This is part 3 of a 4 part series on the benefits of improving your core stability, and how you can improve yours.

If you have been following the exercises from core stability part 1 and core stability part 2, you would notice that these aren’t particularly difficult exercises, but they require intense concentration. Part 1 and 2, is about training the body to recruit the right muscles to stabilise the core, so now that we fully understand which muscles we should be using, it’s time to challenge them!

Single leg lift: Both legs off the floor

Start lying on your back with both feet off the floor and knees bent. In your last exercise you were slowly lowering one foot down to the floor whilst keeping your leg bent. This time, it’s the same activity but with the lowering leg now out straight. Remember the aim is to maintain spinal neutral at all times. Your back must not arch, nor should your rectus abdominis (six pack muscles) fire up and make your stomach poke out. Using the piece of string tied around your waist will help you recognise when these pesky six pack muscles have kicked in.

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Tagged As: core stability, core strength, crunch

This is part 2 of a 4 part series on the benefits of improving your core stability, and how you can improve yours.

Ok, so you’ve mastered Part 1, diaphragmatic breathing and you’re ready to progress to the next stage. This stage is all about maintaining spinal neutral while we move. To see how good you are at using your core muscles, try this test. You will need a piece of string tied around your waist. Tie this string along the line of your belly button. Have the tension so when you are relaxed, it gently digs into your belly, but when you draw your belly button in, it becomes loose. If you forced your tummy out, it would get really tight.

Lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. There should be just enough arch so you can slide your hand under your lower back, but no more. This is spinal neutral. You should feel relaxed here.

Draw your belly button into your spine and gently apply pressure onto your hand. The string around your waist should remain loose. If it gets tight, you have recruited your six pack muscles, rectus abdominus. This is a no-no. Stop, relax and try again. The muscles you are wanting to recruit are located like a corset around your abdomen, the transverse abdominal (tva). You may be able to feel a ridge and inch either side of your belly button.

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Tagged As: Adipose tissue, core strength, fitness, Health, Human abdomen, Navel, Physical exercise, Rectus abdominis muscle, Weight loss

This is part 1 of a 4 part series on the benefits of improving your core stability, and how you can improve yours.

Do you suffer from back pain? 80% of people suffer from chronic neck or back pain at some point in their lives, with the majority being posture related and preventable. You’ve probably seen people doing absurd things on giant balls, or performing what looks like a DUI test police would conduct. If you ask what on earth they are doing, they answer simply… ‘oh it’s my core stability program.’ Does this core stability stuff work, or could it be putting our body at risk?

The answer: Core stability exercises are one of the best ways to strengthen and retrain the body’s postural muscles to work effectively. They are excellent when you progress at the right speed, and bad for you if performed incorrectly. There is a fine line between these exercises helping or hurting your back. There are about 5 stages, and the key is to progress only when you have mastered one stage, no matter how long it takes to learn.

Stage #1: Diaphragmatic Breathing Test

This is the hardest stage to master! Whilst you are reading this begin to observe your breathing style. Don’t change anything, just observe. Place one hand on your sternum, in the middle of your chest. Place the other hand over your belly button. Now look down (or go stand in front of the mirror) and observe which hand moves more when you breathe in, top or bottom hand?

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Tagged As: back pain, Breathing, core stability, core strength, Diaphragmatic breathing, Navel, Physical exercise