Welcome to the fourth episode of the Summer Camp series! In this episode Coach Saad ups the pace of the workouts, starting with a warmup and stretching to avoid any injuries during the workout.
His first workout is a sequence of three routines repeated once. Starting with running on the spot, Coach Saad gets the little ones’ heart rates up and ready for exercise. He moves into bear crawls which are great for working the arms, shoulders and chest, as well as the serratus anterior – the muscle by the armpit that assists breathing by lifting the ribs. From bear crawls, they get back up again to hop on one leg on the spot.
Not just for the playground, this exercise serves an important purpose for children to develop overall body control. It develops their sense of balance as well as effective co-ordination between the brain and muscles.
Workout two starts with push ups side to side to work the biceps, pectoral muscles, and shoulders. The same muscles are used next in shoulder taps where your little one will also engage their core and lower back.
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In the final exercise in the sequence he moves into a wall handstand, which you may need to assist your child with. This move not only works the abs, it strengthens hip flexors, hamstrings, inner thigh muscles, and spinal muscles to create a balanced, super-strong core. The same muscles are worked in the next exercise, floor swims, which are also no-impact.
If your child is enjoying a sequence in any of these three workouts, you can repeat it for them so they can do another if they feel up to it.
Finally, Coach Saad demonstrates an easy cool down, helping the body return to its normal levels and to avoid any post-exercise stiffness.
Stay tuned for the next six episodes of Summer Camp fit ‘n fun for little ones!
The Summer Camp sports series for children is sponsored by the Saudi Sports for All Federation and the Quality of Life Program
