Purpose – Strength Core and Lumber Spine
Set up Position
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
- Ensure knees and feet are in line with hips
- Back of neck lengthened
- Shoulder blades should be squeezed together and drawn down towards your feet
- Spine in neutral
- Core stability muscles and pelvic floor engaged (30%)
Exercise Description
- Inhale to prepare and bring hands to rest behind the head without arching your back
- Exhale and initiate the move from the hip and float the foot of one leg off the floor to bring the knee to rest directly above the hip, with the shin parallel to the ceiling.
- Inhale, Exhale and lift upper body off floor relaxing neck in hands
- Take weight out of the supporting foot. Imagine a cream cake underneath.
- Inhale to prepare
- Exhale and slowly lower the leg to the floor, moving from the hip until the foot rests back on the floor in set up position. If you feel the lower back start to lift as you lower leg, stop the movement and return from that position.
- Keep the head off throughout.
- Repeat for 8 times each leg
Watch Out Points
- Keep resting leg stable
- Keep tension out of neck and look at the ceiling not towards your knee
- Avoid pressing the foot into floor during movements
- Keep angle of knee throughout the movements
- Avoid losing neutral spine, back should not arch at any point