By Elizabeth Towe
You want to take things off road? Are you ready? You must be able to navigate the terrain. A particular challenge to the core is controlling your body and balance as you move forward over an uneven surface.
With this particular exercise we use a ball to create an unstable surface. The weight bearing through flexed hips and knees and the shoulder girdle mimics the demands of off road cycling.
Exercise:
- Begin by standing behind the ball with your shins and knees against the ball and your hands on top of the ball
- Lean your weight into the ball, onto your hands, shins and knees.
- Slowly shift your weight onto the top of the ball; your toes will come off the ground and the ball will roll slightly forward. It may take several times slowly rocking onto the ball and back onto your toes before you can balance on your hands and knees on top of the ball.
- When you can balance on the ball, be sure your shoulder blades are down and back (not scrunched up around your ears) to create a stable shoulder. Your back should be flat and a nice deep fold in the hip joint to create a “tabletop”. Brace your core and notice how this helps create more control over the unstable round ball.
- Once you can balance, challenge yourself by extending an arm or leg or alternate lifting.
- You can have someone tap the ball while you are on it to create more perturbation, as in trail running or mountain biking.
There’s no particular number of reps or sets for this, just experience it and notice how your core can adapt and improve! Enjoy!
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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.
