CORE STRETCHES

Muscle Group: Abdominals

Equipment: None!

Guide:

1. To begin, lie down on the floor or an exercise mat with your back pressed against the floor. Your arms should be lying across your sides with the palms facing down.
2. Your legs should be touching each other. Slowly elevate your legs up in the air until they are almost perpendicular to the floor with a slight bend at the knees. Your feet should be parallel to the floor.
3. Move your arms so that they are fully extended at a 45 degree angle from the floor. This is the starting position.
4. While keeping your lower back pressed against the floor, slowly lift your torso and use your hands to try and touch your toes. Remember to exhale while perform this part of the exercise.
5. Slowly begin to lower your torso and arms back down to the starting position while inhaling. Remember to keep your arms straight out pointing towards your toes.
6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Equipment: Exercise Ball

Guide: 

1. Stand upright holding an exercise ball with both hands. Extend your arms so the ball is straight out in front of you. This will be your starting position.
2. Rotate your torso to one side, keeping your eyes on the ball as you move. Now, rotate back to the opposite direction. Repeat for 10-20 repetitions.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Main Muscle Worked: Abdominals

Equipment: None!

Guide: 

1. Lie on your stomach with your arms out to your sides. This will be your starting position.
2. Using your lower back muscles, extend your spine lifting your chest off of the ground. Do not use your arms to push yourself up. Keep your head up during the movement. Repeat for 10-20 repetitions.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Main Muscle Worked: Abdominals

Equipment: None!

Guide: 

1. Standing straight up, lace your fingers together and open your palms to the ceiling. Keep your shoulders down as you extend your arms up.
2. To create a full torso stretch, pull your tailbone down and stabilize your torso as you do this. Stretch the muscles on both the front and the back of the torso.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Main Muscle Worked: Abdominals

Equipment: None!

Guide: 

1. To begin, lie down with your back pressed against the floor or on an exercise mat (optional). Your arms should be fully extended to the sides with your palms facing down. Note: The arms should be stationary the entire time.
2. With a slight bend at the knees, lift your legs up so that your heels are about 6 inches off the ground. This is the starting position.
3. Now lift your left leg up to about a 45 degree angle while your right leg is lowered until the heel is about 2-3 inches from the ground.
4. Switch movements by raising your right leg up and lowering your left leg. Remember to breathe while performing this exercise.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variation: As you get more advanced, you can wear ankle weights for resistance.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Main Muscle Worked: Abdominals

Equipment: None!

Guide: 

1. Take a slightly wider than hip distance stance with your knees slightly bent.
2. Place your right hand on your right hip to support the spine.
3. Raise your left arm in a vertical line and place your left hand behind your head. Keep it there as you incline your torso to the right.
4. Keep your weight evenly distributed between both legs (don’t lean into your left hip). Switch sides.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Main Muscle Worked: Abdominals

Equipment: None!

Guide: 

1. To begin, stand straight with your feet shoulder width apart from each other. Place your hands on your hips. This is the starting position.
2. Now slowly inhale as much air as possible and then start to exhale as much as possible while bringing your stomach in as much as possible and hold this position. Try to visualize your navel touching your backbone.
3. One isometric contraction is around 20 seconds. During the 20 second hold, try to breathe normally. Then inhale and bring your stomach back to the starting position.
4. Once you have practiced this exercise, try to perform this exercise for longer than 20 seconds. Tip: You can work your way up to 40-60 seconds.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of sets.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back

Equipment: None

Guide: 

1. Stand so your feet are shoulder width apart and your hands are on your hips.
2. Twist at your waist until you feel a stretch. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds, then twist to the other side.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Main Muscle Worked: Middle Back

Equipment: None

Guide: 

1. Sit in a chair so your back is straight and your feet planted on the floor.
2. Interlace your fingers behind your head, elbows out and your chin down.
3. Twist your upper body to one side about 3 times as far as you can. Then lean forward and twist your torso to reach your elbow to the floor on the inside of your knee.
4. Return to upright position and then repeat for your other side.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Main Muscle Worked: Glutes

Equipment: None

Guide: 

1. From a lying position, bend your knees and keep your feet on the floor.
2. Place your ankle of one foot on your opposite knee.
3. Grasp the thigh or knee of the bottom leg and pull both of your legs into the chest. Relax your neck and shoulders. Hold for 10-20 seconds and then switch sides.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Main Muscle Worked: Glutes

Equipment: None

Guide: 

1. Lie down on the floor with your right leg straight. Bend your left leg and lower it across your body, holding the knee down toward the floor with your right hand. (The knee doesn’t need to touch the floor if you’re tight.)
2. Place your left arm comfortably beside you and turn your head to the left. Imagine you have a weight tied to your tailbone. let your tailbone fall back toward the floor as your chest reaches in the opposite direction to stretch your lower back. Switch sides.

STEP 1:

STEP 2:

Main Muscle Worked: Glutes

Equipment: None

Guide: 

1. Start off by lying on the floor.
2. Extend one leg straight and pull the other knee to your chest. Hold under the knee joint to protect the kneecap.
3. Gently tug that knee toward your nose.
4. Switch sides. This stretches the buttocks and lower back of the bent leg and the hip flexor of the straight leg.

STEP 1:

STEP 2: