No Weights. Just You. – Part 4
IntoFit | September 24th, 2008 | Workouts - Strength | 6 Comments »
Let’s build a strong foundation!
- What do I mean when I say activate your core? Stand doing nothing. Place your thumb in your belly button and lie your palm flat on your tummy so that your fingers are pointing toward your lower abdomen. From the tips of your fingers, pull in and up using your deep stomach muscles. This is how you properly activate your core. You want to keep your core activated for all weight baring exercises. It will protect your lower back, help strengthen your ability to balance as well as build strong stabilizing muscles.
What I love about plank is that although it primarily focuses on working your core musculature, it is a fantastic total body exercise. This is going to help you build strength in all those muscles (big and small) that support your lower back, stomach and most importantly your spine. There are a number of ways to perform this exercise. And you can get more and more complicated as you perfect it. I’ve demonstrated a few – from basic to advanced.
- Basic: Lie face down on the floor. Lift your body onto the tips of your toes and your forearms. Stay here. Try not to let your feet and forearms take over the work. They are merely contact points with the ground. What’s holding you up are those muscles deep in your stomach – so you’ll need to focus on activating your core. Start holding this position for 5 or 10 seconds, repeating the exercise up to 10 times. Work your way up to holding for 60 seconds repeating the exercise 2 or 3 times. Activating your core will also help you keep your back flat. Don’t let your lower back sag or your butt lift. * You may also perform this exercise on your knees and work your way up to using your toes.
- Advanced:
- One Leg: Perform Plank just as described above, but lift one foot off the ground. Hold for 30 seconds then switch feet and hold for another 30 seconds. Repeat the exercise 3 times.
- Side Plank: Lie on your side. Use the outside of your foot and your forearm as your points of contact with the floor. Once again, activate your core. Although your arm and leg will want to take over doing the work, your core is what’s keeping you up, balanced and centered.
- Want more of a challenge? Lift your free hand and leg toward the ceiling making a star. (You can use your hand or your forearm as a contact point with the ground) Try holding for 30 – 60 seconds on each side 2 times.
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Thanks Jay! These are great excercises for me – I’m working on rebuilding my core after having a baby….
They sure are. Stay tuned! I’ll be posting more core work this week. As well, you can look forward to learning some great and easy balance exercises that will help not only with your core, but with regaining your center of gravity (it having moved around a bit while you were pregnant). Thanks for the comment! Keep em coming!
[...] 8. Plank : Try simple plank, plank with one foot lifted or side plank! [...]
[...] Plank. Once you’ve mastered plank, challenge yourself with variations. [...]
[...] Plank : Try simple plank, plank with one foot lifted or side [...]
[...] Plank. Once you’ve mastered plank, challenge yourself with variations. [...]