All posts in the ‘Strengthening Exercises’ Category

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Squats on the Foam Roller

Posted on: February 4th, 2012
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This exercise is NOT appropriate for beginners. Balancing on the foam roller requires a serious amount of body awareness and core strength. It’s guaranteed to humble even the fittest of athletes. Not only does it work the core, but challenges the small stabilizing muscles of the legs and hips that often do not get the attention they deserve.

Stand on the foam roller with the feet hip distance apart. The arch of the foot should be resting on the apex of the roller. First, just try getting up and holding the balance for a few breaths. If you can hold that reasonably well, try adding the squat. Reaching the arms out in front helps to counter balance the weight of your hips going back. Make sure to stick your bottom out as you squat down so you’re your knees don’t come forward of the foam roller. Remember- this is a core exercise! Contract the abdominal muscles to stabilize the body. In particular, pay attention to the obliques and lower abdominals. See if you can get 10 squats without falling off.

Walking Plank on the Foam Roller

Posted on: August 30th, 2011
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Oh yes…this is really happening. Just when you thought planks couldn’t get any harder, we bring you the walking plank. And for a little added intensity, we’ve taken it to the foam roller. The result- Amazing!

The hardest part of a plank is finding the right position. The body has to be in a perfect diagonal line, meaning that the head and the pelvis should be in line with the spine. Common mistakes are to let the hips sag, or to have the bottom sticking up in the air.  Anyone can fake a plank. It’s really difficult to do a plank properly. However, if you’ve been doing the weekly exercises and practicing your plank, we think it’s time to take it to the next level!

Start with the palms in the middle of the foam roller and find your plank. The most important thing is to make sure the core is extremely active. If the core is not fully engaged, or the pelvis is the wrong position, you will feel strain in the wrists. Why work the wrists when you could be working the core? Pull in those lower abdominal muscles! Once you’ve found an honest plank, slowly walk the hands all the way to the left of the roller, then walk all the way over to the right. Try to keep the pelvis still and in neutral as you go back and forth. See if you can go 4 times to each side. As you get stronger, feel free to work your way up to 8 times per side.

Knee Injury Exercises   acl injury rehab exercises

Roll Up

Posted on: July 27th, 2011
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This exercise is a classic Pilates exercise. The focus is on using the core muscles to slowly articulate the vertebrae. The back should look round like the letter C throughout the entire exercise. The more you tuck the tailbone under and draw in the lower abs, the more work you will get out of the exercise.

Start sitting up tall on a mat. Feel the crown of the head reach up toward the ceiling and the spine lengthen. Take an exhale as you tuck the tailbone under and slowly roll your back down to the mat one vertebrae at a time. If you are properly rounding your back, the lower back will be the first thing to touch the mat. Inhale as you lay the head and shoulders all the way back, arms to the ceiling, keeping the abdominals engaged. As you exhale, drop the chin toward your chest, draw the abdominals in, and slowly roll back up to a seated position, one vertebrae at a time. (Remember to maintain that “C” curl on the way up.) The legs should stay down, firmly pressing into the mat. It should look smooth and precise. Try not to jerk your body forward in order to make it back up. If it does, you either have weak abs or tight hip-flexors. In that case, you could try the same exercise with bent knees and see if it makes it a little easier.

knee injury prevention exercises    acl injury prevention exercises

Scoop and Curl

Posted on: July 7th, 2011
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This is another Pilates exercise, although it’s a greatly modified version. For those of you that can master this one, we’ll reward you with the full version in the future (it will take months of practice to build the strength needed for the full variation). This is not an easy exercise to execute properly. It’s easy to use jerky movements to force your way to the top, however it’s extremely difficult to do with the fluidity, control and precision needed to build the core muscles.

Start sitting up with the knees bent hip-distance apart. Reach the left leg forward so the thighs and knees are about parallel. Sit up tall, feeling the spine lengthen and the shoulders drop down away from the ears. As you exhale, curl the tailbone underneath you and slowly round the back down onto the mat one vertebrae at a time. From the side your lower back should look like the letter C. If the back was properly rounded, your lower back will be the first thing to touch the mat on the way down. Keep your abdominals engaged as you lay the head and shoulders all the way back, taking a full inhale. As you exhale, re-curl the spine back into the letter C and try to slowly, one vertebrae at a time peel your back off the mat (no jerking or using momentum!). Try to keep the shoulders relaxed away from the ears and the abdominal muscles hallowed out. It should take a minimum of five seconds to roll either up or down. The slower you go, the more muscle you will use. See if you can complete 8 reps on each side without losing good form.

