Four Exercises for Core Strength

Back pain treatment and prevention both require the development of a strong core. The core consists of muscles in the stomach, pelvis, buttocks and lower back. These muscles are meant to work together to support the upper body's weight and stabilize the spine. Unfortunately, many people today either have weak or imbalanced cores.

When the core is weak, posture suffers. Most often, stomach and gluteal (buttock) muscles are weak, whereas muscles in the lower back and hips are tight from compensating for the others. This creates strain throughout the body's core, pulling the pelvis out of alignment. Since the spine rises from the pelvis, any distortion of pelvic position will be reflected in the spine's alignment.

Some people who exercise don't realize the importance of a balanced core workout; they work on their outermost layer of abdominal muscles in pursuit of the famed 6-pack, all the while neglecting the muscles of the lower back. The tight, shortened abdominals can pull up on the pelvis and down on the muscles of the chest, creating a hunched posture since no counter-tension is offered by the slack lower back muscles.

Whether you're an athlete or an office worker, core strength is important. You need your core when you sit, stand and move. It is your center, the source of your movement and power. The following four exercises can easily be fit into a busy schedule.

The Crunch

The crunch is one of the best stomach exercises, and despite its popularity, many people still don't know how to perform them properly. With every exercise, proper form is essential to avoiding injury and building strength. Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK1eTLViYXI to see proper crunch technique. This exercise will strengthen the muscles in the abdomen, especially the rectus abdominus, the muscles of the 6-pack. If you are just beginning your exercise routine, start with 10 crunches 3 days a week and increase to two repetitions after a few weeks.

The Bridge

When performed correctly, the bridge strengthens the gluteal, pelvic, lower back and deep abdominal muscles. It is an important exercise for anyone who does crunches, because it balances them nicely. To do the bridge, lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor. With your deep abdominal muscles engaged, raise your buttocks until a straight line is formed from your head to your knees. Be sure not to bend your back on your way up. You should feel that muscles in your thighs and buttocks are activated during the bridge. Do as many bridges as you do crunches for balance.

The Back Extension

This back strengthening exercise focuses on the lower back muscles. It is performed by lying on the stomach and lifting both the feet and the head off the ground while keeping the pelvis anchored. See the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw9YuQTTc58 to view proper form during this exercise.

The Side Plank

This exercise requires all of the core muscles to stabilize the pelvis and hold the body up. Lying on your side, put the foot of the top leg in front of the other. Prop yourself up on your forearm. Engage your abdominal muscles by drawing them in and lift your body up off the floor, making a straight line from foot to head. Try holding this position for 30 seconds at first, and gradually increase your time.

Developing core strength is a great form of back pain management. That said, if you have severe or chronic back pain caused by a degenerated disc, sciatica, sacroiliac joint dysfunction or other condition, certain exercises could worsen your pain. Consult a physical therapist before embarking on an exercise routine if you have serious back problems. For many of us, back pain can be prevented and treated with an hour a week of conditioning the core muscles.

Education in back pain is the cheapest form of self preservation. Learn about what causes back pain and 4 other things that cause sciatic nerve pain.

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Want Lean Muscles? Go for Strength Training

Gaining weight is easy but shedding it and keeping your body well-toned requires hard work. Remember that a healthy diet and exercise will keep your body fit, flexible and strong. And the healthier you are, the happier you will be. You will be able to face the day to day challenges with much vigor and enthusiasm. Hence, go ahead and indulge in work outs that will help you to form lean muscles and a lithe body.

To develop lean muscles, you need to do strength training. It is a myth that strength training will lead to bulging muscles and more fats. With strength training, you burn fats and strengthen and develop lean muscles. You do not put on bulk. Women especially, think that strength training is only for men as it forms bulky muscles. This is not true. In fact, women are greatly benefitted by strength training as it tones up their body and helps them to lose fats fast.

