If you’ve been away for the weekend (and avoiding baby-related posts) then welcome back. Due to the popularity of the previous ‘abs of steel’ post, I thought I’d throw a few more your way today.
Roll up - This is a slo-mo version of the move you pull when you
wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat after THAT
naked-in-the-exam-you-haven’t-revised-for dream. Start by lying on your back,
with your arms overhead, tuck your chin in and peel your spine up off the mat,
bone by bone. Ground your heels down into the mat for support – you’re trying
not jerk up with momentum, but rise up slowly and with control. You want to end
sitting up, reaching towards your toes. Roll back down with control, one
vertebra at a time, back into the start position. Repeat 5 times. Video
tutorial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMg6xYMl8sU
Single leg
stretch - starting with an imprinted spine (i.e. lower back stabilised on the
mat), chin tucked in and knees at table top (up at right angles), bring your
head and shoulders off the mat, and reach your arms forward. Take a moment to
check that you’re pulling in with your belly button to make sure you’re flat
through the abs. Now extend each leg away from you in turn. Exhale as you shoot
the leg away, pointing the toe, straightening the leg. The other knee comes in
towards you, and your hands come to this knee. The closer you bring the bent
knee to your chest, the easier the exercise is. Inhale as your knees pass each other. Repeat
10 times on each side, slowly and with control. Bring one hand behind your head
if you feel strain in your neck. Video tutorial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5KKgeRoG74
Obliques - this is a modified version of single leg stretch, and
your legs are still doing the same thing. This time, bring your fingertips to
your ears and rotate your armpit towards the opposite hip, keeping your
shoulder blade up off the mat. Stay flat through the abs and concentrate on the
twisting of the torso, rather than elbow and knee touching. Repeat 10 times on
each side. Video tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4p0B3oRynQ
Scissors – again, lying on your back, chin tucked in, pelvis
imprinted, bring your head and shoulders off the mat. Legs come to table top,
then straighten to ceiling. Drop one leg down to the floor and draw the other
towards you, pulling on your calf or ankles with your hands and exhaling as you
do so. Inhale as your knees pass each other when you switch legs. Your belly
button should stay pulled in towards spine, and your eyeline should be towards
your knees. Toes stay be pointed, legs are actively reaching away, and you should be drawing up
on your kneecaps to engage the quads. This can also be done with slightly bent knees if you have tight hamstrings. Repeat
10 times on each side. Video tutorial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKBn835xVhk
Double leg stretch – this is a great exercise to test your
coordination as well as your strength, and also gets some good rotational
movement going through your shoulders. Start with your legs in tabletop, with
an imprinted spine. Tuck your chin down and lift your head and shoulders off
the mat. Exhale as you straighten your legs out together (only as low as you can keep your lower back in contact with the mat), and extend your arms
over your head (only as far back as you can keep your head and shoulders up off
the mat). Inhale to sweep your arms out the side and bring them back to your
shins, as you bring your knees back to the starting position. Repeat 8 times.
Video tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLbV00EkL64
That should be plenty for a sunny bank holiday, enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment