Core Part 2
In the previous article in this series we talked about “ONE” purpose of the core is to prevent movement.
A purpose of the core is to reduce or prevent flexion, rotation, and extension. If you can accomplish this you should be able to reduce injuries. In this article I will introduce a couple exercises that will help you reduce movement. In other words stabilization core exercises need to be a stable part of your exercise routine. Let’s first start with some basics:
Plank:
The plank looks like a pushup in the up position, but on your elbows. It’s important that you look solid through the body. The body should be in a straight line from the ankle, through the knee, through the waist, core, and neck and head. If there is any major sagging in the core it’s probably too much for you to do. Based on that you will need to go down a level in the progression and do the easier version of the exercise. The easier version of the exercise is to do it on your knees. Follow this progression to get started with your plank exercises. I am assuming those reading this are athletes and healthy so we will skip leaning against a wall. We will start on the knees. It probably the case for a lot of athletes that you can skip the knee progression too, but I'm not there with you so start easy. Here is a sample progression I came up with for planks.
- Knee Planks
- Regular Planks
- Regular Planks Arm Lifted
- Regular Planks Leg Lifted
- Regular Planks Leg and Arm Lifted
- Regular Planks with Sliding back and forth-This can be done with elbows elevated, feet elevated, Using TRX bands etc.
Some other exercises that are great for the core.
Cable Paloof Pushes
This video shows the regular paloof press (which you should do) and a variation on the paloof Press. In addition you can eventually progress to the single leg Paloof Press.
Stabilization Crunch
This exercise is from Back Expert Stuart Mcgill. It's different but I suggest you follow his guidelines and do this instead of the normal crunch.
