A sedentary lifestyle or physical inactivity is the scourge of modern society. But this didn’t happen before; a healthy lifestyle was promoted in the Soviet Union. Physical activity concerned not only free time, but was even carried out during working hours. It is difficult to imagine modern groups performing collective exercises by the hour. It would seem like a trifle, but nowadays young professionals approaching the age of thirty look more and more like hunched over, tired, swollen “workhorses.” And it's all about low activity throughout the day, which is taken up by work.
What is industrial gymnastics
Modern man spends most of his life sitting. Office workers who are at their workplace full time, sitting at a computer, are particularly at risk. It is worth understanding that a sedentary lifestyle will sooner or later affect your well-being.
During the USSR, special industrial gymnastics were developed for workers. All workers were required to strictly complete all exercises within the allotted time. Currently, there is no such practice in enterprises. However, you yourself can take care of your health and do special exercises while performing your work duties.
Industrial gymnastics is a set of several exercises that employees should do while at their workplace to maintain health and improve performance.
Vorobyov’s gymnastics, hidden from prying eyes: for those who are often at the computer
Sometimes a person does not have the conditions or opportunities to train at work. Hidden gymnastics were developed especially for such situations.
- Lift your heels off the floor with sudden movements. In 1 minute you need to make up to 40 “breaks”.
- Repeat the movement, lifting your socks off the floor. In 1 minute you need to make up to 40 “breaks”.
- Make sequential movements, squeezing and unclenching the muscles of the buttocks, up to 40 times per 1 minute.
- Inhale and inflate your belly. As you exhale, pull your stomach in as much as possible for 6 seconds. Then relax. Slowly repeat the movements until you feel tired.
- Clench and unclench your fingers tightly into fists.
Regularly performing these simple movements will provide you with a good mood and excellent health, and will increase your work efficiency.
The main purpose of industrial gymnastics
Today, regulations have been developed according to which every employer is obliged to provide employees with special working conditions. In case of violation, both disciplinary and criminal penalties may be applied. Each enterprise must develop its own methodology for conducting a special set of health-improving exercises.
Thanks to gymnastics, every employee can not only strengthen their immune system, but also significantly increase their performance. The whole secret is that a person’s performance improves if he is physically prepared.
Objectives of industrial gymnastics:
- Performance support;
- Preparing the employee for the work process;
- Preparation for a specific type of activity;
- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Benefits of gymnastics during working hours:
- Getting energy for the whole working day;
- Effective completion of assigned tasks;
- Reducing emotional stress;
- Keeping the body in good shape.
In order not to get tired at work and after work, you need to do a set of simple exercises, just 5-10 minutes. The most important thing is that you don’t need any special equipment or simulators for industrial exercises.
Why do you need office gymnastics?
Advantages of industrial gymnastics:
- maintaining efficiency during the working day;
- warming up muscles, revitalizing motor activity of joints;
- reduction of emotional tension, irritability and stress.
In order to get less tired and maintain your well-being in an active state, you need to take breaks during the working day (exercise minutes and pauses). They usually last from 2-3 to 10 minutes. A few breaks and sports exercises in the office will help you cheer up and gain a surge of strength, preventing the onset of overwork.
Which workers is it suitable for?
First of all, gymnastics during working hours is necessary for the so-called “white collar” workers or mental workers who sit at their workplace all day long. Such employees can spend the whole day at the computer without interrupting for a lunch break or rest.
Among such workaholics are:
- banking employees;
- secretaries;
- programmers;
- engineers;
- translators;
- copywriters.
The organization of labor gymnastics identifies the following groups of workers who need exercises during the working day:
- Professions that are subject to the greatest stress and nervous tension. As a rule, this group of people every day, while at their workplace, is forced to perform the same type of work that requires attention and vision. Among these professions it is worth noting:
- workers at machines;
- seamstresses;
- shoe factory employees;
- assemblers of small mechanisms.
