Gardening Warm-up Stretches
Here are the ways to properly perform the most common gardening maneuvers and exercises to strengthen your gardening muscles.
Bending
Muscles used: Abs, back, legs. How to do it: Focus on tightening your leg muscles (your quadriceps and your hamstrings) as you bend forward. Keep your knees slightly bent. Exercise: Bird dog. Get down on all fours, with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. Tighten your abdominal muscles while simultaneously raising your right arm and straightening your left leg, keeping your back straight. Hold for 6 seconds. Return to the starting position, switch sides and repeat 10 times.
Raking
Muscles used: Core, shoulders, arms. How to do it: Use short, quick motions, and keep the rake close to your body. Switch sides every 2 to 3 minutes. Exercise: Countertop pushup. Stand facing a countertop, with your hands shoulder-width apart on the counter. Tighten your abdominal muscles and keep your back straight as you bend your arms into a pushup position. Straighten your arms, and repeat 15 times Use short, quick motions, and keep the rake close to your body. Switch sides every 2 to 3 minutes.
Pushing a Wheelbarrow
Squatting
Muscles used: Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings. How to do it: Keeping your torso upright, lower yourself until your bottom almost touches the ground. Try to keep your weight on your heels. Exercise: Chair squatStand in front of a chair, feet shoulder-width apart, arms in front of you. Bend your knees and slowly squat, gently touching the chair without fully sitting down, then stand up using only your legs. Repeat 10 times.