    

Pro tip: A common problem with abdominal work is that we often focus too much on making the stomach feel “hard,” rather than “scooped out.” If you don’t want bulging, protruding abdominal muscles, make sure not to let the stomach balloon out while you’re working.

Core Essentials

Posted on: July 5th, 2011
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Core

-noun

  • the central, innermost, or most essential part of anything.

The “core muscles” generally consist of the lower abs, pelvic floor, obliques, lats, glutes, and back extensors. These muscles form a protective wrap around the spine and internal organs. Indeed, these muscles are in fact “essential” to a healthy body.  True physical strength originates in the core and translates out into the limbs. Without core strength, your body is like a crash test dummy- flailing with the slightest input of pressure or force.  Because the spine carries all the nerves responsible for breathing, thinking, walking and basically every task carried out by the body, it makes sense that you would want to take care of the muscles that protect those functions.

We challenge you to try and incorporate these exercises into your regimen. If they are done diligently, we’re pretty sure you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel day to day, whether it’s playing sports or just getting around in general. Here’s to staying off the bench and in the game!

Thorassic Extension

Posted on: May 25th, 2011
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Now that we have properly stretched, strengthened and aligned the shoulders, we’re ready to go for the gusto…thorassic extension! This is one of the best exercises because it extends the area precisely where we like to slump over. (Think of it as the anti-hunch-back exercise.)

Lay on your stomach with the foam roller out in front of you. Line it up so that your arms are straight and the  forearms are resting on the roller just under the elbow. Begin by pulling the shoulders down the back. It should feel like you’re keeping your arms straight, but pulling the arm bones closer into the shoulders. Press the pubic bone into the mat to feel the lower back lengthen- it will protect your back from injury. Inhale to start extending from the crown of the head until you feel your chest lift off of the mat. Remember: it’s an extension, not an arch! Concentrate on feeling longer, rather than arching your back to gain height. Gently pull the ribs into the body to prevent the back from arching. The pelvis and legs should stay firmly pressed into the mat. As you exhale, keep the ribs pulled into the spine as you slowly return back to the start position. You shouldn’t feel this exercise in your lower back. If you do, try not to come up as high and pull the ribs in even deeper toward the spine. This should help to eliminate the probable arch in the back that is causing pain. You should feel it in the mid-back area below your shoulder blades and behind your ribs.

 

Scapula Stabilization

Posted on: May 4th, 2011
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May is the month of shoulder injury prevention and rehab! We’re going to begin with the most basic exercise- shoulder protraction/retraction. The rest of this month’s exercises will build off the understanding of this exercise. You have to understand these two movements in order to understand how to properly use your shoulder girdle. Most of us live in a constant state of shoulder protraction. All this really means is that the shoulders are elevated and internally rotated. This is can lead to injuries causing shoulder impingement, rotator cuff injuries, as well as over-developed trapezius muscles, tight pecs, lats, and neck. Severe shoulder protraction left unattended will eventually turn into what is commonly known as “the hunchback.” Who wants that!?

If you ever experience a shoulder injury, this is the first rehab exercise a physical therapist will give you. It prevents and rehabilitates almost any type of shoulder injury, and is great for overall maintenance of healthy shoulders.

Lay your spine lengthwise on a foam roller, making sure you’re centered. Reach your arms up to the ceiling, lining up your wrists over your shoulders. Keep the head relaxed down throughout the entire exercise. As you inhale, reach your arms up higher, letting your shoulders come away from the roller. (That’s shoulder protraction) As you exhale, keep your arms straight and shrug your shoulders back down, slightly wrapping the shoulders blades around the roller. (Shoulder retraction) Make sure not to over-squeeze the shoulder blades together or bring tension into the neck. The movement is smaller than you would think. Repeat 15-20 times.

 

Plank Twists

Posted on: April 28th, 2011
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This exercise will be the last in this month’s core series. (Next month we move onto injury prevention and rehab exercises for the shoulders.) All core exercises help prevent back and trunk injuries.This one is great for building overall core strength- it hits the front, back and sides of the core. Holding a plank is tough as it is, add a twist and you’ve got yourself a pretty kick ass exercise.

Plank Twist Postion 1    Plank Twist Postion 1

Start in a plank position. Squeeze the glutes and pull the lower abs in to tuck the tailbone toward the heels and create a neutral pelvis. Make sure the shoulders are pulled down away from the ears and your back muscles are engaged. Take an exhale and try to pull one knee to your opposite elbow. Inhale to take the leg back, alternating side to side. See if you can do 20 maintaining a neutral pelvis.

**Hint: This is a great exercise to throw in before or after a run. It will help stabilize the pelvis and engage the abs to protect your back from injury or strain.