The core muscles are located around the abdominal region, back, pelvic floor and hips. These muscles are responsible for balance, posture, trunk stability and are the foundation for movement. If they are weak, other muscles have to compensate, which is where poor posture and back pain come in. Core stability isn’t about having a six-pack. Your six-pack muscle (the Rectus Abdominis) is a superficial muscle and, although it does form part of the core, we are more concerned with strengthening the smaller, deeper muscles for maximum stability. So, now you know where the muscles are, we can work on identifying them in your own body in order to effectively strengthen them. Below are four core strengthening exercises. During each exercise, you need to employ these muscles and maintain the contraction throughout. If you’ve done Pilates before, you may have heard this referred to as ‘zipping and hollowing’ or ‘pulling in’. Once you’ve mastered this technique, apply it to everyday life.
Contract your core when lifting, running, even getting out of bed to keep your spine protected. Here’s how to do it… Lie face up on the floor with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Locate the top of your pelvis and walk your fingers diagonally down to the front by about 5cm. Keep your fingers there, now cough. As you cough you’ll feel a contraction in the muscles under your finger. This is your core ‘firing up’. This is the contraction you want to establish and maintain throughout the exercises so practice doing this by coughing again and trying to hold the contraction for at least 30 seconds. If you find you’re holding your breath, try counting out loud. It does take a bit of practice to get the hang of this but once you’ve got it you’ll have no problem holding the contraction while exercising and breathing at the same time! So, to the exercises… Roll down This will mobilise your spine and provide a good stretch down your back. Stand with your feet hip width apart and your knees slightly bent.
With your core contracted, put your chin on your chest and slowly roll down through your spine. Keep your knees slightly bent. Think about articulating one vertebrae at a time, feeling the stretch down your back until you’re bent over with your neck relaxed and your arms hanging down, like a rag doll. Then roll back up, stacking one vertebrae on top of the other. Bring your head up at the very end to finish the exercise. Leg raises part one Lie face up with knees bent and feet flat on the floor hip distance apart. Contract your core and raise one leg off the floor until the knee is above your hip-joint, keeping your knee bent. Be careful not to lose the natural curve of your spine. If your back starts to ache, chances are your back is arching and your pelvis is tilting away from you. Avoid this by holding the contraction thigh and tilting your pelvis towards you by pushing your spine toward the floor. Note I said pushing ‘towards’ the floor, not ‘into’ the floor. You don’t want to lose the natural curve by pushing the spine into the floor.
Leg raises part two In the same starting position as the previous exercise, contract your core and raise one leg then straighten it out in front of you, keeping a bend in the knee. Raise as high as you can without losing the natural curve in your spine, then, making sure you’re still holding in your core, press your low back into the floor and tilt your pelvis in towards you. This time you want to lose the curve. Hold, then return to your starting position and repeat the other side. Front support hold Often referred to as ‘the plank’ this is a great one for your core. On your front, with your core contracted, prop yourself up on your elbows and raise onto your toes so your entire body is off the floor (apart from your elbows and toes, obviously - if you learn how to do it otherwise, please let me know). You’re aiming for a ‘dish’ position, so rather than having your back dead straight, you want to tilt your pelvis forwards to achieve a slight upward curve, like a bridge. This takes pressure off your back and works the core harder.
for illustrations and further guidance. If you can spare five minutes each day to do these four exercises, you’ll be giving yourself a good start to achieving core stability and reducing back pain. * Studies show that the common factor in most cases of back pain is weakness of the lumbar muscles. Core Strength spinal rehabilitation programmes effectively isolate and strengthen these muscles to aid mobility, restore function and reduce pain. Throughout the month of June, Core Strength will be doing diagnostic spinal rehab consultations at half price. Book before 20th May for 50 per cent off a diagnostic strength test and consultation. Call 0117 9299555 or go to www.corestrengthstudios.co.ukHave you ever tried to blow up a balloon while someone was sitting on it? Obviously, this would not be an easy task. If you sit down and lean over, stretching your hands toward the floor in front of your feet, your breathing is far more difficult, because the two balloons in your chest—your lungs—cannot be filled as easily with air.
What does this extreme example tell us? Quite simply, the more restrictions you place on your breathing, the harder it becomes. Leaning over squeezes your lungs, making them smaller, and decreasing your breathing volume. Shallow breathing means less oxygen into your system. Less oxygen means less energy. A 2006 report by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation showed some striking results based on posture. Using 70 able-bodied participants in wheelchairs, the study found that bad posture does indeed affect breathing and lung capacity. They tested slumped seating, normal seating, standing and a special posture that imitates standing spinal alignment (WO-BPS). This special posture involves tilting the bottom of a seat with lumbar support—with the spine “against the back part of the seat without ischial [sitting bone] support.” They found that slumping produced the worst lung capacity and expiratory flow (LC-EF). Normal sitting was better. WO-BPS was even better—in some cases as good as standing posture in both lung capacity and flow.
Slumping in a chair produces bad results, but so can slouching or rounding your shoulders while standing. Sitting or standing straight for a few minutes after slouching most of your life is not good enough. Your muscles, tendons and ligaments become trained by constant slouching. You need to train them with an entirely new habit. You need to create a new “upright” lifestyle. Tips to help maintain good postureSleep on a good bed. Too soft a mattress can be bad for your back. You want the mattress to support your spine so that it’s not misshapen by poor support.If you have excess weight, particularly across the abdomen, your body has to work harder to stay upright. A big belly weakens the stomach muscles, pulls the back muscles and makes them work extra hard to keep you erect. Left too long, this can result in back pain and even agonizing spasms. Leg lifts while laying on your back can help strengthen your stomach muscles and give your back a break.This not only helps to keep the weight down, but it tones your muscles and helps to keep you flexible so that correct posture is easier.