What is core strengthening?
Core strengthening is strengthening not only the muscles of the abdominals and back regions, but also working on improving your balance and proprioceptor systems. By working on all of these systems, you can have better posture as well as reduce the frequency and severity of neck and back symptoms.
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Which muscles are important?
Your abdominals are important to keep your low back in shape. If you have weak abdominal muscles, your low back muscles are stretched, and have to be constantly contracted to keep you upright. Once they are fatigued, they are more prone to injury.
Your low back muscles need to be strong, but relaxed and in balance with each other, otherwise they pull the vertebrae out of alignment and they are more susceptible to injury (strains).
What is Proprioception?
Proprioceptive fibers are specialized nerve receptors and fibers that are found in muscle/tendons, and in and around all your joints. They then go back to the spinal cord, and up to the brain. They are there to tell your brain where a joint is in relation to the rest of the body. The two areas that have the highest concentrations of these types of fibers are your feet and your cervical (neck) spine.
Why is Proprioception so important?
If you didn’t have these receptors, you wouldn’t know what your body was doing. Also without a proprioceptive system, your body wouldn’t know what to make your muscles do to keep your balance or even keep a good posture. By focusing on your proprioceptor and balance systems, you make your nervous system work, your ligaments and your joint mobility will also be improved, and your posture will also be much more improved.
How do you exercise or improve your proprioceptive and balance systems?
The short answer is by using them. (Your eyes help you along with your proprioceptive system to keep your balance. When you close your eyes, you are only using your proprioceptive system.) Any exercise or movement that requires you to focus on your balance improves your proprioceptive system. When you exercise using machines, you really don’t think about technique and what your joints are doing versus when you use free weights. Many of the core strengthening exercises below will also work on your proprioceptive system.
Exercises for Core Strengthening: Most of these exercises can be done without any additional equipment. The important thing to remember when doing any of these exercises is to keep your abdominals tightened.
1. Stretches:
a. Standing, reach up to the sky, but keep your head looking forward.
b. Lying down, stretch your arms over your head, and point your toes down.
c. CATS – on your hands and knees, arch your back up to the ceiling, then sink your stomach down – shift your hips from one side, then to the other.
d. Back rocking – lying on your back, bring one knee up to your chest, then the other knee. Then bring both your knees up to your chest and pump your knees. This exercise puts a lot of motion into you low back and sacrum.
e. Pelvic tilts – sitting or lying down, tilt your pelvis forward and then push it back into your back.
2. Abdominals:
a. Standing Stretch +: Standing tall, stretch your arms above your head. Then lift one foot off the ground about 6 “, hold it for a count of 20. Then do the other foot.
b. CATS +: In the Cat position (on all fours), lift one arm straight out in front of you, hold it for a count of three, then relax. Then do the opposite arm, then one leg, and then the other leg. When you can do this easily, then stretch one arm straight out and the opposite leg out. Hold this for a count of 20, and make sure your breathe through this exercise. This exercise really works your abdominals and your balance system.
c. Kegals – Sitting down, tighten up your pelvic floor (like you are trying to stop urinating), hold for a count of 30. For added difficulty, while tightening your pelvic floor, tighten your abdominals, then your buttocks, then your thighs and hold for a count of 30.
d. Sit ups – Crunches – lying on your back with your knees bent, support your head with your hands. Slightly raise your head and shoulders off the ground. Start at only 5 or 10 per half. The second half is to sit on the floor with your knees bent. Place your hands on top of your knees. Lean back about 6 “ and then come forward. This half works the lower abdominals. For oblique abdominals, do the above exercise, except reach one hand to the opposite knee.
e. Bridge – lying on your back, lift up your pelvis off the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles, hold for a count of 20 (make sure your breathe through this), then relax. A more advanced version is to do the bridge, then straighten out one leg and hold it for a count of 20. Do the other leg.
f. Plank – Lay down on your side. , Raise your self up with your elbow bent and your knee bent to anchor you. Hold for a count of 20. A more advanced version is to raise yourself and then straighten out your arm and take your top arm and stretch it up to the ceiling.
