NEEDED EQUIPMENT: Physioball
This warm-up is great for getting your core engaged. WARM-UP 5 – each side- Physioball Russian Twists 5 Physioball Push-ups (hands on the ball) 5 – each side – Physioball Lateral Rolls 5 Physioball Push-ups (feet on the ball, hands on the ground) 30 seconds Physioball Balance
I have a question about the physioball balance: do you think there is any benefit to “sitting up” as straight as possible while balancing in terms of activating core muscles? This is along the same lines as the two methods of doing Brazilian crunches that you have discussed. I find that if I do sort of arch my back a bit and sit up tall while balancing, I am a bit more comfortable. Either way, feel the burn.
Aaron, excellent example. Some people sit back more on their heels, while others are in a perfect vertical alignment from knees through hips to shoulders. Both positions have benefits and they do “burn” in different areas. A trusted physical therapist instructed us that the more vertical “sitting up” position is better for not only your hips, but your core. When you are “sitting up” you have to use your hips to stabilize and therefore activate your core more so.
If you were to sit back on your heels more, you are not using your hips to stabilize and are more typically using your lower trunk to keep stabilized. My suggestion for better core activation is to “sit up” as high as you can – if you can 🙂