Great Core Exercise - Chop & Lift

Today we're reviewing a core exercise called the Chop & Lift. If you've ever chopped wood, you'll understand why this is an effective exercise. If this bothers your shoulder or back, stop and get evaluated by a health professional (someone like me who can eval soft tissue and joint function). The most common errors in this exercise are arching the back during the "lift" and shrugging the shoulders during the same movement. You should feel this working the front ab muscles (rectus abdominus) and the back/shoulder muscles. You may also perform this exercise with a partner, with each person grabbing one side of a band. As one person does the "chop" motion, the other does the "lift" and visa versa. Have fun!

Comment with any questions or to request exercises for any specific body part.

Quad Stretching

The Quadriceps muscle is often overlooked, but is actually the most common tight muscle of the lower extremity. This muscle is often involved in hamstring pulls, as excessive tension (meaning shortness) of this structure will overly lengthen the hamstrings causing a strain. This week I'm demonstrating a stretch for the dual functions of the quad (knee extensor and hip flexor). Common errors are arching of the back and stretching too aggressively (which will ironically make you tighter).

Side Bridge - the very best core exercise

The side bridge is a challenging exercise that builds strength and tones while being very safe for the low back if performed correctly. Listen for how to avoid the common error of lifting the pelvis vertically during the exercise. You can do this exercise with repetitions (ie 3 sets of 10 with a 5 to 10 sec hold), or it can be performed for time. I usually recommend starting at 30 sec and working up to 60-90 sec per side. Once you can complete a hold for this time, straighten the knees and perform the same motion, except with the feet contacting the ground (top leg in front of the bottom leg). Enjoy and have fun! Don't forget to post comments/questions.

This exercise is part of a progression we might assign for back pain patients. If you or someone you know has back pain, please consider our clinic.

"Bird Dog" Crossed Extension Core Exercise

The Bird Dog (I don't get the name, either) is a great exercise for building core stability. Almost 100% of the people who perform this exercise in a gym or a class are doing it incorrectly. Listen close for the common errors I point out in the video. The goal of this exercise is to teach you to coordinate core muscle function with extremity movement, while building strength and endurance in one of your muscular "slings." This muscle sling forms an "X" between the lats and opposite glutes and help to stabilize your low back. This exercise is on my "must do" list for pregnant women.

Enjoy!

Unilateral Shoulder Press

A functional exercise is one that incorporates natural body motions and involves multiple challenges simultaneously (ie balance and strength, coordination and speed, etc). The unilateral shoulder press is an example of a functional exercise due to the fact that a natural sway motion is employed with the hips. This motion is beneficial for a variety of reasons. It teaches your body to work in a coordinated fashion and encourages proper muscle firing sequences. Also, it greatly decreases strain on the shoulder. In fact, I will often show this exercise to my patients who have previously suffered a shoulder injury and want an alternative to the standard push press. The goal of this exercise is to serve primarily as a Deltiod strengthening exercise.

Proper Squat Form

Poor squat form is one of the most common causes of back and knee injuries I'll see over the next month or two. In an effort to prevent some of these injuries, I've posted a video on proper squat form this week. You may use this in combination with the other 2 glute exercises shown to create a progression. For example, you may begin with the clam for 1-2 weeks, the progress to squats, then running man. Enjoy and happy exercising!

"The Clam" glute exercise

Welcome back! This week, we’ve posted an exercise with a similar intent as last week’s “Running Man.” Although this looks very easy, it’s deceptively hard when done correctly. The keys to this exercise being effective are: 1) Not letting the hips roll backward as you raise the leg (if you feel like you could do 100 of these with no problem, you’re probably doing this). 2.) Make sure you have only a slight angle at the knees. 3.) Don’t let the feet separate as you raise the leg. 4.) Do the entire movement slowly, with a 1 count while raising the knee and a 3 count as you bring the knees gently together (don’t let the knees “crash” together and keep the muscle tensed throughout the whole movement). Have fun!