Women's Health - UK (2019-07)

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Hold the weight plate

at your chest with

your elbows bent

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18 | JULY 2019 Women’s Health

TECHNIQUE SCHOOL

Stand with feet
hip-width apart

Engage your

bum muscles

Engage your abs

Ke e p y o u r n e c k i n

line with your back

as you descend

Keep your

elbows locked

cared of weight

plates? Don’t

be. They’re

an awesome

alternative to

kettlebells and

dumbbells because they have

a number of unique advantages.

‘A single weight plate can help

you refine your technique during

upper-body exercises, thanks to

its shoulder-width diameter,’ says

PT Andy Vincent. He recommends

incorporating this overhead press

squat into your training two or

three times a week for leg, arm

and bum-toning wins served up on

a plate. His top tekkers tips? Stand

with your feet planted hip-width

apart and imagine you’re trying to

push them outwards, engaging

your glutes. Hold the plate at your

chest with your elbows bent. Take

a deep breath to engage your core

and lower into a squat, raising your

arms into the air, elbows locked.

Reverse the movement to return

to the start – aim for eight reps.

AVOID IF: You have a shoulder,

back or ankle injury.

Throw your hands in the air like you just don’t care

WEIGHT PLATE PRESS SQUAT

SIGNS

YOU’RE

DOING IT

WRONG

You feel

any joint

pain, pinching or

straining during

a movement. We’ve

all heard of no pain

no gain, but make

sure you’re not

experiencing the

wrong sort of pain.

Light burn is good,

sharp pain is not.

You’re flying

through the

reps. Be mindful

that you need

to maintain a

controlled tempo.

Otherwise, you

risk poor form

and injury.

You don’t feel

it working in

the right places.

Squeeze your bum

at the top of the

move to really feel

it in your glutes.

Focus on a mind-to-

muscle connection

and engage your

bum, core, thighs and

arms as you work

through the exercise.

Own every inch of

the move to reap

maximum gains.

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