy doing these at all, but it’s a really good exercise for your lower abs so I make myself do it. You basically hang from a bar and lift your knees upwards towards your chest so you crunch the lower abs. You need to have strength in your arms too hang as well. It’s a tough workout, if you’ve done it correctly you feel like you’ve been hit in the stomach afterwards. I do sets of 10 and just repeat until I physically can’t continue. It’s important that you control the speed in which you do them though, slow and controlled will engage the abs more than quick reps.
Stair climbers
There’s one of these machines in the gym, which I always try and avoid because it’s so boring so I usually look at my phone or drink Red Bull while I’m doing it. There are actually a lot of benefits to it – if you want to lose weight, or recover from an injury it’s very useful. It engages your calves, glutes, quads, and hamstrings, so it’s a good way to target and tone your lower body. It kills your legs too, but it’s worth it after. Generally I’ll attempt to do 10-15 minutes on the machine as part of every gym session.
Planking
I don’t mind doing this as much as the others but it’s the worst feeling towards the end, when your legs and arms are trembling and you’ve got to keep holding your body up. I usually just do it for a minute and then after that, if I hold it for longer, it becomes one of my least favourite exercises because all I want to do is drop to the floor. It’s important to do it to build core strength though. If you want to make it even harder, you can try it with one leg and your opposite arm raised off the ground, so you’re core is working overtime on your balance.
