Ultimate Challenge Plus

Wednesday 7th May 2014

This programme suggestion, Ultimate Challenge Plus, is based on providing a mix of exercises to develop fitness, agility and coordination; in a fun and competitive way, using minimal equipment. Set times or targets for the exercises so that you can record what has been achieved.

Working in pairs usually works best, so that each person has a rest time roughly equal to their exercise time.

Using the following 8 exercises, all core muscle groups will be worked, in addition to the heart and lungs.

Press Ups

Lie face down with hands under the shoulders and palms flat on the floor. Straighten arms to lift body; bend arms until nose almost touches the floor, with the body kept straight.

Sit Ups

Lie on back with knees bent, feet flat on floor and hands on the temples. With a partner holding the ankles, sit up until elbows touch knees.

Speed Bounce

Using two cones and a cane/stick, set a height of about 20cm. Standing side on and keeping feet together, jump back and forth over the cane.

Standing Long Jump

Both feet must be kept together before the jump.

Ball Bounce

Using a size 5 football, stand behind a line 2m from a wall. Ball must be thrown, from two hands, against the wall, and caught on the rebound in two hands.

Star Jumps

Jumping to a position with legs spread wide and arms up and overhead, and then returning to position with legs together and hands by side.

9 metre shuttle

Complete 10 crossings of a 9 metre shuttle – there and back counts as two. The line at each end must be touched.

Burpees

A four count movement: Start standing straight; crouch placing both hands on floor; jump both feet backwards; jump feet forward (back to crouch) and then stand up straight.

Why not run this as a fitness competition, whilst tracking progress over a set period or include quizzes and mental challenges to make it a challenge throughout the session to find an overall winner? This could be done on a Company, or Battalion basis. This way, every senior can take part and will be able to see the progress they make. With minimal equipment, all Companies should be able to participate.

For those working in Scotland, this forms the basis for the new ‘Ultimate Challenge Plus’ competition for Seniors: with seven physical challenges and three mental-based ones. There’s still time to get your young people to take part in a Regional, and National, competition from within their own hall.

Shared by Paul O’Shea, Lanarkshire Development Worker

Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulBBScotland