Hey, hey!

 

Happy Fri-yay! I hope this email finds you well.

 

Keeping with the STRONG Core theme, I am poppin in to talk about some core exercises that will get your core altogether. Of course, if you are consistent with them.

 

So, an out-of-balance core can make it a LOT harder for you to reach your fitness and strength goals. 

 

Here's a great example, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

Before I get into the hows & whys, picture this for a second: 

 

Imagine your core is like a flexible piece of tubing made of dozens of intertwining muscles. One of its many jobs is to support your torso and protect your spine as it powers your arms and legs, keeping everything stable, balanced, and strong.

 

Now imagine you bend that tube and leave it for a few hours on a chair. Eventually, some parts of the tube get tighter, and others get stretched out – resulting in weakness and imbalance.

 

Keep that scenario in mind, because we're going to talk about...

 

SQUATS!

 

Imagine putting a barbell on the upper back of the tube that's been sitting all day.

 

Because it's out of balance, with the muscles in the front tighter than the back, all those intertwining muscles can't provide as much assistance and stabilization as they normally would. 

 

That means the tube naturally folds forward during the squatting motion, putting a lot of extra pressure on the lower back part of the tube.

 

OUCHIE, right?!

 

BUT, if all of the muscles were working together to hold the tube upright during the squat, it could have transferred more of the weight down to the legs, which would have been safer and would have accommodated more weight on the barbell.

 

This same principle applies to almost every strength exercise!

 

Sooo … what can you do to make sure your "tube" is strong and stable, with all of its intertwined muscles in balance and working together properly?

 

Make time for specific core and mobility work! I love tacking on core-specific exercises in my dynamic warm-up.

 

Here's a quick routine you can do to help balance your muscles if you sit a lot.

 

1. Grab a foam roller and roll out those hip flexors (inner thigh area):

• Get into a plank from your forearms, with the roll under one of your hips.
• Gently roll back and forth for about 30 seconds - 1 min, paying special attention to spots that feel tight.
• Repeat on the other side.

BONUS: Also, roll out your quads (the muscles in the front of your thighs).

 

2. Fire up your glutes with bridges: 

 

This move also works your core. Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, push up through your heels and lift your hips up toward the ceiling, really squeezing through your glute muscles. Repeat for 15-20 reps.

 

[BOLD] NOTE: If your hip flexors are super tight, it can affect how well your glutes do their job, so it pays to really focus. AND our Glutes are connected with our pelvis which part of our core. 

 

3. Work on rotational core strength with the medicine ball woodchopper: 

 

Hold a light to a medium medicine ball with both hands and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Twist slightly so that the medicine ball is by your right thigh and abs braced; move the medicine ball at a 45º angle so that it rotates toward (and above) your left shoulder. Return to the starting position and repeat for 8-10 reps.

 

Repeat on the other side.

 

A dumbbell can work for this core exercise as well if you don't have a med mall.

 

4. Challenge your entire core with the Bear Crawl Position Shoulder Taps: 

 

Get into a tabletop position⁣ (Bear Crawl position).

- Your wrists under your shoulders and your neck aligned with your spine, and raise your hips slightly to lift your knees off the floor.⁣

- Keeping your core tight and hips level, lift your left hand up to touch your right shoulder. Reverse the movement to return to start, then repeat on the other side. That's one rep; continue alternating.⁣

 

Make sure you breathe! Alternate taps back and forth with a nice and steady tempo - pause on each tap.

 

Check out the video demo here!

 

In addition to the core work that comes with Big Lifts, you can add some direct core work using some of the exercises above.

 

Remember this STRONG friend, every time you touch a weight, your core should be on - that's core work too because you have to engage, brace - keep it tight during various lifts.

 

If you'd like some specific guidance to help you with your goals, let's talk! Book a STRONGER You Connection Call here if you are interested in exploring how you and I could work together.

 

Have an amazing day and amazing weekend too!!

 

In Strength & to Your Success,

Xo

Candace