welihozkiy - Core Exercises - Fri Oct 6 08:13:50
2000<br><br>I'm posting this for the forum to have in it's search
data base and for those who are feeling a bit
adventurous. I give full credit to Dr. Mark Fletcher for
introducing me to this whole new world of self annihilation.
<br><br>To begin with...<br>The wonderful thing about these
'core' exercises is that they utilize your own body
weight so<br>they can be performed almost anywhere. It's
amazing how much pain your own body wieght can
create.<br>These are designed to strengthen your whole mid
section, lower back, stomach muscles, and
obliques.<br>Keep in mind that the learning curve is pretty steep
-- after 1 - 2 weeks of performing these
exercises<br>twice a week I noticed a huge improvement.
<br><br><br>Core Exercises: <br><br>-All exercises (otherwise
noted) performed by hold each rep for 15, 30, 45, or 60
seconds. <br>x 10 reps for 3 - 5 sets. Naturally the
longer you hold the harder it'll be and the
stronger<br>you need to be...<br><br>Bracing - flex all stomach
muscles and hold. Requires you to suck in your stomach a
bit and flex to hit the muscles
necesary.<br><br>Bridging - *novice* lay on your back on floor. lift butt
off floor so feet and shoulders<br>are the only
points touching the floor. Should be a straight line
from<br>knees through shoulders. (can be performed in reps
instead of held)<br>- *expert* lay on your back on floor.
Touch floor with hands right above your
shoulders.<br>push off so your body forms a curve -- legs amd arms
fully extended, pelvis pushed<br>as high as possible
towards the ceiling. (can be performed in reps instead of
held)<br><br>Bridge & Leg Lift - raise a straight leg off floor
during the bridging. (can be performed in reps instead
of held))<br><br>3 way crunch - lay on floor, knees
bent in normal position for crunches. Arm fully
extended in front of you<br>one hand over the other.
Crunch up and to the right -- hands go outside the right
leg, now <br>between legs, and now to the left of
legs. Feet should not be under anything. Keep feet
on<br>floor and avoid lifting them. (controled
reps)<br><br>Side Arrows - *novice* lay on your right side on the
floor. Your right elbow is supporting your upper
body.<br>knees bent at 90 degree angle. Lift your hips off the
floor and push towards ceiling.<br>your body will make
a side ways arc. Hips pushed as high as possible.
Only right knee <br>and right elbow have contact with
the floor. Repeat for Left side. Use mirror for a
<br>visual aid to obtain a straight look until you get the
feel for the correct position.<br>- *expert* same as
above but use your feet instead. Bend the knees back a
bit while on floor to <br>allow for a greater arc
when hips are extended in the air. Repeat for Left
side.<br>- *crazy* raise feet off floor and onto a
bench.<br>- *insanity* put feet on a 'theraball'/'physioball'