Here's a tough medicine ball routine.
1. Russian twists. Sit up on the mat, holding a medicine ball in both hands in front of you. Legs extended, knees bent. Lean back until you feel your abs engage (if they don't engage, you'll just fall backward). Now lift your feet off the floor. Ah yeah. Now twist side to side, bringing the medicine ball to the floor at your hips. Make sure you twist from the top of your ribcage, shoulders going side to side (not just your arms). Keep those shoulders down away from your ears. If you need to, you can put your feet down. Do 50 twists -- 25 each side, alternating.
2. IMMEDIATELY lie down and put your legs straight up in the air, arms extended behind you over your head, still holding the medicine ball. (So your arms are down toward the floor.) Bring your arms straight up in the air and crunch up as you take the arms and ball toward your feet, then lower down. Do 25.
3. IMMEDIATELY go up one more time with the ball toward the feet and PULSE straight up into the air 25 times.
4. IMMEDIATELY put the medicine ball between your knees, take your hands behind your head like you're going to do a crunch, and just do a reverse curl. On an exhale, pull the belly button in and lift the hips very slightly off the floor. You should not rock your legs; they go straight up and straight down. It's a small movement. Do 25.
5. IMMEDIATELY do 25 more but add a crunch at the same time. Do 25.Rest for about a minute.
6. Start with #5 and work your way back down to the Russian twists. So full body crunch, then just reverse curl, then pulses, then overhead reaches, then twists. No breaks until you're done.
Showing posts with label core training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label core training. Show all posts
Friday, February 8, 2008
Core Exercises
Level 1:Low plank position. Elbows bent, forearms on floor, elbows lined up right under your shoulders so your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor. Make a straight line from your head to your heels. Don't let your belly button drop toward the floor. If you feel pressure in your lower back, you may need to lift your hips a teeny, tiny bit up toward the ceiling. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth. When you inhale, think about filling your lungs with air and expanding them left to right and front to back. When you exhale, force all the air out of your mouth and pull your belly button in toward your spine and up toward your ribs. Hold the plank for 1 minute.
Level 2:After a (very) brief rest, get into that same low plank position. Hold for about 30 seconds, breathing as listed above. Then start to add movement. Without losing your plank position, slowly drop one knee toward the floor, then straighten the leg. Then do the other knee. Keep alternating, very slowly, for another 30-40 seconds. Your goal is to keep your plank intact. The only thing moving should be your knees, slowly down toward the floor then back up.
Level 3:After another (very) brief rest, get back into that plank position again. This time, instead of moving the legs, you are going to move the hips side to side. Once again without losing your plank position, slowly twist your entire lower body to lower one hip toward the floor, then back up to center. Then the other hip toward the floor. The twist should originate from the top of the rib cage. I find it easier to do this without shoes. When we do it in class, I have them move their feet close together (touching). As they drop their left hip toward the floor, they roll onto the outside of their left foot. Same on the right side. Do about 20-30 twists, total. SLOW. Keep that plank nice and strong. Don't let your shoulders start to creep up toward your ears.
Level 2:After a (very) brief rest, get into that same low plank position. Hold for about 30 seconds, breathing as listed above. Then start to add movement. Without losing your plank position, slowly drop one knee toward the floor, then straighten the leg. Then do the other knee. Keep alternating, very slowly, for another 30-40 seconds. Your goal is to keep your plank intact. The only thing moving should be your knees, slowly down toward the floor then back up.
Level 3:After another (very) brief rest, get back into that plank position again. This time, instead of moving the legs, you are going to move the hips side to side. Once again without losing your plank position, slowly twist your entire lower body to lower one hip toward the floor, then back up to center. Then the other hip toward the floor. The twist should originate from the top of the rib cage. I find it easier to do this without shoes. When we do it in class, I have them move their feet close together (touching). As they drop their left hip toward the floor, they roll onto the outside of their left foot. Same on the right side. Do about 20-30 twists, total. SLOW. Keep that plank nice and strong. Don't let your shoulders start to creep up toward your ears.
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