g. Standing Leg flexion/extensions – Standing up straight, hold one foot out in front of you (about 6 inches off the floor) for a count of 10, then in back of you (about 6 inches off the floor) for a count of 10, then straight out behind you while you lower your torso horizontal hold for a count of 10. Add difficulty with any of these by closing your eyes. Back muscles:
h. Lying on your stomach, keeping your leg straight, lift one leg up about 3” off the ground. Hold it for a count of three, and then relax. Do the other leg. Repeat 5 – 10 times. This exercise works your back extensor muscles. Superman –raise both feet, and then both arms off the floor. Hold for a count of three.
i. Shoulder Wings/Reverse Flys: Sitting or standing, pull your shoulders back like you are trying to hold a grapefruit between your shoulder blades. Hold it for a count of three, and then relax.
j. Lat pull downs: Using a pair of lightweight dumbbells, bring your hands above and in front of your head. Then bring them out and slightly in back of your shoulders.
k. Lunges – Standing, take a small step forward, bending your knee and keeping your back straight. Do not take to far of a step forward. Repeat 10 times. To add a level stay in each lunge position for a count of 10.
i. Reverse lunge – Standing, take a small step backwards, bending the knee and keeping your back straight.
ii. Side lunges – Standing, take a step to the left, bending your left leg and stretching your right leg. You should feel a stretch on the inside of your right leg.
3. Stability Exercise Ball
a. Sit on the ball. Place your feet flat on the floor about shoulder width apart. Place your hands alongside your body with your palms facing the ball. Sit tall. Initially just gently bounce on the ball, keeping in the same place.
b. Sitting on the ball, move your hips in a wide circle, reverse direction.
c. Sitting on the ball, slowly walk your feet out, so that your back is now on the ball. Hold for a count of three and slowly walk back to the sitting position.
d. Crunches on an Exercise ball. Sitting on the exercise ball, slowly walk your feet forward until your lower midback is comfortably on the ball. Lift your head and shoulders off the exercise ball.
e. Just about any exercise can be done on the exercise ball including: Leg raises, Bridge, Plank, Wheelbarrow, etc.
4. Rocker Board/balance discs
a. Stand on the board facing forward first and keep it level for at least 1 minute. Add difficulty by closing your eyes.
b. Stand on the board facing sideways and keep it level for at least 1 minute. Add difficulty by closing your eyes.
c. Stand on the board facing sideways and rock the board by shifting your weight back and forth.
d. Stand on the rocker board and raise one foot off the board and hold it for a count of 10. Continue with the other foot.
Example of 5 minute exercise routine: Remember while doing these exercises to continue breathing regularly and try to keep your abdominal muscles tightened.
- Basic standing or lying down stretch hold for a count of 30
- CATS+ 4 reps of CAT, then raise each limb individually for a count of 10, then raise opposing limbs for a count of 10 – as you improve you can increase the counts
- Back Rock to Bridge 10 back rocks, then Bridge (suck in your stomach and tighten your buttocks) hold for a count of 10 working up to 20.
- Crunch lying down do 10 lower crunches. Then with your head still up, hold one leg up off the floor for a count of 10 working up to 20.
- Lunges do a lunge and hold it for a count of 5 working up to holding it to a count of 10.
Example of 10 minute exercise routine:
- All those above, plus
- Standing leg flexion/extensions
- Add Reverse lunges and side lunges after the regular lunges
Example of 5 minute Sitting exercise routine (keeping your abdominals tucked in, sitting tall, and breathing regularly):
- Sitting stretch your arms straight up and hold for a count of 30. Bend to the right, then to left while you are in the stretched position.
- Kegals do for at least 1 minute.
- Shoulder Shrug exercise do at least 3
- Shoulder Wings do at least 3
- Lat Pull Downs. Do at least 3
- While sitting lift one leg straight out and hold it for a count of 10. Then the other leg. Do at least 3 reps.
- Reclining Curl – sit forward in your chair. Sit tall and lean back about 6 inches. Come forward and then lean back – works the lower abdominals.
