Emma Barry Murphy: Week three of my 10-minute workout builds on the basics

Week three of our  September challenge builds on what we've already learned while minimising the risk of injuries 

Emma Barry Murphy: ‘Going from zero to 100 is not sustainable.’

Barre instructor Emma Barry-Murphy’s accessible 10-minute daily workout makes it easy to fit exercise into our busy lives.

This week’s theme is pacing your exercise routines and ensuring you understand the basics.

As Barry Murphy explains, “It is so easy to jump ahead with your movement and forget all the cues you’ve learned. To prevent that, we’re continuing to keep things relatively simple so that we can remind ourselves of the basics while also introducing new moves.”

Pacing is also essential to prevent injuries or muscle strain. Rather than advancing too quickly, Barry-Murphy encourages following the “natural progression” of exercises. Going from zero to 100 is not sustainable.

“You’ve learned the basics from weeks one and two. Let’s continue to remember those cues and those tips. We will still add on new moves, but we won’t make it too difficult,” she says.

Consistency, as always, is vital.

For this week’s routine, you will need a mat or soft surface under your knees. The optional bonus exercise requires two tins of tomatoes (or light weights).

Week three

Part one: Warm-up 

Cat/Cow: Kneel on the floor in an all-fours position, keeping your knees below your hips. Put your hands on the floor in front, keeping them shoulder-width apart. Taking a deep inhale, lift your chest, tailbone, and eyeline while dropping your belly and relaxing your abs (cow). As you exhale, round your lower back, and tuck your chin to your chest. Draw your belly button to the spine, tilting your pelvis up (cat). Repeat three times.

Low runners lunge with rotation each side: On all fours again, step your left foot outside your hands into a low lunge stance. Your left leg should be at a 90-degree angle, keeping your knee above the ankle. Your back knee can be on or off the mat but make sure you feel a stretch in your hip. Turn your torso 180 degrees before turning back and repeating the routine with your right foot forward.

Part 2: Abs 

Before you begin it’s crucial you find a neutral spine on the mat. You don’t want any part of your spine lifting from the mat.

Start by placing your feet hip-width apart on the mat with the soles of the feet on the floor. From there, try to bring your rib cage down and slightly draw your hip bones up toward the ceiling. If your lower back still is not on the floor, then slightly tilt it towards the ribcage (but not in a tuck position). Draw your belly button down to the mat and try to breathe while maintaining this pelvic position.

Start to march one leg up in the air at a 90-degree angle without changing the position of your pelvis or spine on the mat. Exhale as you lift and inhale to replace the leg to the floor.

If this feels good, then we’re going to lift both legs into a table-top position and start tapping one leg down to the floor at a time, inhaling as you lower the leg and exhaling as you lift. Only lower the leg to the mat if it doesn’t change your position on the mat — we don’t want your hips to rock forward and your lower back to lift.

You can start adding a crunch to our marches. As you lift your leg up, you’re going to curl your upper body off the mat. Interlace your hands behind your head and make sure your head is pushing back into your hands instead of your hands lifting your head. We want the work to come from our abdominal muscles. Exhale as you curl and inhale as you lower.

Add a challenge by holding one leg up and pulse the upper body up and down, exhaling for your upward pulse and inhaling on your downward pulse. Finish with a hold. Don’t hold your breath.

Try eight reps of each and move nice and slow.

(Note: Do not lie on your back if you’re in trimester two or three.) 

Part 3: Side-lying glute exercise 

Emma Barry Murphy: You will need a mat or soft surface for this week's routine. Picture: Larry Cummins

Lying on your side, you will either prop yourself up on your elbow or lie down with your head in your hand.

Legs will be at a 45 degree angle and try to keep your hips and shoulders stacked. You don’t want to rock back.

Take your top leg and extend to the end of your mat in line with your hip. From here tap and lift the leg (remember to keep it long and tight), exhaling to lift and inhaling to tap. Don’t move the rest of your body — stay nice and still, bracing that core.

Add some pulses, knee pulls and clams.

To start, aim for eight reps of each. As you become more familiar, you can add on or repeat the sequence twice.

Repeat on each side.

Part 4: Lunge

Emma Barry Murphy: Add pulses and front heel lifts if you’re comfortable. Picture: Larry Cummins

Standing diagonal to your chair, step back with your left leg and ensure you land with your legs bent at 90-degree angles. Check your feet are hip-width apart. Keep your shoulders stacked over your hips, keeping a strong core.

As you exhale step back up to your chair, driving your right heel into the mat while squeezing the right glute. And as you inhale step back into your lunge. Try to step back the same distance every time.

From here we’ll add pulses and front heel lifts if you’re comfortable.

Try to keep your form and try eight reps of everything to start.

Bonus round:

If you have the time, we’ll add a combination move, which incorporates two sequences at the same time. You can do the arm movements weightless or with two cans of tinned tomatoes or something similar.

Start to work on the second position plan from week two.

Also add some arm presses while we plie, some overhead presses while we heel lift and some arm circles while we pulse.

Aim for eight reps and feel free to repeat for the extra burn.