« Nutritional Essentials: Five Important Factors (October 14, 2008) | Main | Nutritional Essentials #1: Awareness and Knowledge (October 21, 2008) »
Exercise of the Week: Bird Dog
By Inshape | October 16, 2008
Weak core muscles and back pain are two conditions that many, many of us experience. One in four US adults, in fact, experiences chronic back pain, and for many, it’s painful enough to affect the quality of your sleep, your ability to concentrate, and your productivity at work. For all those reasons, it’s important to incorporate back/core strengthening exercises into your workouts.
The Bird Dog exercise is an excellent, no equipment needed move that you can do anywhere, and it strengthens your spine, core, and shoulders, as well as improves balance. Incorporate this exercise into any routine 2-3 times per week.
Start on your hands and knees, with your shoulders directly over your hands and your knees directly under your hips (right angles). Your back should be straight, not arched. Extend one leg and the opposite arm out so that they are parallel to the floor. Hold this position for seven to eight seconds, relax, then repeat with the opposite arm and leg. Repeat both sides five-ten times.
Over time, you should be able to hold the position for 10-15 seconds on each side. Also, remember to keep your hips parallel to the floor - don’t let them lean to one side or the other during the holding positions. Also, keep breathing steadily throughout.
Topics: In-Home Exercises (no or little equipment needed) |
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.