- The second group included those specialties in which there is little physical and mental activity. As a rule, this is doing work with small movements:
- turners;
- milling operators;
- pickers.
- The third group includes professions that are characterized by great physical stress:
- miners;
- construction workers;
- molders.
- The last group is all professions that involve mental work. Such employees are constantly under mental stress:
- employees of medical institutions;
- engineers;
- teachers.
Working in “machine mode” will sooner or later lead to the development of cardiovascular diseases, deterioration of vision, back pain and other diseases. To prevent this from happening, you need to take care of yourself and know the basics of physical education.
Some useful information to improve the effectiveness of exercises
A set of industrial gymnastics for office workers will be much more effective if you follow some recommendations:
- Be sure to ventilate your office before class or keep the window open. Physical activity requires a constant supply of fresh air.
- Do not overuse heaters and fans, these devices dry out the air very much. It is better to give preference to air conditioning, but it should only work during lunch, when employees are not on site. For classes there should be a comfortable temperature and humidity.
- Take care of comfortable shoes and clothes. Even business clothes can be comfortable. You just have to give up high heels and tight skirts.
- If you have the opportunity to study while listening to music, be sure to take advantage of it.
- Perform exercises at low intensity, too active workouts promote increased sweating, and this will only harm you.
- It is better to exercise on an empty stomach, but you must drink water.
Try to diversify your workday with these exercises, and you will notice how your performance has improved. It is very important to take care of your health even at work.
Forms (types) of industrial gymnastics
If we talk about forms of gymnastics, then we can distinguish 4 main types. Let's look at each in more detail.
- Micropause.
This form of gymnastics is accessible to absolutely everyone. Usually this is a release of muscle tension or a regular self-massage. A few minutes is enough for a micropause.
The simplest example is kneading your back if you sit on a chair for a long time. To warm up, you simply push back and stretch. Or you can raise your arms up and stretch back to “stretch” your back.
- Introductory gymnastics.
Perhaps the best start to a working day is morning exercises. Exercises can be done before starting the work process. All exercises are quite simple and last no more than 5 minutes. It is enough to perform 5-7 exercises to get maximum results.
Employees who come to work after such exercise are cheerful and full of energy, while others try to cheer themselves up with a cup of coffee. If possible, sign up for the pool and visit it before or after work.
- Physical education break.
This form of industrial exercise is needed to quickly relieve tension during the working day. As a rule, this is a simple exercise that takes no more than a minute to complete. If you have a standard 8-hour work day, you can stretch every hour. In this case, exercises can be constantly alternated.
- Physical education minute.
During the physical education minute, you need to get up from your chair and do small exercises, so to speak, “stretch your body.” As a rule, these can be normal inclinations. You can warm up by bending in different directions every hour.
A set of exercises for office workers and production
Examples of complexes for the main forms of PG:
Introductory gymnastics complexes usually include:
- Walking.
- Breathing exercises.
- Exercises for the torso and upper limbs.
- Exercises for the lower body, including stretching techniques.
- Shoulder girdle stretch.
Physical breaks may include:
- Stretching.
- Exercises to tone and relax the muscles of the trunk and shoulder girdle.
- Swing exercises for all limbs.
- Leg exercises, including jumping and running techniques, walking.
- Leg swings and stretching exercises for the legs and thighs.
- Relaxation exercises.
There are also special complexes for the eyes:
- Close your eyes, open and widen your eyes for four counts, looking into the distance for 6 counts. Repeat 4-5 approaches.
- Look at the tip of your nose for four counts, then look into the distance for another four counts. Repeat 4-5 approaches.
- Circular eye movements in each direction for 4-5 circles.
- Raise your gaze upward for four counts without raising your head, and lower your gaze down for four counts. Repeat 4-5 times.
An approximate set of physical education breaks:
- Walking in place (rhythmically).
- Stretch your entire body with your arms up, rising onto your toes.
- Bend the torso to the sides alternately.
