Thoughtful Thursday…core strength exercises …week 1
Welcome to Thoughtful Thursday. This GreenNote Fitness newsletter mindfully gathers and distills useful information that is supportive to our journey. It is my mission to educate, inspire, and propel you into action that moves you towards your goals and life of purpose. Take control of your journey today.
I’ve made a challenge to complete a different core exercise each week. This has been of interest to me as core strength is such an important factor in daily living, training, and playing sports. The core muscles stabilize and move the spine. They work not only for functional movement but for training lifts such as dead lift, sports such as golf, which I enjoy. Another reason for my core strengthening focus is for the SI (sacroiliac) joint. I experienced issues last year with that joint in particular and want to ensure its health. One aspect of that is core strength. Core Muscles - which ones are they? Let’s first take a look at what comprises the core as the muscle group encompasses more than the abdominals. From Jeff Kuhland at BreakingMuscle.com, “Our core has three-dimensional depth and functional movement in all three planes of motion. Many of the muscles are hidden beneath the exterior musculature people typically train.” When identifying the specific names of the core muscles, it will be helpful to look at them as inner muscles and outer muscles. The inner muscles and outer muscle groups can also be referred to as the inner core and outer core. The first group, the inner core, reside close to the spine and deep inside the abdomen. These include the diaphragm, pelvic floor, multifid, deep cervical flexors, and transverse abdominus. These muscles help engage during movement or breathing to protect the spine. The second group of muscles, the outer core, include the anterior muscles (think abdominals), and the lats, spinal erectors, glute complex, quadrates lumborum, and hip flexors. These muscles also help stabilize and protect the spine, additionally, they have more defined movement functions. With a little bit of core knowledge under our belts, let’s look at the first core exercise of the week. Drumroll please……. Core Exercise of the Week Vertical Cable Press
The set up:
Begin kneeling on one knee with your back to a cable machine while gripping a rope attachment with both hands over your shoulders
Press straight up (not out) until your arms are fully straightened
Resist the lumbar spine from going into extension (backwards). Brace your anterior core, and squeeze the glute of the trailing leg
Perform 5 repetitions with the left leg forward and then switch to the other side for 5 more repetitions
Why did I choose it? I selected this exercise because of the resistance required to perform it as well as the bracing of the anterior core. It requires focus and mindfulness of many different muscles which really helps me to think of the core muscles as a whole. It is harder than it looks. I will be perfecting the Vertical Cable Press for a week before selecting a new one. Stay tuned as we will discover a different core exercise next week. If you enjoyed this newsletter and would like to see more like, let me know. Enjoy your journey, Lisa Schaffer GreenNote Fitness You wouldn’t happen to know just one person that would benefit from this information? Please forward it to them! Did you miss last week’s newsletter on 3 exercises for stronger triceps ...? P.S. Check out my Facebook page for inspiration. P.P.S. Discover GreenNote Fitness recommendations for books, podcasts, and more on body, mind, and spirit.
