Core Stability Exercises For More Power
Posted on Oct 12, 2009 under Lifetime Fitness | No CommentYour core is your body’s ‘powerhouse;’ your ‘engine room’ driving dynamic movements like running, kicking, punching, etc. To develop your core it is necessary to firstly to establish your static stability and you can achieve this through core stability exercises.
There are three areas that make up your core, posterior, anterior and lateral and each area consists of several both deep and superficial muscles. Often the core is thought to be the six-pack alone but, that is just one muscle among many that contribute to it.
So, what is a stable core? Just think, if you wanted to jump high into the air, what would be the best ground to take off from? Would it be concrete or deep sand? Obviously, you would achieve greater height from a concrete platform than you would from deep sand because it has greater stability. So, having a stable core is having a solid base to work off.
So, before practicing dynamic core exercises, it is essential to erect a stable launch base to work off.
What are the best core stability exercises to help develop your core stability base? My favourite is Swiss ball exercises. The Swiss ball has an unstable surface that literally makes your muscles work to compensate for this and maintain a table base. Therefore, those deep muscles unused when exercising on a firm base are forced into activity along with your superficial ones.
The following Swiss ball exercises are good for training the muscles of your posterior, anterior and lateral areas to form a stable base:
1. Lie on your back, spread your arms in a ‘T’ formation with palms upward, and position your feet on of the ball. By pushing your heels downwards and lifting your hips up, attempt to pull your feet towards your butt. Slowly build up to about twenty repetitions.
2. Hold your body straight in a bridge position with your forearms placed on top of the Swiss ball. Build up slowly to holding this position for ninety seconds.
3. Lie on your side with the Swiss ball under your hip. Next, position your feet flat against a wall with your top leg back and your bottom leg forward. Hold your body in a straight bridge position. Now, repeat the exercise on your other side. Slowly build up to ninety seconds on each side.
By practicing core stability exercises you will develop a stable core base as a launch pad for more dynamic activities.