- Bend the torso forward.
- Circular movements of the pelvis in each direction.
- Squats.
- Swing your legs, touching the toe of the opposite hand.
- Running in place with high knees.
- Tilt down with one leg touching, in the center, to the other.
- Stretching the legs, arms, back and neck muscles.
Leg stretching
Arm stretching
Back stretch
Neck stretch
Recommendations for the GHG complex
- The complex should take approximately 10-15 minutes, depending on the speed of execution.
- You can study while listening to music, it will be more productive and more fun. Choose any style, the main thing is that the music improves your mood, but does not irritate the nervous system.
- Perform each exercise 10-15 times one after another without pause.
- Do not perceive gymnastics as a full-fledged load; after such a complex you should feel a surge of strength, and not vice versa.
- Do not make sudden and rash movements to avoid injury.
- During the working day, you can perform two such complexes, and if you wish, choose 3 exercises for physical education and perform them at least every hour.
Complex in video format
Industrial gymnastics in the USSR - a complex with an announcer
Industrial gymnastics for office workers
The number of office employees is increasing every year. It is worth noting that the main problem that many office workers face is spinal disease, the well-known osteochondrosis.
Regular industrial exercises can prevent the occurrence of diseases such as:
- haemorrhoids;
- prostatitis;
- obesity;
- gastritis;
- joint diseases;
- back and neck diseases.
To avoid this, every employee should think about their health and during the work process not only take the correct posture, but also take healthy breaks.
All exercises are quite simple and do not require special physical training.
A few minutes of industrial gymnastics will help improve:
- blood flow;
- metabolic processes in the body;
- well-being;
- mood;
- performance.
As practice shows, an employee who is in good mood and physical shape is able to do his job better and achieve greater success.
Benefit for the employee
Not to mention the fact that simple exercises make working easier; in general, industrial gymnastics increases resistance to infectious diseases, since the body is less susceptible to stress and overwork.
When performing physical activity during the day, the following benefits can be identified:
- Energy increases and work becomes easier.
- Nervous tension is reduced and stress is prevented.
- Blood flow improves, organs and systems function normally.
- Normal metabolic rate is maintained.
- General well-being and mood improves.
Exercises for industrial gymnastics
Industrial gymnastics includes a large set of exercises. Your task is to choose the most suitable ones for yourself or create a set of gymnastic exercises.
If you feel unwell during or after the exercise, you should reduce the number of repetitions or refuse altogether and consult a doctor.
A set of exercises that can be performed without getting up from your chair:
- Sit on a chair, while pressing tightly against the back. Stretch your legs forward and raise your arms up. At the same time, stretch your arms upward. As you stretch, count to 10 and return to your normal position. Doing it 10 times is enough to warm up.
- If you have a ball handy, you can do the following exercises to relieve tension. Sit on a chair and hold a regular children's ball between your knees. Straighten your back and squeeze the ball as hard as possible. It takes as long to do it as long as you can hold the ball yourself.
- You can do this exercise while sitting at a table. Just rest your hands on the table and sit on the edge of the chair. Raise your buttocks for a few seconds and lower yourself. It may be difficult at first, so do it 5-10 times. Afterwards you can increase it up to 20 times.
- As a rule, office employees sit on familiar chairs, on wheels with armrests. To relax a little, you can sit on the edge of a chair, keeping your back straight and clasping your arms around the armrests. All you need to do is strain your arm muscles and try to squeeze the armrest as tightly as possible. It is enough to do up to 15 repetitions.
Warm-up that can be done next to a chair:
- You need to stand next to a chair and put your hands on the back. First, take your left leg back and stretch a little, then your right. You can make the exercise a little more difficult and move your arms to the sides while stretching. The exercise should be repeated up to 10 times for each leg.
- While behind a chair, place your hands on the back. Take your right leg back and stretch it a little, while at the same time pull your left arm up. Then vice versa. Repeats should be done up to 10 times.
