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Newsletters>
Summer Is Coming To An End
August 25, 2006
Newbury Park Athletic Club
Current Events
Parents Night Out
September 8th 5:30pm-9:30pm
Members: 1 Child-$25/2 or more $15
Non-Members: 1 Child-$35/2 or more-$20
Transformation Challenge
Starts September 15th
Orientations September 6th and 13th at 7pm
R.I.P. (Real.Intense.Physical)
Next Class Starts October 16th
Preview Class will be on October 2nd and 4th at 7pm
1 Year Renewal special ONLY $299 until August 31st!!!
Core Training
By John Platero
If someone were to mention the core, people would think
you were referring to the center of the earth or the center
of a piece of fruit! The dictionary defines the core as the
central or inner part of anything. So where is our center?
In reality there are a few “centers” depending on what
you are referring to. According to Shirley Sahrmann, a
prominent professor of muscle and movement imbalances,
every joint in our body has a path of instantaneous center
of rotation (PICR). This is the deepest point of the joint
where a rigid body rotates at a given instant of time. This
center will normally be surrounded by cartilage, ligaments,
tendons, a joint capsule and a deep set of muscles. For
example, the shoulder complex is made up of the
Sternoclavicular, Acromioclavicular, Glenohumeral, the
Coraco-acromial arch and the
Scapulothoracic joint. The core of each of these joints is
surrounded by the soft-tissue mentioned before and in the
case of the Glenohumeral joint, the deep muscles are the
rotator cuff. These muscles, core or center is always
affected by any movement and if it becomes injured, pain
will impede motion.
Our center of gravity is somewhere inside the body at
the height of the spinal segments S-1 or S-2. The belly
button or umbilicus lies at about L-3. If you were to
imagine three to four spinal segments down, then you would
be close to the center of gravity of your body.
This would be your core. Or is it?
Some experts refer to the cores as the Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip
Complex and the thoracic and cervical spine. The spine is
the Central Nervous System so should we be training the
spine? Other physical therapists and health care
professionals talk about an inner and outer system. Diane
Lee, a prominent physical therapist talks about the inner
unit of the pelvic girdle consisting of the transversus
abdominis, multifidus and the diaphragm while the outer
unit consists of three systems: the posterior oblique
system which consists of the latissimus dorsi, gluteus
maximus and the intervening thoraco-lumbar fascia, the
anterior oblique system which consists of the external,
internal obliques, the contralateral adductors of the thigh
and the intervening anterior abdominal fascia and finally
the deep longitudinal system which consists of the deep
lamina of the thoraco-lumbar fascia, sacro-tuberous
ligament and the biceps femoris muscle. Are you confused
yet?
Don’t worry, if you perform this workout, you will hit
all the muscles that attach to the pelvis and the spine
which is what all these people are talking about. Perform
two to three sets of each exercise.
The Plank
Start with in a push-up position with your forearms on
the ground. Make sure your elbows are directly under your
shoulders. Keep your cervical spine in alignment (looking
towards the ground) and your bellybutton drawn in and hold
it for one minute. Now turn your entire body to a
side.You’ll be resting on one elbow with the other arm at
your side and one leg on top of the other. Hold that for
one minute on each side and then return to the starting
position for one last minute for a total of four minutes.
Sit ups
Perform sit ups with bent legs. Not more than a 100
reps but not less than 25 reps.
Roman Chair
Make sure your ASIS (Anterior Superior Illiac Spine)
which are the two little bones at the top of you pelvis are
not resting on the pad and hold your body directly parallel
to the ground for at least two-four minutes. Squeeze your
glutes. This won’t be easy.
100’s
Lie on your back and raise both legs at a 45 degree
angle from the ground. Keeping your arms fairly straight at
your side, pulse or move them up and down in short quick
movements for 100 reps. Keep your head off the ground,
belly button drawn in and force your tongue into the roof
of your mouth. If needed, add a posterior pelvic tilt to
gently lengthen the lower back protecting the lumbar area.
Activate the lats under the arm pits as the arms move and
don’t forget to exhale as strongly as you inhale.
Squats
Perform two sets of light squats. 15-25 reps
Bridging on one leg
Lie on your back with your heels close to your glutes
and raise your pelvis towards the ceiling. Without
rotating, lift one leg off the ground. Do 15-20 reps with
each leg.
PNF Pattern with a cable
Make believe you have a baseball bat in your hand and
start with the high cable over one shoulder swinging the
cable downward in a forty five degree angle across your
body towards the ground. 15- 25 reps each side, then
reverse the direction by grabbing the low cable and moving
upwards back to over your shoulder. Keep your arms fairly
straight
4-Way Multi-Hip Machine
Perform hip extension, adduction, abduction and hip
flexion. Don’t forget to align the moving hip with the
center (yes, the core) of the machine. Perform 20 reps of
each movement. Keep the belly button drawn in and stand up
straight
One legged standing hamstring curls
Perform one leg at a time for 8-10 reps.
Seated Adduction
Squeeze those inner thighs for 20-25 reps. don’t forget
to align the axis to the middle of the moving hips.
Hip Extension and Shoulder Extension on a ball
Sit on a stability ball with your back to a cable
crossover. A Nautilus or a Free Motion works best. If not,
use a cable stack. Holding the cables in your hand, roll
out on the ball so just your shoulder blades remain on the
ball and your feet are flat on the floor.
Keep the cables in your hands with your hands up in the
air as you let your hips move towards the ground into hip
flexion. As you reverse the motion with your hips moving
towards the ceiling as in a bridge, execute a straight arm
pull down with the cables. This way, both your glutes and
your lats will fire at the same time working that posterior
oblique system. Perform 20-25 reps.
There, you have it. You’ve now addressed all the muscles
that cross the hip and the spine (your core) in one
workout! Your center is now centered!
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