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 | HOW
TO IMPROVE: CORE STABILITY
Your core muscles, the ones that support your abdomen, spine, hips, and
pelvis, are critical in almost every sport. That's because they provide
spinal stability, which allows you to generate more power--a combination of
strength and speed--for quick changes of direction and faster body rotation,
the key ingredients for long drives in golf and home-run swings in baseball
and softball.
|
The
Problem
The limiting factor for core strength is usually the transverse abdominals, a
deep abdominal muscle. The typical reason: abdominal training built around
crunches, whose limited range of motion--you lift only your head and shoulders
off the floor--doesn't force you to activate the transverse abdominals.
| HOW
TO IMPROVE: FLEXIBILITY
Good flexibility is crucial in any sport that forces you into an
outstretched position. It provides an increased mechanical advantage and a
greater range of motion.
|
The
Problem
Most guys have tight hip flexors--the muscles that allow you to lift your
upper leg--and a lack of shoulder flexibility. Both lead to injuries and poor
performance.
| HOW
TO IMPROVE: SHOULDER STABILITY |
The stability of your shoulders is critical in preventing repetitive-stress
injuries that occur in sports--for instance, when you're throwing a baseball
or hitting a forehand in tennis. A weak network of muscles that stabilize
your shoulders can lead to joint, rotator-cuff, and nerve damage.
The Problem
Poor shoulder stability can be caused by a lack of development of the muscles
around the shoulder, or an overdevelopment of muscles that oppose them. So
guys who lift weights regularly are as much at risk as guys who don't work out
at all.
| HOW
TO IMPROVE: MUSCULAR BALANCE |
Muscular balance is extremely important in running sports--for instance,
basketball and soccer--in order to reduce knee strain, improve mobility, and
prevent muscle pulls. It doesn't mean that all muscles are equally strong,
but that they're as strong as they're supposed to be relative to other
muscles.
The
Problem
When one muscle or muscle group is relatively weaker than another, it can be
overpowered by the stronger muscle--causing pulls and tears. In fact, research
shows that strength imbalances between the quads and hamstrings are the most
important factor in recurring hamstring injuries.
| Type of exercise |
Directions of exercise |
|
Plank
 |
1. Get into a modified
push-up position, resting your weight on your forearms. Your elbows should
be positioned directly under your shoulders.
2. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your
ankles.
3. Simultaneously pull your belly button toward your spine and squeeze
your glutes tightly.
4. This tilts your pelvis backward and flattens the curvature in your
lower back, which, in turn, increases the activation of your transverse
abdominis.
5. Keep your back flat as you take shallow breaths for 30-45 seconds. Then
rest 30 seconds and repeat two times. |
| Slow sit-up
 |
Lie on your back on
the floor with your knees bent 45 degrees and your feet flat. Hold your
arms straight at your sides with your palms down and keep them parallel
with the floor through-out the entire move.
1. Your feet must remain flat on the floor during the entire move.
2. Slowly raise your
upper body by rounding your spine. Take a full five seconds to sit all the
way up.
3. Pause for one second, then take five seconds to lower your body back to
the floor.
Do two sets of 8-10 reps, resting 30-60 seconds each. As you progress,
pull your feet in closer to your body until you can do the move with a
90-degree bend in your knees. (If you can't do 8-10 reps at the start, do
as many as you can. |
| Scarecrow
 |
1. Stand holding a
pair of light dumbbells and raise your upper arms so they're perpendicular
to your torso and parallel with the floor. Bend your elbows about 90
degrees (or a little more), so your forearms hang straight down (or point
slightly inward)
2. Keeping your
elbows, wrists, and upper arms in fixed positions, rotate the weights up
and back as far as you can.
3. Pause, then reverse the movement and return to the starting position. |
| Three-point Stretch
 |
1. Place one foot
behind you on a secure surface that will allow you to move beneath it.
(The back of an incline bench will work.) Stand upright on one leg, your
heel pressed against your butt and your hands on your hips.
2. Bend the knee that
you're standing on as you push your other knee behind you.
3. Keeping your front
knee bent, lean back and hold the stretch for 15 seconds. That's one set.
Rest 30 seconds and repeat. Do a total of three sets, 2-3 times a week. |
| Dowel Over
 |
1. Hold the end of a
broomstick or pole in your right hand and stand with your feet
shoulder-width apart. Hold your upper-right arm so it's parallel with the
floor and your elbow is bent about 90 degrees.
Position the pole so
it's behind your right arm and touching it at about the mid-point.
2. Reaching in front of your body, grab the other end of the pole (at hip
height) and pull it forward, rotating your upper arm backward.
3. Hold for 20 seconds. Then immediately repeat with your other arm.
That's one set.
Do a total of 2-3 sets, 2-3 times a week. |
| Bulgarian Split squat
 |
1. Hold a barbell
across your upper back and stand about three feet in front of a bench.
Place one foot behind you on the bench so only your instep is resting on
it. Set your front foot so it points out slightly.
2. Lower your body
until your front knee is bent 90 degrees and your rear knee nearly touches
the floor. Your front lower leg should be perpendicular to the floor, and
your torso should remain upright. |
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