- Stand behind a chair, place your hands on the back. All you need to do is stand on your toes and count to 10, then lower yourself. You need to do repetitions 15-20 times. If possible, remove your shoes to allow your feet to fully warm up.
Exercises without support
You don't need to have a chair handy to do the warm-up.
To reduce the load, you can do a few simple exercises:
- Regular bends. You just need to stand up straight and bend in different directions. For the exercise, you can use your arms and lift them up or move them apart.
- To reduce the load on your back, you need to stand up straight and raise your arms up. In this position, stretch up, stand on your toes as high as possible and pull your toes up. Remain in this state for 10 seconds. To achieve a positive result, do the exercise 10 times.
- Walking in place is a great exercise. You need to walk in place for 5-7 minutes.
- And, of course, don’t forget about regular squats. It is necessary to do 15-20 squats during exercise. To achieve a positive result, do not forget to connect your arms while squatting and move them forward.
Exercise for the eyes
As already mentioned, many people sit at the computer all day, reading books, typing material, or checking important papers. Work is good, but you need to take care of your eyes. Even if you do work wearing special glasses, you need to do special exercises for your eyes.
A set of exercises for the eyes:
- Close your eyes and squeeze them as tightly as possible for literally 5-10 seconds. After that, open it wide. You can do up to 10 repetitions.
- To rest your eyes, you need to switch your vision from close to far every few hours. It's very easy to do. All you need to do is just go to the window and try to look into the distance and focus your gaze on a specific object. For example, in the distance there is an ancient building with a small antenna on the roof. Try to direct all your attention to her. Or choose a point in the distance and look at it for 5-7 minutes.
- Well, the last exercise you can do. Just try to look at the bridge of your nose. Repeat can be done up to 7-10 times.
- If possible, purchase special glasses for charging your eyes (with holes). To give your eyes a rest, you need to put on the glasses for 5-10 minutes and continue working with them.
What kind of exercises can there be?
Knowledge of the correct working posture, posture and physiology of movement will help you choose the optimal set of office gymnastics from a variety of simple sports exercises. Exercises suitable for doing in the workplace are listed in the table.
| Exercises | Starting position for execution |
| On the chair |
| standing |
| Gymnastics for the eyes |
Perform each exercise consciously, watch your breathing and try to relax as much as possible.
Technique, as well as the regularity of office gymnastics, are of great importance.
What to pay attention to before doing gymnastics
Few people know, but you need to prepare for industrial gymnastics.
Here are a few tips to take into account:
- Before starting a set of exercises, the room should be well ventilated. It is enough to open the windows for a few minutes.
- Always monitor not only the room temperature, but also the humidity. In the summer, many employees abuse the air conditioning, which leads to cooling of the body. Remember, the room temperature should not be less than 15 and more than 25. As for humidity, no more than 70% for normal operation.
- You need to perform the exercises in comfortable clothes and shoes. If you are an office employee, then the dress code will not allow you to come to your workplace in sneakers and sweatpants. However, you can wear a tracksuit with you or remove your jacket and heels during exercise. Nothing should restrict your movements.
- You can perform a set of exercises to music. It is best to use classical music, which will help not only to distract and relax, but also to correctly perform the entire range of necessary exercises.
- In the first half of the day, you should avoid intense exercise, as it promotes active sweating.
- Avoid snacking or eating heavily before exercising. After performing gymnastics, you can drink a glass of still water. It is better to avoid a cup of tea or coffee.
Relieving tension from the eyes: gymnastics for vision
A set of industrial gymnastics for office workers must necessarily include eye exercises. After all, employees have to work a lot with papers and computers. You can do the following exercises:
- Close your eyes for 10-15 seconds and then slowly open them.
- Choose two objects: one in front of you and one further away. Switch your gaze from one object to another, and then back again.
- Focus your gaze on the bridge of your nose for 20 seconds, and then look straight ahead. This exercise can be performed up to 10 times.
