The "core" to be discussed in this issue of Health Management is to teach you to do correct exercise early, avoid pain and solve problems thoroughly. Of course, the pain was not caused in a day, so our movements are designed to be simple and easy. Please find time to practice for a short time every day and do a good job in physical infrastructure.
Self-assessment of posture to find out the wrong standing posture First, find a full-length mirror and observe your relaxed standing posture in front of the mirror (see step 1 for details). You may see several S-shapes from the side, such as chin pushing forward, shoulders holding or shrugging, hunchback, abdomen protruding, lower back depression and so on. This shows that the muscles can't support the joints evenly, the spine remains neutral, and the stability of the core will decrease. For example, if the muscle strength of the back is not enough, it will produce hunchback; When the abdominal muscles are weak, the stomach will wait forward.
In the correct posture, the spine and pelvis form an ideal and stable natural curve, the ear hole should be directly above the shoulder, and the pelvic protrusion and knee head should be in line with the medial ankle. In short, Spiegel is sometimes cruel, and it is easy to observe the problem of hunchback or pelvic inclination, depending on how you treat yourself that you can't even stand up straight. Gan Siyuan, coach of Li Ge Sports Health Center, provided a dynamic detection method-Functional Sports Screening (FMS), which is suitable for people with various physical conditions, and can find the limitations and asymmetries of physical functions as an evaluation before training. (See step 2 for details)
Strengthen core training and maintain correct posture. Through posture observation and action evaluation, we can find potential problems and weak links in physical performance, and then improve them through core training. Readers may wonder why these body movements are testing the core strength. That's because the "core muscle group" refers to the position of the trunk and abdomen, especially the muscles near the spine. Its importance is like the foundation of a strange hand. If it is not stable and strong enough, the mechanical arm cannot exert its strength.
Or it can be understood by archery-"bow" is like the core, and "arrow" is the strength exerted by the body. Bow archery should have stability, activity and coordination, so as to shoot the arrow far and accurately; If the bow itself is too fragile, the full bow may break, which may be because the core lacks stability and cannot exert force, or the muscles related to the core are too stiff, which reduces the joint mobility, so even the "bow" cannot be pulled open. Therefore, the inability to maintain correct posture or poor limb performance can be strengthened through core training.
The purpose of core training (see step 3 for details) is not to strengthen the large muscle groups, but to strengthen the small muscle groups closest to the spine, shoulder joint and hip joint. This is a pre-stressed concept, considering stability and liquidity. The better the core strength, the lower the risk of injury in daily life or sports field, and naturally avoid backache. For example, the bypass action demonstrated by coach Jack in the third step can effectively exercise the core abdominal muscles, including transverse abdominis, multifidus and pelvic floor muscles. Just like if one day you flash to your waist, the doctor will ask you to wear an "iron suit" to support your spine. The core muscle group is the natural iron suit of the human body-this is the abdominal muscle that we expect to practice successfully, not the six or eight muscles that can be seen from the outside.
Four groups of demonstration movements can be carried out on the floor at home (it is recommended to lay anti-slip mats), and it is best to do some warm-up exercises first, which will be better.
Step 1: Observe the wrong posture vs. The wrong posture will have several S-shapes, and the correct posture will present a straight line. You can use full-length mirror self-observation to find out the problems and improve them.
Step 2: Action evaluation 3 evaluations, measuring the stability of trunk and joints FMS evaluation 1: Squat preparation posture: feet are shoulder width apart, toes are facing straight ahead, and hands are raised to both sides of ears. Action: Slowly squat down to the deepest position. Feet on the ground, face and chest forward, hands as high as possible. Do it three times at most. Objective: To check whether you can squat stably without shaking, and to evaluate the symmetry of the left and right sides of the body, the mobility of hip joint, knee joint and ankle joint, the symmetric mobility of both shoulder joints and the mobility of thoracic vertebrae.
FMS evaluation 2: Preparation posture of lunge: Hands akimbo, take a step equal to the length of calf and tibia, step on the front and rear feet in a straight line, and toe forward. Action: slow down and squat, so that the knee of the hind sole touches the floor and the heel of the forefoot, and then return to the starting position. Do it up to three times per side. Objective: To evaluate the mobility and stability of bilateral hip joint, the stability of ankle joint and knee joint (whether it is valgus or swinging from side to side) and the stability of the body.
FMS evaluation 3: Push-up preparation posture: prone, hands flat on the floor, shoulder width apart (male thumb is flush with forehead; The woman's thumb is cut to the chin) and her toes are on the ground. Action: palm support, elbow off the ground, knee straight off the ground, do push-ups. The whole body is pushed up at the same time like a board, and the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae cannot be delayed. Do it three times at most. Objective: To evaluate the stability of trunk and pelvis in sagittal and transverse planes and whether they are symmetrical with upper limb movements.
