No matter your fitness level, we all need a stronger core. Having a strong core allows us to lift heavier weight, move more efficiently, and go through our daily life just a little bit easier.
Disclaimer: When I was core, I'm not just talking about your abs. I'm talking about your whole Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip-Complex (LPHC). All the muscles that comprise your back, hips, glutes, obliques, etc...
Our core is actually split into 2 categories: Local and Global. Local muscles are those deep muscles that help provide support to our vertebrae. Global muscles provide overall stability and mobility to our trunk and help move the spine.
To help you strengthen your core, I want to give you just 1 simple movement to start doing 2-3x/week. If you start doing this, you will see HUGE dividends for you and your health. The movement is called The Deadbug. (P.S. You can do this anywhere.)
One of the reasons I love this movement so much is because no matter what your fitness level might be, you can do this. There are so many different variations of the deadbug that you can do, whether that's using bands, dumbbells, bodyweight, benches, kettlebells, etc... There are endless possibilities for this exercise all with the goal of strengthening your core.
Tip #1 - Lay Down on Your Back
Whether you're in the gym or at home, find a comfortable place to lie down and lay down on your back.
Tip #2 - Shoulders Pulled Down
Now that you are down on the ground, I want you to think about pulling your shoulders down and away from your ears and down toward the ground.
Tip #3 - Lift Your Legs Up
You're going to lift your legs up off the ground and bend your knees at a 90 degree angle. Your toes should be pointed toward the ceiling.
Tip #4 - Shift Your Hips Down
This one is MOST IMPORTANT! So often with this exercise people will arch their back, which causes lower back pain, and then people will not do this exercie because of pain (and rightly so). The key to this is shifting your hips down and having your lower back flat on the ground contracting your core.
Tip #5 - Arms Straight
You're going to straighten out your arms and point your fingers to the ceiling.
Aaaaaannnndddddddd.... HOLD
Now that you're in position, you're going to just hangout here and HOLD. Depending where you are at with your fitness level, you can hold this position for 15 seconds or for 45 seconds.
As I mentioned earlier, there are so many different variations to this exercise. So make sure you check back in over the next couple of weeks, and I'll be walking through those different variations.
But start by getting comfortable in this starting position. Just by doing this 2-3x a week, you will start to see some big changes in the health and wellness of your whole entire core.
If you are a visual learner and need to actually SEE how it is done, watch this video
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