Core/Strength Info

 MCWS Core/Strength Circuit - To be completed Thursdays and Saturdays on your own

(Note: I have tried to describe each exercise as thoroughly as I can, but if any exercise is unclear to you or you are not sure how to do it, skip that one for now and ask me about it at the next practice. Be sure to engage your core muscles during all exercises--think about drawing your belly button toward your spine. This will help stabilize all your other movements and also help protect your back!)

 

If you have been doing strength/core exercises on a regular basis: all exercises 1 min each unless otherwise specified, do whole circuit 2-3x

If you are new to strength/core exercises or haven't done any in a while: all exercises 30 seconds each and start out with lower difficulty versions (feet on floor for more core-focused exercises; knees on floor instead of feet for push-ups), do the whole circuit 1-2x

 

-       Crunches (normal - arms crossed on chest, hands on opposite shoulders, feet flat on ground or lifted slightly for greater difficulty)

-       Push-ups (normal - lower body toward ground until elbows are at 90 degrees) 30 sec.

-       Kayakers (sitting, knees bent, heels on the ground or lifted for greater difficulty, hands clasped in front, rotate trunk side-to-side)

-       Push-ups with Twist and One-Arm Extension (at end of each pushup, pivot weight onto one arm so that your chest is now in line with that arm, point other arm at the sky, then pivot back onto two arms, alternate sides) 30 sec.

-       Dips (normal, palms on seat of chair behind you, heels on floor, lower body toward ground until elbows reach 90 degrees) 30 sec.

-       Planks (front, left, right) 30 sec. each side

-       Alternate Leg/Arm Raises (on hands and knees)

-       Leg lifts (laying down on your side, lift upper leg toward sky and lower slowly back down) 30 sec. each side

-       Crunches (oblique - hands behind head, one leg crossed over and perpendicular to the other, foot of straight leg flat on the ground, crunch to touch opposite elbow to knee of folded leg) 30 sec. each side

-       Russian Twists (lie on back, arms straight out on the ground making right angles with your trunk, legs lifted together, knees bent with shins parallel to chest – twist legs left and right toward the ground, make sure to engage core muscles)

-       Penguins (lie on back, knees bent, feet flat on the ground or slightly lifted to increase difficulty, arms at your sides, tip right and left to touch your fingers to your ankles, make sure to engage core muscles)

-       Supermans (lie on stomach, lift both arms and legs at the same time, hold for 5 sec., lower slowly and lift again. Lift arms only to decrease difficulty)

-       Bridge with Leg-Lift (lying on back, arms at sides, hips elevated, alternate) 30 sec. each side

-       Circle Squats (squat on one leg while using your other leg to draw a half circle from the toe to the heel of the weight-bearing leg). 30 sec. each side

-       Tuck Squats with 3 Vertical Jumps (arms overhead, jumps evenly spaced - i.e., after 30, 45, and 60 sec. of tucking)