Monday, June 25, 2007

Exercise Tip #1 The Basics, Your Core

First things first. The first thing I think one should start with when beginning a fitness program is your core. It is one of the most important grouping of muscles. It is the seat of your power, your center, it holds your internal organs, stabilizes your spine, creates a base from which to do all your other exercises and well developed abs look and feel good on you and on others. A lot of non structurally related back pain can be alleviated by strengthening the abdominals and glutes and stretching the hip flexors. Of course everyone is different and may need to stretch or strengthen additional areas but the four exercises I am about to give you will change your body and your life.

There are four abdominal layers that make up the abdominals and they all need working out. Only doing one ab exercise over and over will create muscular imbalances. Another thing is quality over quantity. I rather you do less reps and make them count than do a boatload that you cheat on and only half are really effective. It's a waste of your precious time, inefficient and possibly dangerous. Also I think it's important to start your weight training sessions with abs, and continue to do them throughout your workout session. This is so that you are able to access them for power throughout your session, stabilize your spine and not do such an important muscle group when you're tired at the end of your workout.

So without further ado.

The Bridge: Since most people sit at their computers all day let's start with the floor 2 leg bridge so you can access your glutes to do the next exercise. Lay on your mat on your back, bend your knees and place your feet flat on the ground hip width apart. Keep your head on the ground and your palms face down. Contract your glutes and driving up through your glutes raise your hips to the ceiling without arching your back. Only go as far up as your glutes will take you once you start arching your back you have gone too far. Watch for adducting or abducting your knees. In layman terms allowing your knees to draw together or come apart these are both possibly indicators of tightness or weakness in your abductor's (outer muscles in your glute's/hips) or adductor's (inner thigh muscles). Keep your legs steady while squeezing your glutes and driving your hips up. Also make sure that you do not try to start this movement by doing a pelvic tilt i.e. flattening your back. Keep the natural lordotic curve in your back and keep your pelvis neutral, draw in your abdominals and focus on your glutes. If necessary put your hands on your glutes so you can feel the muscle, focus and strengthen the neuromuscular connection. Do this 15 times holding for a breath each rep.

The Plank: ( Focus on your transverse abdominus, innermost abdominal layer)
Start on your stomach with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders, this means not forward or wider (all these are ways to cheat) just follow your shoulder straight to the ground there should be an elbow. Keep your feet hip width apart to start with ( as you increase in stamina you can alter this) Squeeze your glutes, draw in your abs and raise yourself up through the abs and glutes bringing your hips up to the same level as your shoulders. Once you're up in the air, relax your glutes a little, they were needed for power to bring you up, bring your feet forward a little bit so you're not hanging out on your tippy toes but rather on the balls of your feet so you have more stability. Also when you're up in the air make sure you are consciously drawing your abs in i.e. navel to spine (reference in an earlier blog) and breathing! Once you're up mentally check your body. If you're feeling it in your shoulders you may be rounding them (most people do, it takes the pressure away from unhappy abs) make sure your shoulders blades are in neutral position not protracted ( i.e. rounded). When you come down out of position go to your knees first and then all the way down to your stomach but keep your elbows directly under your shoulders. If you are feeling this exercise a lot in your lower back or it simply feels to difficult modify it by following the directions but instead of your feet use your knees for the duration. Do this 10 times for 10 seconds to begin with.

The Bicycle: (Focus on your internal and external obliques)
Lay on your back and place your arms across your chest and hands on the opposing shoulder in mummy position. I don't recommend putting your hands behind your head because if you sit in front of your computer all day with your head protruding forward we don't want to exacerbate this condition. Also your arms have a weight to them so if you do not have very strong abdominals your neck will pick up the slack, even if you do you're still putting weight on your neck. It's better to focus on your abs and your form. Contract your abdominals and draw your head and shoulders up as one unit, don't lead with your head or trail it behind you. Choose a shoulder and the opposing knee and draw them together contracting one side of your body to the other. you will not actually touch but shoulder to knee is the idea, the other leg should be extended above the ground, then switch, other shoulder to the other knee, other leg suspended. Watch for swinging from side to side or rolling if you end up in a different place on the mat then you started chances are you are cheating, using momentum. Think up and over and up and over for each side. Breathe! Do this in 4 sets of 25 and as you get stronger 2 sets of 50 but please do not try to speed through this. Focus and do it deliberately you'll feel it more have more results....

The Hundred: (Focus on Rectus abdominus)
I do/teach a modified version of the hundred as I find most people tend to overuse their hip flexors in the more traditional version. Start with laying on your back on the mat with your knees bent and feet flat on mat. Draw your abdominals in, do not flatten your back, keep your pelvis neutral and raise your head and shoulders off the mat as one unit contracting your abs much like you would in a traditional crunch. Then extend your legs at a 45 degree angle and make sure to redraw in your abs. Pump your arms with each inhale and exhale of short powerful breaths 10 times( its breaths like in a Lamaze class). Then lower your legs and your head and shoulders while continuing to focus on contracting your abs. Watch for pumping your head and neck with your arms. Make sure to keep your head and neck steady and move your arms with each pump and breath. If it feels difficult or you feel it in your lower back, bend your knees instead of keeping them in a 45 degree angle. Do this 10 times 10 pumps each time (100 total) .

You can do these daily or 4 times a week just focus and listen to your body!

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