Posts Tagged ‘Workout Exercises’
If you want to create the best core workout, you need both ab and back exercises. When most people think about the core, their first thought is ab exercises, but ab exercises by themselves won’t make a complete core workout. When you include lower back exercises and ab exercises in your workout, you will have a well rounded and balanced core.
Ab exercises help you to generate power moving forwards and prevent the spine from moving too far backwards. Some of the best ab exercises are planks, crunches on a ball, side planks, sit ups, and leg raises.
Planks are an isometric ab exercise in which you simply balance on your elbow and toes and hold that position. Side planks are also an isometric ab exercise in which you are balanced on one elbow and your feet. Crunches on a stability ball offer increased range of motion when compared to the floor and can help to improve balance. Sit ups are a classic ab exercise and they are great for athletes, but they can put more pressure on the lower back than crunches on a ball. Lastly, leg raises are also tough on the lower back, but they are great for improving core stability and pelvic control.
Lower back exercises help you to generate power moving backwards and while lifting and prevent the spine from moving too far forwards. Lower back exercises are just as important as ab exercises for preventing lower back pain.
Some of the best lower back exercises are back extensions on a ball, back extensions on the floor, and back extensions on a slant board. You can add a rotational movement to all of the previous exercises to add a more challenging element. In addition to the back extension movement, you can also do the stiff leg dead lift or the conventional dead lift.
The dead lift position and motion is important for a well rounded core workout, because many lower back injuries occur when you are lifting. So, it makes sense to practice the lifting motion and position during your core workouts.
The abdominal muscles and lower back muscles help to rotate and side bend the spine, and they both help to stabilize the lumbar spine and lower back. Rotational exercises are very important to any core workout. Functional activities and athletic activities happen in multiple directions and multiple planes. Generally, our bodies are weakest in rotational directions, so it is important to include rotational movements in your core workout. Some of the best rotational exercises are the Russian twist, standing cable lifts or chops, and standing cable rotations.
Both the abs and lower back are important for core workouts. So, if you really want well-rounded core workouts, think abs and back.
By: Charles A. Inniss, Jr. DPT
About the Author:
Ab exercises help you to generate power moving forwards and prevent the spine from moving too far backwards. Some of the best ab exercises are planks, crunches on a ball, side planks, sit ups, and leg raises.
Planks are an isometric ab exercise in which you simply balance on your elbow and toes and hold that position. Side planks are also an isometric ab exercise in which you are balanced on one elbow and your feet. Crunches on a stability ball offer increased range of motion when compared to the floor and can help to improve balance. Sit ups are a classic ab exercise and they are great for athletes, but they can put more pressure on the lower back than crunches on a ball. Lastly, leg raises are also tough on the lower back, but they are great for improving core stability and pelvic control.
Lower back exercises help you to generate power moving backwards and while lifting and prevent the spine from moving too far forwards. Lower back exercises are just as important as ab exercises for preventing lower back pain.
Some of the best lower back exercises are back extensions on a ball, back extensions on the floor, and back extensions on a slant board. You can add a rotational movement to all of the previous exercises to add a more challenging element. In addition to the back extension movement, you can also do the stiff leg dead lift or the conventional dead lift.
The dead lift position and motion is important for a well rounded core workout, because many lower back injuries occur when you are lifting. So, it makes sense to practice the lifting motion and position during your core workouts.
The abdominal muscles and lower back muscles help to rotate and side bend the spine, and they both help to stabilize the lumbar spine and lower back. Rotational exercises are very important to any core workout. Functional activities and athletic activities happen in multiple directions and multiple planes. Generally, our bodies are weakest in rotational directions, so it is important to include rotational movements in your core workout. Some of the best rotational exercises are the Russian twist, standing cable lifts or chops, and standing cable rotations.
Both the abs and lower back are important for core workouts. So, if you really want well-rounded core workouts, think abs and back.
By: Charles A. Inniss, Jr. DPT
About the Author:
Charles A. Inniss, Jr. has a Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy and is a Certified Personal Trainer. He is dedicated to helping people to live healthier happier lives.
