Core Training

Warm-up Cat-Camel

• Position yourself on hands and knees with hands directly below shoulders and knees directly below hips.
  
• Maintain normal breathing throughout the exercise.
  
• Cat: Inhale and contract your abdominal muscles.  Round your spine toward the ceiling while tucking in your chin to your chest. (Bottom illustration).
  
• Camel: Exhale while arching your lower back drawing your chest and head upwards and dropping your stomach to the ground. (Top illustration)
  
• Repeat 10 times.
  

Curl-up

• Have patient on lie down on their back, one leg flat on the ground and the other flexed.
• One hand is placed under the small of the back and the other is placed on the stomach.
• Brace and breathe.
• Patient tries to approximate lower rib cage to pubic bone.  Shoulders should elevate approximately one inch above the ground.
• Ensure the motion is not lead with the head.  Maintain neutral neck position so there is no flexion about the neck.
• Elevate slowly and hold contraction for about three seconds and then lower slowly.  Never lose abdominal stabilization throughout the set.  Ensure maximal abdominal contraction.  Repeat 10x, 2 sets.

Side Bridge - Knees

• Starting side lying with elbow and hips on the ground
• Raise buttocks off the ground and hold body in suspended position.
• Ensure there is a straight line between your knees, hips and shoulders. 
• Keep the body as straight as possible.
• If shoulder pain is experienced the upside arm can support the weight bearing arm.
• Maintain neutral spine, brace and breath. 
• Hold until fatigue.

Side Bridge - Feet

• Starting side lying with elbow and hips on the ground
• Raise buttocks off the ground and hold body in suspended position.
• Ensure there is a straight line between your feet, knees, hips and shoulders. 
• Keep the body as straight as possible.
• If shoulder pain is experienced the upside arm can support the weight bearing arm.
• Maintain neutral spine, brace and breath. 
• Hold until fatigue.

Bird Dog

• Kneel on the floor and place your hands in front of you, shoulder width apart in quadruped position. 
  
• Ensure that hips are over the knees and shoulders are over the hands.
• Brace and breathe.
• Initially practice lifting one hand and the opposite knee off the floor by about an inch to gain confidence and balance.
• When ready, slowly lift one arm straight ahead of the body keeping arm parallel to the floor, while at the same time lifting the opposite leg straight back to a level also parallel to the floor.
• Squeeze the gluts while bringing the leg back.
• Hold for 5-8 seconds at this top position then slowly lower both the arm and opposite leg.
• Now repeat with the opposite arm and leg.
• Ensure pelvis and shoulders do not rotate throughout exercise.  Also try not to lift the arms or legs above parallel to the floor. 
• 2 sets, 10 repetitions.