Monthly Tip - Core Strengthening

Core strengthening continues to be discussed and important in transitioning from one sport to another. Your core includes the abdominal layers and spine musculature. Core strength is essential for efficient and effective total body motion. The core works to allow the shoulder girdle and the hips to be powerful; to throw harder, run or pedal with more power or stay on your line while skiing. 

If you imagine your trunk as a flexible cage, it is efficient when it can move three dimensionally or with triplanar motion. The shoulder girdle drops back as the opposite foot steps forward to diagonally stretch the abdominals and load the hip or gluteal musculature. This inherently activates or turns on the core muscles to work for you. Unless we train in a way that produces the reaction for strength and balance we end up "tweaking ourselves" at vulnerable times.

The Integrated Physical Therapy team can challenge you in Core Strengthening. A few basic core exercises can get you started. The progression ranges greatly and we think of new variations all the time. 

Perform repetitions for one minute and work up to two minutes.
 Insert ball overhead picture

1. backward reach 15 to 20 reps
2. Sideways reach 15 to 20 reps.

See dumbbell matrix
Dumbbell reach in each triplane motion

Standing on one foot makes it more challenging and adds more balance and gluteal muscle work.