Visit his website to learn the best core exercises and the best lower back exercises
Balance exercises are often neglected in fitness routines, but having good balance is an important part of overall joint health and injury prevention. One of the reasons that balance training is left out of fitness programs is that it has little impact on how your body looks. Instead, balance training is all about how well your body moves. There are a lot of good looking people whose bodies do work well.
Core Training and functional training is all about getting your body to move more efficiently. When your body moves more efficiently, you are less likely to get injured and you will perform regular activities and athletic activities at a higher level.
A balance exercise is an exercise that is done standing on 1 leg. Your center of gravity shifts when you stand on one leg, so your core muscles must work harder to stabilize your entire body over the standing leg. Running is a 1 legged exercise, so any sport or activity that involves running requires good balance.
Another hidden benefit of doing exercises while standing on one leg is ankle, knee and hip stability and strengthening. The small muscles around the foot and ankle really get challenged during balance exercises, and standing on one foot can strengthen the arch muscles. In addition, the small hip stabilizer muscles are strengthened when you stand on one leg, and strong hip stabilizers help to control and protect the knee from excessive stress.
When you have injuries to your legs, your coordination and balance on the injured side generally diminishes unless you work on restoring it. If you have twisted your ankle in the past, chances are that your balance on the side you injured is worse than the side that was never injured. The same holds true for knee and hip injuries. Generally speaking when you have a leg injury, you avoid putting pressure on the injured side, and this leads to decreased coordination, decreased strength, and decreased balance. It is important to practice balance exercises if you have had leg injuries in the past.
Some simple balance exercises include, just standing on 1 leg for 30-60 seconds. In addition, you can stand on one leg while moving your opposite leg to constantly change your center of gravity. 1 leg squats and 1 leg hip hinges are also good balancing exercises.
Once you’ve mastered standing on 1 leg and basic exercises such as the 1 legged squat, you can further challenge your balance by using a wobble board, core board, bosu ball, foam pad, or any other unstable surface. Begin by just practicing standing on an unstable surface with 1 leg, and then progress to doing other exercises while standing on some type of core exercise equipment. If you want to have a complete core training routine, include balance exercises into your workout.
By: Charles A. Inniss, Jr. DPT
About the Author:
Core Training and functional training is all about getting your body to move more efficiently. When your body moves more efficiently, you are less likely to get injured and you will perform regular activities and athletic activities at a higher level.
A balance exercise is an exercise that is done standing on 1 leg. Your center of gravity shifts when you stand on one leg, so your core muscles must work harder to stabilize your entire body over the standing leg. Running is a 1 legged exercise, so any sport or activity that involves running requires good balance.
Another hidden benefit of doing exercises while standing on one leg is ankle, knee and hip stability and strengthening. The small muscles around the foot and ankle really get challenged during balance exercises, and standing on one foot can strengthen the arch muscles. In addition, the small hip stabilizer muscles are strengthened when you stand on one leg, and strong hip stabilizers help to control and protect the knee from excessive stress.
When you have injuries to your legs, your coordination and balance on the injured side generally diminishes unless you work on restoring it. If you have twisted your ankle in the past, chances are that your balance on the side you injured is worse than the side that was never injured. The same holds true for knee and hip injuries. Generally speaking when you have a leg injury, you avoid putting pressure on the injured side, and this leads to decreased coordination, decreased strength, and decreased balance. It is important to practice balance exercises if you have had leg injuries in the past.
Some simple balance exercises include, just standing on 1 leg for 30-60 seconds. In addition, you can stand on one leg while moving your opposite leg to constantly change your center of gravity. 1 leg squats and 1 leg hip hinges are also good balancing exercises.
Once you’ve mastered standing on 1 leg and basic exercises such as the 1 legged squat, you can further challenge your balance by using a wobble board, core board, bosu ball, foam pad, or any other unstable surface. Begin by just practicing standing on an unstable surface with 1 leg, and then progress to doing other exercises while standing on some type of core exercise equipment. If you want to have a complete core training routine, include balance exercises into your workout.
By: Charles A. Inniss, Jr. DPT
About the Author:
Charles A. Inniss, Jr. has a Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy and is a Certified Personal Trainer. He is dedicated to helping people to live healthier happier lives.
Visit his website for Free Pictures of 100 Ab Exercises and Free Ab Workouts
