By Jesse Czajka D.C. Core, core, core! This buzzword has been thrown around the athletic and training community for years. But what does it mean exactly and how could it be affecting your performance? When I say core, I am not referring to those beautiful six-pack muscles that belong only
By Elizabeth Towe The new year is a good time to check in with your core strength. Quadruped on the ball is a favorite “fun” exercise to play with finding balance and stillness with core stability. We add the challenge of the alternating arm lift to improve balance, shoulder
By Elizabeth Towe What is an easy, multi-functional exercise you can do anytime? Squats are great when you want to squeeze in exercises anywhere. And since they involve hip, knee and ankle joints, all the muscles that cross those joints are active, including the deep core muscles of the
By Elizabeth Towe This is the time of the year when anyone who is running a fall distance event is in the less-than-4-week window to their event. The mileage is high and the “tweaky” pains start to rear their head. Many of these pains can be corrected
By Elizabeth Towe Objective: Dead Bug on the BOSU will improve strength and muscular endurance of the flexors of the hip and the spine and strengthen the deep stabilizers of the spine. Doing this exercise on the BOSU instead of the floor will train your nervous system to find
By Elizabeth Towe Objective: Torso rotation and stability for counter rotation of pelvis/legs and shoulders/arms. Application: Holding a straight (neutral) spine while rotating in running, walking and swimming. The ability to hold your spine will improve the efficiency of the biomechanics of all three activities. Exercise: Lie on
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
By Elizabeth Towe Objective: Mountain Climber Slides are a great dynamic core exercise. We take the traditional mountain climber and put your feet on a slide board to emphasize spinal stability with hip mobility, without spine flexion. Exercise: In a prone position, put your hands
By Elizabeth Tow Objectives: Increase core strength and spine stability. This exercise also trains the deeper glutes to hold you erect on one leg while abs and lower back muscles keep the torso stable over the pelvis. Functional application: Side plank strengthens lateral musculature, which also helps resolve imbalance
By Elizabeth Towe Objective: We have talked previously about the role of the gluteus maximus in hip extension and its importance as a powerful hip mover. If the glutes get “shut off” because of an injury or opposing muscles that are short and tight, substitution patterns will
