Bicycle Exercise

Want to know the most effective ab exercises? It's important to remember that, while ab exercises won't get rid of fat from the belly, a strong core is important for keeping your body healthy and protecting your spine.

The most effective ab exercises start with the bicycle, which is the best move for targeting the rectus abdominis (i.e., the 'six pack') and the obliques (the waist), according to the study.

How to
Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Put your hands beside your head. Bring knees up to about 45- degree angle and slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion. Touch your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Keep even, relaxed breathing throughout.

   1. Lie on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head.
   2. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the floor without pulling on the neck.
   3. Straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, taking the left elbow towards the right knee.
   4. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.
   5. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

Core Stage III- Dynamic Movement

During day to day activity we use dynamic movements, e.g. lifting groceries or running after children. So now that we have mastered the simple core exercises, we can progress to achieving stability during more functional movements.
The Lunge

    * Stand with feet hip width apart in front of a mirror
    * Ensure your lumbar spine is in neutral and your back is tall with your shoulders back and head up
    * Lunge forward and bend your knee about halfway down
    * Ensure that your front knee is in line with your toes; your hips are level, your back is upright with your lumbar spine in the neutral position.
    * Push back up to the starting position by first pushing down into the floor with your front foot. Use only the leg muscles. Ensure you back remains totally still and hips level throughout the return.

Avoid:

    * Lunging too far forward so that you knee is further forward than your ankle. Maximum 90 degrees between lower leg and thigh.
    * Initiating the up movement by pulling your head and shoulders back first. rform the movement up and down.

3 Sets; 10 Repetitions per set on each leg.
The Press Up

    * Start from your knees, place your hands slightly wider than your shoulders, with your chin in front of your hands and head looking slightly down.
    * Lift your hips to form a straight line with your entire body from your knees to your head. Ensure your lumbar spine is in neutral
    * Bending your arms, slowly lower your body down all the way to the floor. Keep your head still throughout.
    * Push up, by pressing down into the floor with your hands. Your back should remain still, straight and your lumbar spine in neutral throughout.

3 Sets; 10 Repetitions per set.

These core stablility exercises should remain a part of any workout routine. During weight training, use core stability to ensure that muscle groups are working together and the back is supported.

I notice even during walking, that by using the abdominal hollowing, it tilts the spine into a better position, moving the walking movement emphasis back to the legs, away from the pelvis and spine.

Core Stage II - Static Movement

 The next two exercises are examples of learning to keep the spine in a state of neutral, controlled static contraction, whilst moving other parts of the body.
Lying Leg Lift Stabilisation

    * Lie on your back with your knees bent up, feet flat on the floor
      Ensure your back is in neutral and place your hands on your hips for biofeedback
    * Breathe in and relax
    * Breathe out and, as you do so, perform the abdominal hollowing or zipping-up action
    * Slowly slide your left leg out along the floor until it is straight and then slide it back
    * Keep the lumbar spine in the neutral position as the legs move.
      If your back or pelvis moved, you did not achieve the correct stability

3 Sets; 10 Repetitions per set on each leg.

Progressions: Do the same exercise with knee lifts up and knee drops out to the side.
The Waiter's Bow

    * Stand up with good posture, knees soft, lumbar spine in neutral, head up and shoulders back and relaxed
    * Breathe in and relax
    * Breathe out and as you do so perform the abdominal hollowing action
    * Keeping the tension, slowly lean forward from the hips 20° and pause, like a waiter's bow, keeping your back completely straight.
    * Hold for 10 seconds - check your TA and MF are contracted, supporting the correct position
    * Keeping the tension and the alignment, slowly return to your start position

1 Set; 10 Repetitions.

NB: Be very careful of this exercise if you have previously had lower back injury. You must be vigilant on maintaining core contraction throughout the movement.

Core Stage I- Hollowing Contraction

Core-stability training begins with learning to co-contract the TA and MF muscles effectively using the "abdominal hollowing" technique. This is an endurance, not strength exercise, and is the core pilates exercise.

    * Lie on your back with knees bent; the spine in the neutral position. Check there is a small gap between the floor and your back.
    * Breathe in deeply and relax all your stomach muscles
    * Breathe out and, as you do so, draw your lower abdomen inwards as if your belly button is going back towards the floor.
    * Hold the contraction for 10 seconds and stay relaxed, allowing yourself to breathe in and out as you hold the tension in your lower stomach area.
    * Check the tension of the TA using your fingers on either side of your lower abdomen. This biofeedback technique is used in all core stability exercises.

1 Set; 10 Repetitions.
Avoid:

    * Tilting your pelvis nor flatten your back, away from the neutral position
    * Bracing your TA muscle too hard; just a gentle contraction is enough.
    * Tensing the stomach with your upper abdominals bulging outwards. This means you are using the large rectus abdominus [six-pack ] muscle, instead of TA
    * Holding your breath, as this means you are not relaxed. Learn to breathe normally whilst maintaining the co-contraction of TA and MF

Progression: Practise abdominal hollowing sitting, standing, lying on your front, and kneeling on all fours.

Core Stability Training Program

The training protocol for improving the function of the deep-trunk muscles is very specific, and takes into account the type of contraction, the muscle fibre type and the anatomical position required.

By co-ordinating the training over all the muscles we aim to encourage these stabiliser muscles to hold the lumbar spine in the neutral position, allowing for natural curvature of the spine.

Stage One - Hollowing Contraction
Stage Two – Static Movement
Stage Three – Dynamic Movement
 

Knowing your Core Muscles

The “Core” refers to those deep trunk muscles, which stabilise the lumbar [lower] spine. They include:

• Transversus Abdominis (TA)
• Multifidus (MF)
• Internal Oblique (IO)
• Paraspinal
• Pelvic Floor

The co-contraction of these muscles produce forces which stabilise the lumbar spine, and act directly to resist forces acting on the lumbar spine.
These deep-trunk stabiliser muscles are not involved in producing movements, but instead involve static, or isometric contractions. They are employed continuously throughout everyday activities as well as fitness and sport activities, and so require very good endurance of low-level forces. They do not need to be very strong, but they must be correctly co-ordinated and capable of working continuously.

The Core Stability

The “Core” refers to your mid-section of our body [lower abs, upper abs, obliques and lower back]. It is the core that coordinates all the movements of the other two major regions: the upper body and lower body. Imagine your body as three links in a chain... the upper body, the core and the lower body.

Core strength training is a major focus in pilates and yoga exercises. Well, basically it uses high tension techniques to train your body to function as one complete unit. This will translate into greater overall performance improvement.


The truth is you cannot develop core strength using machines; use of machines eliminates the adaptive stress for the stabilizer muscles in the body. These stabilizer muscles give stability to the core and permit the extremities, to exert force. Lack of core muscle strength will prevent the movement.

Core strength training uses a variety of exercises, stresses and resistance. They can be incorporated into many other exercises; thereby training the body to function as one complete unit. You should look at every exercise you do as core strength training! This is martial arts experts use.


The essence of core stability training is quality of movement and relaxation. This promotes fitness and wellness in you