Get Fit With The 1964: Resident Fitness Expert Nate Neuman Designs 15-Minute Workout for Polk State Students, Employees

Posted on by Denise James

When Director of Instructional Technology and eLearning Nate Neuman isn’t teaching Polk State faculty members and others to use PAL — Polk Access to Learning, the College’s online course delivery system — you can almost always find him working out.

Neuman wakes up at 5 a.m. every day to ride his stationary bike and lift weights. In the evenings, he’s back at it again, exercising with his family. Once a week, he teaches Polk Fit, a circuit training class, at Polk State Lakeland.

Despite his own grueling fitness schedule, Neuman insists that getting — and staying — fit, can be done in as little as 15 minutes a day.

To prove it, Neuman designed The 1964 — named in honor of the year Polk State was founded — a 15-minute workout perfect for busy students and employees.

“This workout can be done anywhere by anyone, whether they are just beginning to exercise or if they’re at a more advanced level. It’s a total body workout,” he said.

Before you get started, make sure to stretch, then jump into The 1964:

1 — Sprint, run, or walk for 100 meters, which is about 1/16 of a mile. This exercise will get your legs and core working, targeting hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, gluteal and calf muscles, and to a lesser extent, your arms and upper body.

9 — Sit-ups. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your fingertips behind your ears. Pull your shoulder blades back so your elbows are out to the side, perpendicular to your head. Clinch your abs and raise your entire upper body toward your knees. Your shoulders should be lifted off the floor. Keep your head looking straight and make sure your chin does not touch your chest and you’re not pulling on your head. Roll back down to the starting position and repeat. If sit-ups prove too difficult, sit straight in a chair and twist to each side while holding a 4-, 6-, or 8-pound medicine ball directly in front of you. These exercises target your external abdominal muscles, hip flexors, and legs. Do nine.

6 — Pushups. Put your hands on the ground directly below your shoulders. Turn your hands out slightly. Your elbows should be at a 45-degree angle to your body. Lower your body until you are just slightly off the ground and lift back up. If traditional pushups are too hard for you just yet, try bending your knees and lowering just your upper body. Another modification is the wall pushup. Stand in front of a bare wall and lift your arms up to shoulder level. Place your palms against the wall so that they are slightly wider than your shoulders. Your fingertips should be pointing up. Back up a couple of feet away from the wall so that your elbows are bent as you lean at an angle into the wall. Inhale before beginning the exercise and exhale as you push off the wall until your arms are in an outstretched position with elbows slightly bent. These exercises target your shoulders, chest, core, and scapular stabilizers — for the layman, the muscles that connect your neck, mid-back, and shoulders. Do six.

4 — Lunges. Stand with your upper body straight, your shoulders back and relaxed, and your chin pointing forward. To maintain proper posture in this exercise, pick a focus point directly in front of you and concentrate on it. Always engage your core. Step forward with one leg and lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle, not pushed out too far, and make sure your other knee doesn’t touch the floor. Keep the weight in your heels as you push back up to the starting position. This exercise targets several muscles at once, including your gluteal muscles and hips, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, abdominals and back. Do four.

Do 10 rounds of The 1964. It should take you just about 15 minutes.

Neuman teaches Polk Fit at the Polk State Lakeland Wellness Center on Wednesdays at 5 p.m.  Polk Fit resumes at the beginning of the fall semester.

For more information about The 1964, Polk Fit, fitness, or PAL, contact Neuman at 863.669.4914 or nneuman@polk.edu.