Strength training is not restricted to any particular part of the body. Your entire body, the upper, lower and core undergoes change with strength training. Your upper body comprises of arms, shoulders, neck, upper back and chest. They can be strengthened by Chest press, pushups, dumb bell shoulder press, bicep curl, lat pull down, triceps kick back and dumb bell side exercise. As you do these exercises you will feel the muscles being stretched and pulled. Ensure that you give these muscles at least two days rest before exercising them again. Muscles need time to repair the wear and tear during strength training.

The core part of the body comprises of your stomach, hips, groin and your lower back. Core exercises are done to improve and strengthen your balance. In fact, if your balance, which is concentrated on the middle section of your body, is good you can do any exercise with ease. Hence, strengthen your core with crunches, reverse crunch and bird dog.

Your lower body needs special attention as it carries your entire body. The normal tendency of people is to concentrate on their upper body. But remember that it is your legs that carry your weight. They burn more fats and give you stamina. So, while you are doing aerobic exercise your legs will support your better if you have strengthened your leg muscles. The lower body consists of your calves, hamstrings, tibialis and quads. You can strengthen them by wall squats, forward lunges, leg press, leg raises, ball squats and calf extension.

Hence, remember that strength training will help you to burn unwanted fats in the body and build lean muscles. You will look lean and strong by doing these exercises diligently. But do not attempt them on your own. Take the guidance of a personal trainer. Invest some time to search the best personal trainer and do all the exercises under his guidance. A good personal trainer will make a schedule for you after understanding your requirement. He will totally guide you and will be there at every step encouraging you to achieve your goals.

If you would like to book a session with a Personal Trainer Inner West or would like a free trial, visit Personal Trainers Sydney.

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Strength Training Tips

Strength training is an important part of any workout routine. It is a type of exercise which helps strengthen the muscle mass of the body. As you age, the muscle strength and bone density in the body tends to weaken resulting in accidents and injuries which can hamper your day to day activities. Stronger muscles improve the metabolism of the body, help reduce the pressure on the heart and keep blood sugar levels in control. Some simple strength training tips are listed below.

Start off gradually

If you are new to this form of exercise, begin with lighter weights and fewer repetitions, gradually increasing them. Muscle strength is achieved when your muscles get tired momentarily and you cannot continue any further. You will begin to feel this momentary muscle fatigue at the end of a single set of eight to twelve repetitions. Make sure that you rest your muscles for at least two to three minutes before moving on to the next set. Muscles need time to repair, hence do not load your workout schedule with too many strength training exercises else it may lead to injury.

Plan a mix of exercises

Although dumbbells are a convenient and inexpensive form of strength training, you will achieve better results and avoid boredom as well by mixing up your exercises. If you have access to a gym, try out equipments like exercise balls and resistance bands or any other strength training machines that are available. You can sign up for Pilates classes or yoga classes as well to give you that much needed variety and fun in your exercise routine.

Practice proper form

Whatever type of exercise you follow, if your form or posture is not correct, you will not be able to achieve the desired results. It will also add to the risk of injury. Hence it is essential that you learn the correct way to do an exercise. If you are finding it difficult to understand the ideal posture for the exercise, it may be a good idea to fix up a few strength training sessions with a personal trainer. A personal trainer will guide you and monitor the posture of your exercise thereby avoiding injury and help increase the effectiveness of the exercise.
Include whole body exercises

It may seem logical to target your problem areas, however concentrating only on a particular muscle group can lead to muscular imbalance in the body and increase the risk of injury. Moreover, muscles all over the body need to be toned and strengthened for maximum benefits. Concentrate on different muscle groups after every session; for example, you can work on your butt and thigh muscles during one session and move on to your upper body muscles during the next session. Alternatively, you can practice whole body exercises during each session.

Before and after

For maximum benefits and minimum injury, it is essential to warm up before any exercise regime. A simple five minute sprint or spot jogging that will bring up your heart rate is a must. Similarly, stretching your muscles after any workout will contract your muscles and help you feel relaxed.

Kya Cassiuss Victoria is a Sydney personal fitness trainer. If you'd like to book for a free consultation with an expert Personal Trainer Domain, simply visit Sydney Bootcamp.

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