The best core work out

One of the first things physical therapy will allow you to do when you are injured are core exercises. Strong core muscles help reduce load on your lower back and transfer force from your lower body to your upper body and vicea versa. Overall having strong and stable core muscles helps prevent injury and allows you to perform your best. Here are some simple but effective exercises to engage and strengthen your core.

First, lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.

Arch your back and then tuck your pelvis repeat this motion a couple of times before you settle into a neutral pelvis position (somewhere between the full arch back and tucked in pelvis).

Feet together and let one knee fall towards the ground. Keep the pelvis from moving and think belly button to your spine.  Alternate legs. 10 times, right and left equal 1 set.

Then march your legs up, up, down, down. Don't let your pelvis move and again think belly button to spine. 10 times right and left equal 1 set.

 

Next, raise both legs to a table top position and tap one foot to the ground one at a time. Don't let your pelvis leave that neutral position and keep your belly button sinking down to the floor. 15 times, right and left, equal 1 set.

Last, raise your legs to table top position and then drop one leg to the ground and extend it out and then return to table top position. Alternate legs. 10 times, right and left equal 1 set.

The exercises progressively get harder. The first two are to help you find your deep abdominals and turn them on. The second two are harder to help strengthen the muscles you have just found. The reps are suggestions. You should do as many as you can while still stabilizing the pelvis and engaging the lower abdominals. If at any point in these exercises your belly puffs out or your pelvis moves, stop and readjust to the correct position. This may mean that you can only do a few at first but the more often you do the exercises the stronger you will become. Happy exercising!!