Strengthen Your Core

One of the best ways you can improve your regular workout is to add core strengthening exercises.  When done properly, core work can help prevent injuries, improve your posture, and even reduce back pain.  Contrary to popular belief, however, core work is NOT just about using your abs.  There are multiple muscle groups involved in order to do the exercises properly.

When doing core work, it's important to remember the following principles:

1) Use your pelvic floor.  The deep muscles of your pelvis support your organs and connect to your abdomen and your back.  When you are doing a core exercise, engage these muscles.  You'll know that it's working if you feel like you are doing a kegel exercise, or as though you are trying to not go to the bathroom.

2) Use all of your abdominal muscles by pulling them in.  There are several different kinds of ab muscles.  In order to use them in a way that strengthens your back and prevents injury, you want to feel your belly button pulling in toward your spine and feel the sides of your waist cinching toward each other.  It should feel like you are wearing a corset.

3) Use your Lat muscles.  These are the big muscles of your back.  You'll know that your engaging them if you can feel the muscles under your armpits engage and your shoulder blades feel wide and as though they are spreading apart.  Your whole back should feel wide and strong, and your shoulders should be sliding down your back.

4) Avoid using your shoulders and your neck.  These muscles should feel soft and relaxed while you are doing core work.  ( And most other exercises, for that matter.)

Here are Five Core Exercises that you can add to any workout.


Forearm Plank

Notice the excellent placement of his shoulders over his
elbows, the widening of his back and shoulders to
engage his lat muscles and the stomach pulling up away from
the mat.

Shoulders should be aligned right over elbows and legs should be straight and active.  Most beginners make the mistake of piking the pelvis up the ceiling.  Make sure the butt is dropped so that the spine is in one long line.  Hold this position as long as you can, andrepeat 3 times. 






Froggy Crunches

step 1: prep

Feet are together and knees are apart.  Hands behind head.  Start by engaging the back and sliding the shoulders away from the ears. Keep elbows wide. Pull your stomach muscles in and kegel as you curl the back up and away from the mat.  Head should be heavy in your hands.  
You should feel the work

step 2: curl up

 in your torso and in your back, 
not in your neck.  
Repeat 25-30 times.












                                         
                                         

Position 1: Long spine with abdomen active

Side Plank Hip Raises

Position 2: Use the sides of the waist to lift hips into the air

Come on to your forearm and cross the top leg in front of the bottom leg.  Lift your hips until your body is in one long line.  You should feel the sides of your waist active.  


   Press the hips up to the ceiling, and then lower them back to the straight body position.  Repeat 10-15 times on each side.

Single Leg Stretch

 

Alternate from one side to the other, coming back into table top each time.

An excellent pilates exercise for the obliques.  Lie on your back.  Use your pelvic floor and your abdominal muscles to lift one leg and then the other up into tabletop position.  Reach your arms up to the sky and then down toward your hips, using your lats to curl your upper body up.  Extend one leg long as you keep the opposite leg in tabletop.  Do not let your belly pooch as you extend.  Bring the leg back into table top and then repeat on the other side.  Repeat 10 times on each side.  (If this exercise hurts your lower back, extend the legs up to the ceiling instead down toward the floor.)

                                          Core Twist

Step 1: Scoop and Round the Spine back

Sit up, and press your feet firmly into the mat.  Clasp your hands out in front of your chest.  Tuck your tailbone, scoop your belly, and round half way back.  Keep your pelvis square and drill your sitting bones into the mat as you twist your torso (torso only!) from one side to the other.  This can be done with a 5lb or 8lb weight if you'd like more resistance.  This exercise can be done for speed.  Repeat 30-50 times, adding speed as you get stronger.  The most common mistake here is to move the hips as you twist the torso.  Don't let that happen.

Step 2: Twist from side to side

A very special thanks to my amazing husband, Jack Rizutko, for modeling!