Royal Canadian Air Force Exercises

The 5BX Fitness Plan for Men

Royal Canadian Air Force Exercises for Men

The XBX Fitness Plan for Women

Sample XBX Exercises

The Royal Canadian Air Force Exercises for Women

Exercise 1: Toe Touching

Bending down to touch your toes improves and maintains your flexibility and mobility, and also serves as a warm up for the exercises that follow.

On phase two you touch your toes twice before returning to the initial standing up position. Repetitions range from 10-15 throughout the twelve levels.

Exercise 2: Knee Raising

Here is another warm up exercises that improves and maintains your flexibility and mobility. Raising your knees and holding them for a second also helps improve your balance and strengthens your core.

Repetitions range from 10-16 throughout the twelve levels. Raising the right leg then the left counts as one repetition.

Exercise 3: Lateral Bending

This is the third in a series of four warm-up exercises. The double bend to each side helps improve and maintain your flexibility and mobility, and strengthens your oblique abdominal muscles.

Repetitions range from 7-12 throughout the levels, and a bend to the right then left counts as one repetition.

Note that these exercises were created in the late 50s, and there are currently mixed opinions on whether side bends are actually beneficial or not. They are shown here as part of the entire XBX system. I like to do them and I don't experience any discomfort on my lower back from performing these exercises.

Exercise 4: Arm Cycling

This is the last warm-up exercise. Forward and backward arm circles also help improve your flexibility. Repetitions range from 18-30, and half of those are done circling the arms forward, half backward.

Exercise 5: Sit-Ups

These rocking sit-ups are great for strengthening the abdominal region and the front of your thighs.

Starting from a lying down position with knees bent, the arms are swung forward and the knees are lowered as you bend forward to touch your toes.

Each return to initial position counts one, and repetitions range from 9-35 throughout the levels. I love the feeling of working my abs!

Exercise 6: Chest and Leg Raising

This exercise (sometimes called "superman") strengthens the long muscles of the back, the gluteus and the back of the thighs.

From a face down position you raise your head, shoulders and legs as high as possible, keeping the legs straight.

Each return to starting position counts as one, and repetitions range from 12-38 throughout the levels.

Exercise 7: Side Leg Raising

This exercise concentrates on the muscles on the sides of the thighs. These muscles get very little work in routine daily activities, or in most sports, and many women complain about their outer thighs as a "problem area".

Lying on the side with the legs straight, the upper leg is raised until it is perpendicular to the floor, and then lowered back to starting position.

Repetitions range from 14-25 for each leg.

Exercise 8: Push-Ups

The push-up is primarily for the arms, shoulders and chest, but at the same time it exercises the back and the abdomen, as your core muscles are used to maintain balance.

Lying face down with hands directly under shoulders, push your body off the floor until the arms are straight, keeping knees on the floor and the body in a straight line (the pelvis is also lifted off the floor, as opposed to only the chest).

Each return to starting position counts as one, and repetitions range from 8-28.

Phase three features a plank style push-up, while phase four requires you to do a regular push up with knees off the floor.

Exercise 9: Leg-Overs

This exercise is partly for flexibility in the waist area and for strengthening the muscles of the hips and outer thighs.

Lying on your back raise your right leg to a perpendicular position, and drop it across your body, trying to touch your opposite hand with your toes. Raise leg perpendicularly again and return to starting position. Repeat with the left leg.

Repetitions range from 8-20 throughout the levels. This exercise is harder than it looks, and by the last few reps you begin to feel it on your hips and thighs!

Exercise 10: Run and Jump

Running in place and jumping will exercise your legs, but this exercise is primarily for conditioning your heart and lungs.

Standing erect and with feet together, raise the left knee then the right knee, "running" in place. Feet should be raised at least four inches from the floor. Each time the left foot touches the floor counts as one repetition.

The running sequence is alternated with jumping jacks, with 10 jumping jacks for each 50 running reps. Total repetitions range from 120 to 210 running reps, with two to four jumping reps as necessary to complete the whole series.