Hello again! It’s Two A Day Tuesday, and I’m teaching both classes tonight. [I think] I have two really fun playlists, so I hope to see you guys all there!
Two A Day Tuesday can also mean two blog posts. I want to get right to the CORE!
Core Galore
I mentioned in this morning’s post that I had a personal training client last night, Jen.
I’m already digressing. This is what I look like when I personal train:
All official in my Y shirt, name tag, and clipboard.
I feel more comfortable when I teach my classes looking like this:
But maybe that’s just me.
Jen emailed me last week and requested a workout that truly focused on her core. Of course I got all excited when I heard that. I love core work! Some benefits of core conditioning include but are not limited to:
- Improved posture
- Improved balance
- Trimmer appearance
- More effective workouts
- Decreased injury risk
- Decreased lower back pain
- Stabilized spine and firmer base of support for all movement
It is a common exercise misconception that a core workout focuses solely on your abdominal muscles. While of course a solid core routine incorporates a lot of ab work, it should also focus on the back so that you don’t end up with any muscular imbalances. It should also focus on the pelvic muscles that lie between your rib cage and hips. Some will even argue that a true “core” workout will target all muscles that hit your body’s “trunk” — shoulders, chest, upper back, lower back, abs, glutes.
That being said, if you are doing only crunches for your core workout it’s time to switch things up a bit! You should develop a workout plan that targets all muscles from your hips to shoulders. This is what I did for Jen last night, and I dubbed it “Core Galore.” She said it would be okay to share with all of you, so here is the workout:
If you have any questions regarding any of these moves or how to move through this workout, please let me know! I’m happy to help!
Disclaimer: As my client who was actually DOING the workout, Jen renamed this “Sore Galore.”
Just a warning. 🙂
How do you like to focus on full core conditioning?
Off to bust a move teach!