A strong core can stabilise your spine to help keep your lower back healthy and pain-free. The muscles and ligaments surrounding your spine can weaken with age or from an injury, which can make movements like twisting, stretching, lifting, and bending difficult. "The lower back often has to compensate for this lack of mobility, which places greater stress and burden on its muscles. People with back pain often fear movement, which can make their back stiff and their pain even worse. "Yet, a stable spine is also more flexible, so it can support a full range of natural movements. "And healthier movements reduce pressure on the low back and lower the risk of pain and injury." Full engagement Spine stability is achieved with a balanced approach to your entire core musculature. "This means you engage all the core muscles at once — from the abdominal to the whole back. This comes in handy when you make movements that require sudden strength and a broad range of motion, like lifting and carrying groceries and placing them on the counter or floor. "Spine stability means your entire trunk is working together in rhythm, like a world-class symphony. "If one thing is off, it can affect the entire structure." So how do you get a stable spine? I would recommend the "big three" exercises developed., an expert in spine bio-mechanics at the University of Waterloo in Canada. They are the curl-up, the side plank, and the bird-dog. "These exercises engage all the important muscles needed to improve spine stability. Here's how to perform each of the big three. You should follow what's called a pyramid sequence: Start with five repetitions (reps) of each of the three exercises. Then do three reps of each, and finish by doing each exercise just once. As you get more comfortable with the routine, you can increase the number of reps you start with for each exercise but continue to follow the descending pattern. Perform these exercises two or three days a week before your regular workout. "After a while, you can perform them daily. Curl-up 1. Lie on your back. Extend one leg straight out on the floor. Bend the knee of your other leg so your foot is flat on the floor. 2. Put your hands under your lower back to maintain the natural arch of your spine. 3. On an exhalation, lift your head, shoulders, and chest off the floor as though they were all connected. (Come off the floor just enough to feel tension in your muscles.) Don't bend your lower back, tuck your chin, or let your head tilt back. 4. Hold for 10 seconds and then slowly lower yourself down. 5. Complete five reps, then switch leg positions and repeat the sequence to complete the exercise. Side plank 1. Lie on your side with your upper body propped up on your arm, with your forearm on the floor and your elbow underneath your shoulder. Place your free hand of the top of your hip. Pull your feet back, so your knees are at a 90° angle. 2. Lift your hips off the floor so they are in line with the rest of your body and hold for up to 10 seconds. Try to maintain a straight line from your head to your knees. Slowly lower your hips back down to the floor. 3. Repeat five times, then flip to your other side and repeat the sequence to complete the exercise. Variation: For a challenge, straighten your legs instead of bending them. Bird-dog 1. Get down on the floor on your hands and knees. 2. Raise your left arm and extend it forward as far as possible while simultaneously lifting your right leg and extending it straight behind your body. Keep both the raised arm and leg parallel to the floor. Ensure your hips are aligned with your torso and not tilted to one side. 3. Hold for 10 seconds and then return to the starting position. 4. Repeat five times, then switch to the other arm and leg and repeat the sequence to complete the exercise.
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Since the dawning of Covid19 the rise of online trainers and fitness experts as gone through roof, which is not a bad thing for the population, with 7 out every 10 people in the population are unhealthy. However, information that’s are floating about on the internet can be dangerous. I have seen trainers telling people they can eat whatever they want as long as they can create that calorie deficit, not taking the long term effects, the most saddest one I have seen so far is trainers say people don’t need to warm up, “ WOW”. You might be eager to leap into your exercise routine and get on with the day but don't just dive in. Starting a workout with "cold" muscles can lead to injury. It's important to start each workout with a warm-up and end with a cool-down and that goes for true beginners, seasoned pros, and everyone in between. Warm-up Warming up pumps nutrient-rich, oxygenated blood to your muscles as it speeds up your heart rate and breathing. A good warm-up should last five to 10 minutes and work all major muscle groups. For best results, start slowly, then pick up the pace. Many warm-up routines focus on cardio and range-of-motion exercises, such as jumping jacks and lunges. If you prefer, you can do a simpler warm-up by walking in place while gently swinging your arms, or even dancing to a few songs. Cool-down After your workout, it's best to spend five to 10 minutes cooling down through a sequence of slow movements. This helps prevent muscle cramps and dizziness while gradually slowing your breathing and heart rate. An effective cool-down also incorporates stretching exercises to relax and lengthen muscles throughout your body and improve your range of motion. To get the most out of these exercises, hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds. The longer you can hold a stretch, the better for improving your flexibility. As with the warm-up, it's best to flow from one stretch to the next without rests in between.
Metcon, or metabolic conditioning, is a method of exercise training that involves a high work rate and is designed to increase your fitness and energy output. Metcon workout routines use exercises that are designed to burn more calories during your workout as well as maximise calories burned after you exercise.
You can incorporate this workout into your routine twice a week but should not do them on consecutive days. Some high-performance coach would add a metcon in the middle of the session for 5 to 10 minutes, to increase fitness level. Metcon can also standout on its own as a full workout. There’s a good chance you have an extra 20 minutes to spare throughout your day. Whether you wake up a few minutes earlier or make some time for this exercise routine after you’re done with work for the day. The good news is that even though the routines are super quick, you are still getting a ton of health benefits out of it. They are intense, so they don’t need to be a whole hour long. 20 minutes Metcon 3 workout explosive leg power · Single Arm Overhead Dumbbell Squats (8 reps either side) · Hurdle Step Overs into athlete ready position 20 seconds · 20m Quick acceleration sprint · Active Recovery 10 seconds · Repeat the process 10 times A Metcon workout is a series of different types of workouts combined to achieve all those amazing benefits, you can add a minimum of three 3 exercises and must have some form of cardiovascular workout. When we sleep, our bodies repair and adapt to the stresses of exercise, helping your cells to regenerate for the next training session. Subsequently, research shows that the more you sleep, the more this regeneration process will take place, enabling your athletic performance to improve. DEEP SLEEP During deep sleep, the Human Growth Hormone is released to help your body repair damaged tissue and build stronger muscles. If you have insufficient deep sleep, your body will fail to recover, making it harder to achieve your potential at your next running session. HYDRATION As an athlete, it is important to be well hydrated but good hydration levels will also enable you to enjoy a good night’s sleep and speed up your recovery time. In general, we need to drink two to three litres of liquid each day. Your hydration levels are reflected in the colour of your urine, with pale yellow coloured urine indicating that you are within one percent of your optimal hydration level. WEIGHT LOSS Did you know that getting an enough sleep may boost the weight loss benefits of athletes? A good night’s sleep will help to keep your hunger signals under control, making it easier for you to maintain a healthy weight. CONCENTRATION Mental toughness is important for any athlete and sleep deprivation can have a negative impact when a runner train. Increased concentration enables you to focus on your pace and reduces your risk of injury from tripping over. HOW TO ACHIEVE A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP
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July 2021
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