Tip 49, for 8/5/08

Part deux of exercise explanations:

alternate or hold superman- lay on stomach with arms extended straight up and legs extended and spread. alternate means raise one arm and opposite leg, then switch but don't let your non-raised leg's knee touch the ground though. hold means hold all four limbs off the ground, focus on pulling your shoulder blades together and using your back muscles.

supine marching- lay on your back with your feet flat on the ground comfortably with your knees bent. bridge up such that your torso is in line with your thighs. simply march by lifting one at a time and setting it down. if you can, don't keep your arms on the ground, they help to support you and detract from the core workout you should be getting, i like to touch a spot above my head with my hands usually.

pelvic lifts- okay i'll try to explain this. lay on your back bent at the waist such that your legs are perpendicularish to your torso. then use your abs to push your legs up and get your body as close to in a straight line as possible (straighten your back and legs and push them as high as possible). lower yourself slowly while keeping your legs pointing to the sky the whole time. repeat. you can use your hands on the ground or on your back if you need to.

extreme supine bicycles/march (30s each)- do a pelvic lift and stop at the top such that you are extended up. use your hands on your back to hold yourself up and either march or cycle with your legs

reverse open book- lay on your side with your knees and hips bent (same position as side crunch essentially). lift the foot of the top leg, keeping the knee still, rotate from the hip. rotate as far as you feel comfortable and return.

open book (30s), open book extend (30s)- same position as reverse open book. this time, your foot is the pivot point and you lift your knee from the hip to about where your thigh is stright up and down. return to origninal position.

hamstring bridge- put your heels on something raised like a bed, a plyo ball or chair whilst laying on your back. bridge up, keep your hips up (same with supine marching) such that your torso is aligned with your legs. once again, try to get your arms off the ground. hold this position for the hold (duh) and for up and down go down slowly until your butt just touches the ground and return to the bridging position quickly and smoothly.

if the hamstring bridge is too easy for you leave a comment and i can give you ways to make it harder