Step 3: Core training 4 groups of movements, training stable core muscle group training 1: forehead bridge 1. Preparatory action: Squat down, toes are shoulder width, elbows are directly below shoulders, and fists are slightly clenched. Retract the lower jaw slightly to keep the cervical spine at a normal angle. 2. Start the action: tighten the abdominal core, lift the anus and abdomen, abdomen, support the body with the abdominal muscles as the center, keep the shoulders and hips at the same height, keep the pelvis level, straighten the knees, and push the shoulder blades to the ground. Keep your body stable, breathe normally, and exercise for 30 ~ 90 seconds. This action is also called "elbow brace" and is often done in yoga or pilates. Beginners can keep doing 10 seconds and repeat 3 groups at a time. The longer the holding time, the higher the strength.
Training 2: side bridge 1. Preparatory action: Lie on your side, with your feet straight and hooked, your hips supported by your upper hands, and your elbows under your shoulders. Keep your head up, chin up and look straight ahead. 2. Start the action: tighten the core, lift the lower body off the ground, straighten your knees, put your legs together, maintain the neutral posture of your spine with the strength of lifting your anus and abdomen, make your body and legs in a straight line, relax your shoulders, and maintain the action for 30 ~ 90 seconds. Beginners insist on doing two groups for 30 seconds. This action can integrate latissimus dorsi, transverse abdominal muscle, oblique abdominal muscle, gluteus medius muscle, adductor muscle and so on. This is also very helpful for sculpture posture. Remember to do both. Advanced students can raise their upper fingers to the sky and train their sense of balance at the same time, or raise their thighs to increase their strength with their own weight.
Training 3: gluteal bridge 1. Preparatory action: lie on your back, with your back flat on the ground, your hands open at your sides, palms up, your feet shoulder-width apart, your knees bent 90 degrees, and your toes hooked. 2. Start action: tighten the abdominal core, start the hip muscles to lift the trunk, make the trunk and thigh in a straight line, keep the navel adducted, don't protrude, keep the pelvis level, don't turn your toes upward, and don't press hard on your shoulders. Keep moving for 30 ~ 120 seconds. This action is similar to the "bridge" in yoga or pilates, and you can also step on the ground with both feet without hooking your feet. Because the difficulty is low, you can repeat it several times. When lifting, it starts from the pelvis, then the lumbar vertebrae, thoracic vertebrae and imaginary vertebrae go up one by one, and when lowering, it starts from the shoulders and sticks back to the ground, waist and finally coccyx. This is a very safe spinal exercise, which can strengthen the abdominal muscles, back muscles and gluteus maximus, and also increase the range of motion between spinal joints.
Exercise 4: Stretch 1. Camel cat back preparation action: take a kneeling position, put your hands under your shoulders and shoulder width, open your feet and pelvis width, your knees are below your hip joint, and your arms and thighs are perpendicular to the floor. When inhaling and exhaling, your navel is retracted and your back is arched upward, just like someone is holding your stomach up. Push your palms to the ground and raise your back as high as possible. Inhale and restore, then exhale to make your back droop, stretch your neck, relax your shoulders, stretch like a kitten and keep breathing deeply. Repeat 10 times. 2. Kneel like a baby and try to sit on the heel. If there is a distance, you can open your knees slightly outward, lean forward, put your hands straight on the ground and touch your forehead. Relax completely without exertion, adjust your breathing and keep at least 10 breaths. This action can be used as a rest posture in core training, and also as a relaxation of stretching after exercise, so that the spine can be stretched and the pressure on the lower limbs can be reduced. People with low back pain can also use this posture to relieve it.
Introduction of core sports skills: exercise transverse abdominal muscles to avoid holding your breath. Deep abdominal core muscles have important functions of stabilizing and protecting the spine. If the strength of the core muscles is not enough, you can't despise gravity and keep your head up, chest up and abdomen in. More seriously, it puts too much pressure on the unprotected spine, leading to degenerative diseases such as chronic back pain or disc herniation. Many rehabilitation treatments are carried out through core training. Pilates, which emphasizes the core, constructs a training system, which is worthy of long-term study and suitable for patients who already need rehabilitation.
Beginners who have just started core sports may not find the strength to tighten the transverse abdominis muscle for a while. In fact, when we talk about core tightening, navel adduction, and lifting anus and abdomen, we all refer to this key force. Please be careful not to hold your breath and tighten your abdomen as a "lower abdomen", otherwise the wrong use of muscles will not achieve the training effect.
Exhale as much as possible when muscles contract during exercise, and inhale as much as possible when stretching. Remember not to hold your breath when maintaining a fixed posture. In addition, in daily life, remind yourself to practice navel adduction with breathing at any time, keep your spine in a comfortable position with minimum pressure, keep your posture straight and live in harmony with your body.
(Excerpted from: Health Network for the Prevention of Humpback)