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Core Exercises
All movement begins at the core and emanates outward.  People often think that the extremities perform most tasks and the core is simply along for the ride.  In truth, the extremities rely on the core for stabilization and force production.  You can think of your core as the necessary platform from which all other movements rely upon.

The exercises below are fundamental in building a strong, stable mid-section.

Prayer to Horse Saddle

a. This exercises is designed to help coordinate the movement of the hips with the lower back. It also helps to decrease viscosity in the spine and prepare the body for weight bearing motion.
b. From an “all fours” position sit your butt back onto your heels while reaching your hands forward and pressing your chest to the floor
c. Begin to rock forward, shifting your weight from the lower body to the arms
d. Let your spine extend toward the ground while you push your tailbone and chest up towards the ceiling.

Bird Dog

a. In almost no other exercises is more ground covered than this one. We this not only to challenge the spinal erectors and abdominals, but also to teach neutral spinal alignment and disassociation between the limbs and the spine.
b. Assume and “all fours” position with your hands under your shoulders and knees under hips.
c. Extend one arm forward and the opposite leg back without letting your spine change position or shape.

Front Plank

a.  Great isometric exercise to begin linking the upper and lower body together through the abdominals and back.
b.  Assume a push-up position on the floor, but use your forearms for support instead of your hands
c.  Create tension in your body by contracting your abdominals, quadriceps and glutes while holding neutral spinal alignment

Side Plank

a.  Another important isometric exercise that challenges the obliques, external hip and lower back muscles to link and support the upper and lower body
b.  Start laying on your side with your weight on one forearm
c.   Raise your body off the ground with your top foot position slightly forward and your bottom foot positioned slightly back
d.   Hold your body in a neutrally aligned position

Incline Push Up Starting Position

Incline Push Up

Walkouts - I like this exercise because it challenges the anterior/posterior core stabilizers, and the movement of the extremities adds a rotary stability component.

From standing bring both hands to the ground.  Begin to walk the hands out towards the top of a push-up.  Hold the position for 3-5 seconds holding a neutral posture before walking the hands back towards to the feet.  Repeat 5-7 reps.  Bring the hands further in front of the body for more of a challenge.

Walk Out Position One

Walk Out Position Two

Walk Out Position Three

Eccentric Push-ups - The inclusion of eccentric exercises into strength programs has long been a favorite of coaches and trainers to overload particular pattern.

Have a spotter hold a towel or heavy tubing around your hips while you assume a push-up position.  Lower your body to the ground for 3-5 seconds.  Once you arrive at the bottom of the movement, your spotter should help pull you back to the top.  Repeat for 6-8 reps.

Eccentric Push Up Starting Position

Eccentric Push Up

Rotary Stability Corrections
Bilateral Ball Roll - This is the absolute basic in creating low level reflex stability and core recruitment.  I credit this simple exercise with helping me to teach clients abdominal activation than any other technique I’ve every used.

Lay supine on the ground with a small Swiss ball resting on your stomach.  Bring both elbows and knees to either side of the ball and squeeze to activate the abdominals.  Keeping the hips and shoulders aligned, roll onto your side while maintaining the same position throughout.  Look your head back, and roll from the side-lying position to back to supine.  Try this for 8-10 reps.

Bilateral Ball Roll

Bilateral Ball Roll

Cross-body Ball Roll - Great exercise to help stabilize the hips for single-leg exercises like bird-dogs, lunges, or running.

Assume the same basic position as the previous exercise, except this time bring only the right elbow and left knee to the ball.  Extend the left arm to an overhead position, and the right leg straight.  Perform a roll maneuver as described in the previous exercise.  Give it a solid 8-10 reps.

Cross-body Ball Roll

Cross-body Ball Roll Position Two

Single Leg Bridge Corrections
Kneeling Psoas Stretch w/stick - When done correctly this “stretch” should produce an intense glute and abdominal contraction.

Kneel on your right knee, with the left foot positioned forward.  Grab a dowel or foam roller and hold it in front of your with one end resting on the ground.  Push down on the dowel to activate your abdominals, push your hips forward squeezing through the glute to stretch the down hip.  Hold for 3-5 seconds. Repeat for 6-10 reps.

Kneeling Psoas Stretch w/stick Position One

Kneeling Psoas Stretch w/stick Position Two

Glute Bridge w/knee extension - I find this to be a great exercise to introduce hip extension into a walking/marching pattern and starting point for single leg work.

From a supine position, bend both legs while keeping your feet on the floor.  Contract your glutes to raise your hips to the ceiling.  Make sure to keep the pelvis level and begin to extend one knee at time in a marching pattern.  Repeat for 12-20 reps before bringing the hips back to the ground.

Glute Bridge w/knee extension

The aim of any good exercise program should be first, to ensure proper movement quality in the athlete, and then to improve on movement quantity.  It only makes sense - how well you move should proceed how much you move.  Far too often this simple principle is overlooked in the strength and conditioning world.  Muscle imbalance, joint restriction, and compensation are the unfortunate offsprings of fitness programs and dysfunctional movement.

Over the next two posts we will examine how to build quality movement into your workout programs.  First, we take a look at how we learn to move during child development and what we can learn from it.  Second, we look at some basic tests that will help identify deficiencies in basic movement patterns and offer corrective strategies for improving them.

At first it may be difficult to understand the parallel between exercise and child development, but when it comes to developing strength, stability, and coordination we can learn a lot from a baby.  In the first 15-24 months of life we learn to roll, crawl, push ourselves off the ground, stand, walk  and stabilize in different positions.  Each developmental movement lays the foundations for more complex movements to occur.

Often times when babies are rushed through the stomach and dog crawling phases of development they don’t acquire the reflex stabilization necessary for proper movement.  These clients often present as adults with very poor balance, mobility, coordination, or repetitive injury.

Reflex stabilization occurs when the abdominal musculature and joint stabilizers contract at the initiation of movement.  The abdominals fire a split second before extremity motion to protect the spine, while specific stabilizing muscles hold the joint in a position of optimal rotation. When this process is disrupted the body must recruit other muscles to work both as prime movers and stabilizers.  This leads to faulty mechanics, decreased performance and increased potential for injury.

In order to fix the problem, you have to go back to the source.  Here are some basic tests of core strength and coordination that will help to test your fundamental movement skills.  You can perform the tests yourself with a mirror, but I recommend having a trained exercise or rehabilitation profession help you to determine the results.

Push-up Test
Assume a push up position lying on the floor.  Hands shoulder height, legs straight, neutral alignment of the spine.  Do a push-up from ground without any lag between the hips and chest.  Observe if there is any dipping of the hips and stomach, bending of the knees, or excessive movement of the spine.

Good Form

Bad Form

Rotary Stability Test
Start from the “all four” position with hands aligned under the shoulders, knees under the hips.  Lift the right arm forward and the left leg back.  Repeat on the other side, noting any asymmetries.

Rotary Stability Test

For the more advanced athlete; assume the same start position, but this time lift the right arm and the right leg simultaneously, while balancing with the opposite arm and leg.  Take note of symmetry.

Rotary Stability Test (Advanced)

Single Leg Bridge Test
Lay face up on the ground with the right leg bent so the foot is flat on the floor.  Hug the left knee into the chest.  Lift both hips off the ground using the right leg.  Note whether the knee, hip and shoulder come into alignment and any difference between the sides.

Single Leg Bridge Good Form

Single Leg Bridge Bad Form

In the next post we will cover corrective strategies for each of the tests to help restore reflex stabilization and improve movement.