Fast Fitness - Even More Core With No Forward Bending
Friday, March 13, 2009
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
Fast Fitness - High Core Strength For The New Year showed holding a plank (pushup) position with one leg straight out to the side. Now that you can do that, add more:
- Hold a straight pushup position. Keep elbows slightly bent, not locked.
- Hold one leg straight out to the side, as if over a bicycle. Point knee and foot to front.
- Lift the opposite arm straight out to the other side. Smile. Breathe. Hold as long as you can. Switch sides and repeat.
Don't let your lower spine, leg, or neck droop under your weight. Hold straight.- Throw a Stronger Punch (or Push a Car or Stroller) Using This Back Pain Reduction Technique
- Prevent Back Surgery
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Questions come in by the hundreds. I make posts from fun ones. Before asking questions, see if your answers are already here by clicking labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and The Fitness Fixer Index. Read inspiring success stories of these methods and send your own. For answers to personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions.
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See Dr. Bookspan's Books. For personal evaluation take a Class. For top students, certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy.
Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail" (under trumpet) upper right.
See Dr. Bookspan's Books. For personal evaluation take a Class. For top students, certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy.
Labels: abdominal muscles, arm, endurance, fast fitness, hip stretch, leg strength, leg stretch, strength
8 Comments:
At Friday, March 13, 2009 5:13:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
I am a 65 yr old woman and have no strength in my upper body; I cannot push myself up even by 1 inch but just lie floundering on the floor! How do I start rectifying this to be able to do even a straightforward push up?
At Friday, March 13, 2009 1:51:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Jilly, good that you are thinking and writing about trying things. How to get better? Just like anything else, Try. Practice. The body responds. Just do, and you improve. Money should be that easy.
Instead of lying on the floor, try to just hold a push-up position. Arms almost straight, body straight. Just hold. Rest. Try again.
Most important is how you live during daily life. Daily life is supposed to be your health - It can be a built-in all day strengthener. That is the difference between "doing exercise" and going back to weak unhealthy life, and real healthy living. That is what Fitness Fixer is for.
Start with What is "Fitness as a Lifestyle?"
Get the ideas with Fitness and Health as a Lifestyle for Thanksgiving and Bending Right is Fitness as a Lifestyle.
Then see how it all fits together in Household Fitness in the New Year.
Jilly, you are still young. Have a real life and enjoy the quick gains. Proceed safely, of course, and have fun. Keep us posted.
At Saturday, March 21, 2009 8:41:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
Jolie, Thank you so much for your full reply. I have started practising, all the time. My physiotherapist has diagnosed my left hip and leg pain (worst when I get up from sitting and also stair climbing) as hip bursitis and tight ITB. Are there any particular stretches for this? Thank you again so much for all your wonderful and generous information.
At Monday, March 23, 2009 2:55:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Jilly, good work getting started. Let me know what stretches your physiotherapist has already given you.
It is key to know what made the bursitis start in the first place. If it is a tight ilitibial band rubbing and snapping over the bursa, for example, then an iliotibial stretch will stop the source while other stretches are not as specific. If it is from sleeping on your side on a hard surface and squashing the bursa, then an expensive soft pad will stop the source of the problem and stretches will not. Make sure not to just "do" exercises or stretches then go back to the source of the pain. Other things to look at are gait, how you distribute weight over your lower body when walking and taking stairs. If you are doing exercises that emphasize tightening and bending the front of the hip forward such as leg lifts, pilates, and many conventional core exercises, and you then stand and walk with a tightened front hip that does not straighten fully at the crease of the leg when standing and walking, much pain is common from that. Check What is Neutral Spine and Why Does Sticking Out In Back Harm?.
For stairs try Better Exercise on the Stairs, and Down the Stairs.
Under this post that you replied to, click the label "hip stretch" to see the variety of hip stretches and their applications. Stay inspired.
At Monday, March 23, 2009 3:06:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
TYPO alert - Jilly, that should have read "an INexpensive soft pad"
(Never a need for expensive things for something so simple)
At Monday, September 21, 2009 2:54:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
To Chris, your e-mail arrived about this post, glad that Fitness Fixer helped you mend such terrible injuries. Don't worry - first, this move does not require much flexibility - no more than 90 degrees lift to the leg. For your question about your stretching by standing bent over, putting palms on the floor, it may contribute to your pain, see Sitting Badly Isn't Magically Healthy by Calling It a Hamstring Stretch.
At Wednesday, October 14, 2009 2:17:00 PM,
MICHAEL said…
Dr. Bookspan I believe that tightness in my hips (especially the left) is contributing to lower back pain that I have in the vacinity of the si joint which has severly limited my running. I have been doing a lot of the exercises you recommend such as hand stands(60 seconds) lunges 5 X 10 reps each side. Side Planks ( 1 min each side. Push up position raising 1 leg in plank position (30 sec each leg. Can you offer advice how much of this i s/b doing daily plus any other recommended exercises. I have been following you advice on proper bending and maintaining neutral spine when walking/standing.
At Thursday, October 15, 2009 11:31:00 AM,
MICHAEL said…
Dr Bookspan just an additional comment: when i do side plank with left side closest to floor and I attempt to raise the upper leg while holding the plank position i feel it in the si joint area. Should I refrain from attempting to raise the leg. This maneuver does not bother me when doing this exercise for the reverse side nor does the other side bother me when i don't attempt to raise the upper leg.
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