By Elizabeth Towe
Objective:
This exercise is great for running, swimming, kayaking or any activity where there is some form of rotation. Control is required for muscle balance and movement efficiency. We want to improve awareness of abdominal bracing while rotating the torso and recognize the importance of opposing musculature leading the rotation. We also want to create a stretch in the diaphragm, improving breathing capacity as we open and lengthen the ribcage.
Exercise:
- Lie on your back with your arms wide like a “T.”
- Take your feet off the ground and bend the hips and knees to 90-degree angles.
- Keeping this 90/90 relationship, let the knees slowly drop to the left. Notice how the intercostal muscles between the ribs stretch and open on the right side along with lengthening of the right obliques. Enjoy the stretch for a breath or two on each side first.
- Reverse the movement of the third step. Brace the abdominals and slowly shorten or contract the right obliques and the muscles between the ribs. These are the anchors that initiate the movement back to center.
- Relax the jaw and throat and lengthen the back of the neck to prevent the neck and shoulders from tightening.
- Make sure you breathe during the rotation.
- Rotate the legs to the right and repeat the above steps, 10-20 repetitions on each side.
What to watch:
If you feel any strain or arching in the low back to bring up the legs, you are no longer bracing your core or the level you picked is too difficult. Re-brace and continue or perform an easier version of this exercise. Make sure the hips and knees remain at 90 degrees throughout the full range of motion.
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Elizabeth Towe is a runner and a cyclist and the owner of Balanced Movement Studio in Carrboro. She graduated from East Carolina with a degree in exercise and sports science and has been personal training for over 20 years. Her ultimate goal for all of her clients is to help them realize and achieve the optimal quality in their life – and to remember to have fun doing it.
