Gettin' Fit & Healthy with Rickie

  More than core...          When many people hear the word 'core' related to exercise they just think about abdominals, some may consider the back. The core is so much more and we need to do more than crunches, sit ups and planks.     The core consists of the abdominals, back, hips, pelvis all the muscles that work together to provide stability, support and strength for the entire body.  A strong core provides good posture, helps prevent injuries, improves balance and overall strength.  It provides strength for every day movements and athletic performance.     Knowing that the core area consists of all the muscles that support our entire body this guides us in how we exercise the core.  The best way to work the core is with exercises that target all of the muscles that support the spine and help us to walk and move through life.  These exercises will include compound and functional movements along with stability work...

  This workout is "Gettin' down to the Core..."     It's time for another workout to add to your library, this one is focusing on your core.  I addressed what is considered the core area in one of my earlier posts, if you are looking for more understanding of the core either do a search or scroll down through my posts and look for 'Core Confusion.' Please, please, always remember every workout begins with a 3-5 minute warm-up to get those muscles warm and ready to move. Now here we go... Goal: cycle through 3x     Take breaks when needed or start with 2 cycles through and increase as you get stronger.        Need it more challenging add dumbbells to lunges, squats and wood chops.      Reach out to me for any other questions. High Knees - 60 sec. Single leg squat - 60 sec. alternating Bicycle - 45 sec. Side plank rotation - 30 sec. each side Flutter kicks - 45 sec. Swimmer - 45 sec. Plank/Pike/Reach - 45 sec. alternati...

Core Confusion When you hear the term 'core' in regards to exercise or the human body do you just think of your abdominal muscles?  Well the 'core' is so much more and it plays a very important part in how our body moves and functions. As you look at the diagram to the left the grayed out areas are all considered muscles of the core. You can see this not only includes the abdominal muscles but also the hips, glutes and low back area.  So when we emphasize the need to strengthen our core it includes all of these areas.  When the core is strong and balanced it helps to prevent falls, supports our body, helps to correct poor posture, allows us to execute many exercises properly and helps to eliminate back pain.  Planks, the definitive core exercise, involves the engagement of multiple core muscles.  So if you have been doing a crazy # of crunches, sit ups, reverse crunches, etc. do yourself a favor and add in a Plank.  Full sit ups can be very difficult to do ...