Upper Body Strengthening Audio Workout Program Level 3 and Learn to Properly Squat With Tactile Training

Happy Friday!

Welcome back to the Tactile Training Newsletter. It is officially spooky season and this week we are using tactile verbal descriptions to teach you how to perform a squat with proper form. If you’re not scared yet, we also have our weekly challenge and the level three upper body audio workout program. If this newsletter resonates with you or if you’d like to connect with me, you can reply to the email!

Tactile Training: Learn to Squat

• “Bend at your knees and sink down low. Keep your chest up. Don’t let your knees fall inward. ” These are common things you may have heard from a trainer or workout video when performing a squat. If you are blind or visually impaired; phrases such as this are confusing without the visual demonstration. Many free or popular fitness programs rely on visual dependent verbal cues such as this, making most exercise programs inaccessible or less than stellar.

• In an effort to make exercise more accessible, today we are going to learn how to use tactile cues, household objects, and language to properly learn how to perform a squat. All you need is a chair and the ability to safely sit and stand.

  1. Step One: Sit Down

     • To start, you will need to sit down on a chair. Preferably one that is easy to get out of and not one that rocks or is on wheels.

     • For this exercise, you should not sit all the way back in the chair with your shoulders resting. Instead, sit closer to the front edge or lip of the chair with your buttocks comfortably seated without making contact with your back or shoulders on the backrest.

  2. Step Two: Proper Alignment of Your Feet

     • Once you are seated, we will first make sure our feet are shoulder-width apart. Bend forward and bring your right hand down to touch your right foot and your left hand down to touch your left foot. Now, feel the space in between your two feet on the floor. There should be enough space between your two feet for both of your open palms to fit comfortably on the floor with fingers splayed wide. If you cannot reach the ground this way, you can rest your hands on your knees and use the same technique in the space between your knees. You roughly want about two to three palms width between.

     • Make sure you feel your feet are planted flat on the ground.

  3. Step Three: Seated Posture

     • Next, you need to sit up straight.

     • Imagine a pencil has been placed between your shoulder blades and your goal is to squeeze them together to hold the pencil in place. You should feel your chest open up and your shoulder blades squeezing together on your back.

     • Now, imagine a string is attached to the top of your head and is lifting you upwards towards the ceiling. You should feel yourself straightening out through your spine and your posture become more rigid and erect.

  4. Step Four: Stand Up

     • Now you will stand up. Attempt to press downward through your feet and squeeze your buttocks as you stand up. Try to stand without using support from your arms or hands pressing into your thighs or knees. You should feel your buttocks and thigh muscles contract.

     • For added stability and safety, I recommend performing this while keeping one hand on a table alongside you.

  5. Step Five: Sit Down

     • Now, attempt to sit back down as slowly and lightly as possible.

     • Again, I recommend keeping one hand on or hovering above a table next to you for added safety and stability.

  6. Step Six: Repeat

     • Now repeat steps four and five, by standing up and sitting back down ten times.

     • For an added challenge and progression, do not allow your buttocks to come to a complete rest on the chair between repetitions.

     • You should feel your thighs and buttocks muscles begin to fatigue as your repeat more repetitions.

Tactile cues and descriptive movements such as this can be used to help make fitness more accessible. If you are interested in learning other exercises and ways to describe movements, let me know!

Weekly Challenge: Complete the Level Three Upper Body Audio Workout

• For the upcoming week, your challenge is to complete the Tactile Training Level Three Audio Workout I’ve attached below. You should only be performing this workout program if you’ve completed levels one and two.

• This workout is progressive in nature and is level three of three in difficulty. It includes a described exercise library to help you learn the movements and an audio workout where we put the exercises together. Please listen to the audio library to learn the movements before the workout.

• As always, please consult a physician’s approval before beginning any new exercise program.

I would love your feedback and suggestions on the exercise program. If you enjoy it or want to hear different workouts in the future, please respond to this email and let me know!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter! If you have any issues downloading this week’s free audio workout program below, have questions or suggestions for future newsletters; contact me at [email protected]. Until next time!

- Coach Brandon