All of these should feel like a good challenge but with no pain. Only hold for the suggested time if you can do so with no pain and with good form.
Ironman: - Lie on a mat on your belly with your arms beside you, hands by your hips. - Bring your shoulder blades in toward your spine and stretch your hands toward your feet - Tuck your chin toward your chest and lift your head off the mat just a little! - Hold for 10 seconds if you can. Keep this great form and then lower back to the mat. - Repeat 2 more times. Start by doing this exercise every other day. Tall Bear Crawls: - Start in an A frame position, like Downward Dog. Your knees can be bent and heels can be off the floor. Focus on keeping a straight line from your tailbone to your hands, sinking your chest toward your knees. - Pick up your right hand and move it forward about one hand distance. Then step forward with your left foot about one foot distance. Alternate hands and feet, walking forward like a weird bear. - Take 10 bear steps, come down to hands and knees, turn around and walk back. (You can also take just a couple of steps forward and then reverse the movement and go backward.)
Posterior Neck Strength: - From table top position (hands and knees with a neutral spine) let your head fall forward in a relaxed position
- Tuck your chin toward your chest and bring your head up to at least your shoulder level.
- Keeping your chin tucked, rotate to the right and hold for 10 seconds and then the left and hold for 10 seconds.
Hip Flexor Strength:
- Seated on the floor, with your back against a wall and legs stretched out straight in front of you.
- Put an object like a book on floor just to the outside of one knee.
- Pick up the leg and lift it over the object, slowly dropping the leg to the floor and then return to the start position going back over the object.
- Aim for 6-10 reps, rest and do another 2 sets. Do both legs.
- Increase reps up to 10 and then choose a taller object.
Glute Bridges:
- Lay on your back on a mat with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Tuck your tailbone forward/flatten your lower back onto the mat. (if this is difficult or doesn't feel right, ask me to be sure you are getting the right tilt to the pelvis!)
- Squeeze the glutes both sides and raise your hips off the floor as high as you can without arching through the back.
- Hold for a few seconds and be sure you feel the effort in the glutes and not the low back or hamstrings.
- Return slowly to the mat and repeat for 6-10 good reps. Do 3 sets.
- Once you feel strong here you can add weight on top of the pelvis
Slow Skater lunges:
- Stand with your feet about 2x hip distance apart, knees slightly bent.
- Slowly transfer your weight over the right foot, keeping the knee above the foot (don't let the knee flare out to the side)
- Slowly slide (or lift) the left foot to the right and place it just behind and to the outside of the right foot (like a speed skater)
- Return the left foot to the starting position and then do the same lunge to the left.
- 6-10 reps, 3 sets.
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