Long COVID Self-Management - Strengthening Exercises

Strengthening exercises are designed to increase the strength of specific groups of muscles that have weakened from your period of inactivity related to COVID-19.

Suggestions to Improve Your Experience

1. Warm up and cool down before and after strengthening exercises
2. Hold each exercise for a count of three.
3. Maintain good posture throughout the exercise.
4. Incorporate good breathing techniques when performing your exercises.
5. You can start these exercises with no weight and then challenge your muscles by slowly increasing the weight of resistance (water bottles, soup cans, hand-held weights, cuff weights or Therabands™). Therabands™ come in different colours. Choose the colour of lightest resistance and gradually move up to the hardest resistance.

If you have issues with balance or dizziness, you should sit for your exercise program.

Sit-to-Stand

1. Sit on the edge of the chair, feet hip-width apart. Lean slightly forwards.
2. Stand up slowly using your legs, not arms. Keep looking forward and do not look down.
3. Stand upright and then slowly sit down, using your hands or arms just to guide you if possible.

Aim for five repetitions. The slower the repetitions, the better.

Mini-Squats

1. Rest your hands on the back of the chair for stability and stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Slowly bend your knees as far as is comfortable, keeping them facing forwards. Aim to get them over your big toe. Keep your back straight at all times.
3. Gently come up to standing, squeezing (clenching) your buttocks as you do so.

Repeat five times.

Calf Rises

1. Rest your hands on the back of a chair for stability.
2. Lift both heels off the floor as far as is comfortable. The movement should be slow and controlled.

Repeat five times.

To make this more difficult, perform the exercise without support.

Sideways Leg Lift

1. Rest your hands on the back of a chair for stability.
2. Raise your left leg to the side as far as is comfortable, keeping your back and hips straight. Avoid tilting to the right.
3. Return to the starting position. Now raise your right leg to the side as far as possible.

Raise and lower each leg five times.

Leg Extension

1. Rest your hands on the back of a chair for stability.
2. Standing upright, raise your left leg backwards, keeping it straight. Avoid arching your back as you take your leg back. You should feel the effort in the back of your thigh and bottom.
3. Repeat with the right leg.

Hold the lift for up to five seconds and repeat five times with each leg.

Wall Press-up

1. Stand at arm's length from the wall. Place your hands flat against the wall at chest level, with your fingers pointing upwards.
2. With your back straight, slowly bend your arms, keeping your elbows by your side. Aim to close the gap between you and the wall as much as you can.
3. Slowly return to the start.

Attempt three sets of five to 10 repetitions.

Biceps Curls

1. Hold a pair of light weights (filled water bottles will do) and stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Keeping your arms by your side, slowly bend them until the weight in your hand reaches your shoulder.
3. Slowly lower again.

This can also be carried out while sitting. Attempt three sets of five curls with each arm.

Shoulder Abduction 

1. Sit on a chair with your back supported on the chair, and your arms on the sides.
2. Lift your arm out to the side with palm up, passing the level of your shoulder. Keep elbow straight. 

Shoulder Flexion 

1. Sit in a chair sideways next to a table. Lay your right arm on the table, pointed forward.
2. Slowly lean forward. Slide your arm forward on the table. Feel the stretch in your right shoulder.
3. Hold for five seconds. Slowly sit back up.
4. Repeat five times.
5. Switch sides and repeat, if instructed.
6. Repeat this exercise three times a day, or as instructed.

Shoulder Flexion Sitting (Single Arm)

1. Anchor tubing under foot.
2. Same side hand thumb up, raise arm forward.

Shoulder Extension (Single Arm)

1. Face anchor, arm forward, and thumb up.
2. Pull arm down and back.

Shoulder Row: Sitting with Trunk Flexion

1. Anchor tubing under feet, sitting forward.
2. Palms down, pull elbows back, squeezing shoulder blades together.

Protraction/Retraction (Active with Trunk Rotation)

1. Stand or sit with erect posture on a firm surface.
2. Clasp hands together with arms at shoulder level and rotate to the right as far as possible.
3. Return to centre.
4. Rotate to left.

Activity: Reach for object on either side.

Arc: Flexion (90 Degrees)

1. Sit or stand with arms at sides, holding weights.
2. Move arms forward and up to shoulder level, palms in.