Core Conditioning Exercises
If you look on youtube you will see 100's of core exercises ,
most of which utilise stability balls . I find , however , that
only a handful can be considered ' tough ' ,a few more as ' a
little hard ' but very few are challenging enough for the fit
athlete . Below are some exercises that I was given by a physio I
once worked with ( thanks F ) . I love doing them as they are quite
demanding ;
Plank Variations
Before you begin these always remember that it is essential that
you keep the spine in a neutral position ( particularly the curve
in the lower back ) otherwise you are only re-inforcing bad posture
.
Raise one leg , hold for 2 secs. Then return . Repeat with the
other leg.10 times each side / rest then repeat .
This is easy enough and can be considered as a warm up . Don't
let your head drop down .
Weight is on the ankleSets and reps as before .If you initially
find this too difficult you can drop down onto your knee .
Body off the floorReps as before .
This one is the killer ! Many people can't even hold the basic
posture never mind the leg lifts . If this applies to you , hold
the basic posture for as long as you can / rest for a while then
repeat twice more build up to 40 sec. holds then try the leg lifts
.
.and for the main course
These are , without doubt , the best combination
core/strenghtening exercises I have ever come across they use
nearly every muscle in the body ! Be careful as they are very hard
on the hamstrings . If you feel any pull on them , stop immediately
otherwise you will be very sore and stiff the next morning . You
will need an area where you can do 8 10 steps .
Adopt this position (standing on your toe) & hold for 2
secs. / down into a lunge (knee 2 from the floor) & hold for 2
secs then up onto the other leg . Don't forget to keep the knee
behind the toes during the lunge to avoid damaging the knee .
With a soccer ball ;As before but with the arms held
horizontally throughout and with a sideways twist ( both ways ) at
the bottom of the lunge
I usually do a couple of lengths of the standing exercise
without the ball as a warm-up .
You can then swap the soccer ball for a 3Kg medicine then
gradually onto 5Kg , 7Kg , etc .
These are not , however , true core exercises until you switch
the core on to do this ( and the explanation is a little gross )
imagine that you are desperate to go to the toilet and you have to
tighten your bottom to keep it in . You don't need to tense the
muscles just enough to switch them on . You must then keep them
switched on during the exercise this takes practice .
Don't do any core work until at least 90 mins have you wake from
sleep the discs in your spine are at a high pressure and you can
damage them
Enjoy !
Val O'HalloranMassage Therapist
