Workout of the Week: Core 3/1/11

Important cues:
~ Be sure to "feel" your posture and alignment during the exercises.
~ Pull your navel in towards your spine, lift the head off the shoulders (no shrugging) and allow your shoulder blades to slide down your back.
~ Remember, "Quality" not "Quantity".
~ Take your time and do it right!
~ Breathe as naturally as possible.
~ Work at your own ability, keeping in mind any personal limitation you may have.
~ Have fun!

Workout: Face Up/Face Down #1

Cat and cow (stretch)
Child's pose (stretch)
Bird dog, 5-10 each side
Down dog, hold 15-30 seconds (option add 5-10 knee bends after 15 sec)
Hover (option alternate leg raises), hold 30-60 seconds
Lie on back, bring feet up (stretch)
Shoulder bridge (option, alternate knee lifts), hold 30-60 seconds
Lie on back, bring feet up (stretch)
Two ab crunches/one modified v-up, 10 times through
Hover (option, leg waves 5-10 each side), 30-60 seconds
Bikini abs, 10 each position

Cool down/stretch

Your core: more than just abs

Abs.
Abdominals.
Washboard.
Six-pack.



Regardless of what you call them, a strong "core" is extremely important for proper development of usable strength and endurance, though it tends to be overlooked by many exercisers. Often "ab work" only focuses on successfully building the "mirror muscle" we can see (namely the "six-pack muscle", the rectus abdominus), but doesn't properly engage the deeper muscles of the core, including the transverse abdominus (your horizontal, or "corset" ab muscle). Focusing on these muscles when exercising, however, has many benefits including pulling in the midsection to gain that sleek look we all desire, decreased injury risk to our lower back, and increased athletic performance. In fact, since the core muscles form a "box" around your spine in the abdomen area, they are the powerhouse for healthy dynamic movement and improved performance in URBAN Boot Camp. Keep in mind that there are also more personal benefits including increased sexual function and incontinence prevention.

WHERE ARE THEY:
Definitions may vary slightly, but generally the muscles of the core are described as the transverse abdominus, the pelvic floor muscles, the lower back muscles (erector spinae), and the diaphragm. As stated before, together they form a box around your spine in your mid-section. Keep in mind that some health and fitness professionals expand the definition of the core to include the gluteals and as well as all of the trunk muscles muscles, minus the arms and legs.

THE HOMEWORK:
In last night's UBC class, everyone was encouraged to practice Kegel, or pelvic floor, exercises as a part of their regular core regimen to encourage spinal stability and enhance the abdominal and core work done in class. Your homework is to learn about, locate on yourself, and engage these muscles on your own and practice using them.

Here are some great online articles and videos to get you started:

How to strengthen pelvic floor muscles
Pelvic floor muscles, part 1 (video)
Pelvic floor muscles, part 2 (video)

Keep in mind that these exercises are important for men as well as women. A strong core equals more power regardless of who's body we're referring to, so listen, learn, and practice, guys.

Workout of the Week

Core Efforts:

Pullups
Pushups
Deck squat
Side plank with hip dips

Down the list circuit style, starting at 10 reps, progress down to 1
As usual remember to warmup and cool down as appropriate for your program.

Serratus anterior exercises

As promised, here are some exercises to strengthen your serratus anterior.

1. Ball roll out Avoid shrugging and let your shoulder blades slide down your back during the exercise.
2. High to Low Woodchoppers Contract your abdominals by pulling your navel towards your spine, bend the knees slightly, and rotate at the waist.
3. Wall Slide Press the arms into the wall during the movement, and avoid shrugging as you bring the arms upward.
4. Serratus Pushups The goal is to pushup using the area just under the arm pit, NOT to simply round your back so don't do it.
5. Pushups with one arm elevated or staggard. Use a phone book or medicine ball to elevate one arm. Do them on your knees if you're just starting out.

Pushup power!

If you've trained with me or have been in any of my Boot Camps you must know by now that I L-O-V-E the pushup.

Why, you might ask?

Because in terms of functional training and "bang for your buck," few exercises accomplish as much in as short a period time as this old-school gym favorite. Moreover, anyone can perform pushups anytime and anywhere. Areas trained by this compound exercise include the chest, shoulders, back, arms, the trunk (includes the abdomen), and the thighs (when done from the toes).

Do it right: use your serratus anterior!



Serratus, what? While the serratus anterior isn't often pointed out as being a major player during pushups, it HIGHLY important for maintaining proper form. In fact, one of the most common performance flaws is due to poor scapular (shoulder blade) stability. People just can't control those blades!

Tell tale signs include shrugging of the shoulders, cramping at the neck, and a hollowed area between the shoulder blades. In a nut shell, the weak serratus anterior muscles can't keep the shoulder blades down and against the rib cage properly as the strong and highly reactive trapezius (the neck muscles most people think of massaging) fires.

More on how to identify and strengthen this muscle next time!