Women's Issues, Posture and Core Conditioning

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by David Grisaffi
http://www.fit-zone.com

Virtually everyone - young and old, male or
female has a deep desire to improve their lives. Many
orthopedic problems occur from a lack of core
stabilization and strength. Our bodies were designed to
withstand many environmental conditions. The ability to
stabilize our core musculature is vital to our
existence. Our ancient ancestors could not afford to
have back pain. They needed to function on a basic level
that involved moving rocks, building shelter, climbing
mountains or running after food. If they had a bad back
or poor core stabilization and strength, their
likelihood of survival would have been deeply
diminished.

Our core musculature contributes to vital functions
within our bodies and allows us to perform simple to
complex tasks. Without good control or stabilization
and a thorough understanding of what contributes to
core stabilization and strength we can fall prey to many
of modern society's ailments. Low back pain is the number
one patient complaint in America.

Many problems and orthopedic injuries are a result of poor
core stabilization and strength. Females appear to be at a
higher risk of suffering such injuries. Jame Zachazewki
shows evidence of this in a study he conducted in 1996. He
discovered women have a lack of strength in the lower
abdominals and pelvic floor muscles. He explained 47
percent of female's aged 38 and above, suffer from
incontinence. However women who participated in a regular
weight-training program reduced the incidence of
incontinence to only four percent. A weight-training
program enables the body to communicate better and
increase strength and stabilization. Elderly women can
further benefit from a weight training program, which can
improve balance, increase muscle mass, influence bone
density (osteoporosis) and the manage osteoarthritis.

If you would like more information on how weight training
and core conditioning aids older, adolescent, and pregnant
or postpartum women just e-mail me at david@fit-zone.com

All of us must look at the functional anatomy of our core
musculature. We need to understand the benefits a good core-
conditioning program can have on our livelihood. A
core-conditioning program will decrease the likelihood of
back and neck pain, incontinence, ruptured disks, muscle
and ligamentous strains, all while improving posture.

To begin understanding the complexity of our core and how
it relates to overall function we must address the inner an
outer unit and how the works in harmony allowing us to
function at a higher level.

A simple and brief anatomy lesson should assist you in
understanding how these units work. The muscles involved
are broken down into separate but intertwined inner and
outer units.

The Inner Unit

The inner unit provides the necessary joint stabilization
for the spine. If the inner unit does not activate properly
our spine, pelvis and joint structures are placed under
undue stress. This stress creates an atmosphere that leads
to many orthopedic injuries.

I first learned about the inner unit while reading the
research by Richardson, Jull, Hodges and Hides. Upon
further reading the Pelvic Girdle by Diana Lee and articles
by Paul Chek, I came to understand that the basic inner
unit consists of the transverse abdominis, mulitifus
(or multifidus), pelvic floor and diaphragm. This research
shows the inner unit operates on a different neurological
loop than other core muscles. The actual anatomy where
these muscles attach is not the theme of this article,
however, you should have a good idea where these muscles
exist and what they do.

Transverse abdominis (TV) is the deepest, innermost layer
of all abdominal muscles. Consider the TV as your body's
personal weight belt. When the TV contracts it causes
hoop tension around your mid section like a girdle or
corset. Transverse abdominis will, if working properly,
contract before the extremities will move, according to
Diana Lee. As you can see, if this muscle does not
tighten up, acting as a girdle around your waist, the
stabilization of your spine and pelvis is at higher risk
of injury.

If the spine is unstable the nervous system will not
recruit the extremity muscles efficiently and assist
with functional movement correctly. For example: you
bend over to pick up the laundry basket and your
transverse abdominis does not activate properly. This
leads to all stabilization occurring at the segmental
level. This stress eventually leads to overload of the
segmental (one-joint) stabilizers and POW! You have
massive low back pain. Again this occurs because the
segments of your spine tighten down but the gross
stabilizer (transverse abdominis) does not leaving the
segments to work on their own. They cannot provide
enough muscular strength at the segmental to withstand
such a movement. Now can you imagine lifting weights,
a suitcase off the conveyor belt or reaching overhead
to get down a box of heavy tapes?

When the TV does not work properly the joints will begin
early degeneration leading to many orthopedic problems.
To activate the transverse abdominis draw your
bellybutton up and in toward your spine. This activation
should be done before any bending over or reaching
overhead, especially with heavy loads. A little trick is
to get a string and tie it around your waste at the
bellybutton level. Draw your abdomen up and in toward
your spine has far you can, then let it out about
three-quarters of the way and tie the string at that
point. It should be tight but really not noticeable.
If your transverse abdominis relaxes and extends your
abdominal wall the string will tighten up and you will
immediately get feedback.

The next muscle we must look at is the mulitifus (or
multifidus). This muscle lies deep in the spine spanning
three joint segments. The mulitifus (or multifidus) works
to provide joint stabilization at each segmental level.
Each vertebra needs stiffness and stability to work
effectively to reduce degeneration of joint structures.

The pelvic floor is our next set of muscles, which spans
the area underneath the pelvis. It is important for the
pelvic floor and the inner unit to work properly. In
many cases, due to operations such as hernias,
hysterectomies and C-section childbirth, the inner unit
muscles have been cut reducing communication to these
muscles. By doing simple yet important exercises we can
re-establish communication, tighten and tone the muscle
group, prevent or diminish incontinence, leakage and
pelvic dysfunction.

Each of these three muscles, plus the diaphragm, is the
target of inner unit conditioning. The basic exercises
to improve the inner unit activation are:

* Four point transverse abdominis tuck
* Horse stance series
* Heel slides

Four Point Transverse Abdominis Tuck

This exercise is great for isolating the transverse
abdominis and re-connecting the musculature with the
nervous system and inner unit. To correctly accomplish
the goals of the exercise we need to get on all fours
as though we're in a crawling position. Have your hands
directly underneath your shoulders and your knees
directly underneath your hips. With good neutral
posture position (using a dowel rod placed on your back
aligning the spine can provide good feedback of proper
neutral posture) make sure the back of your head,
thoracic spine (what part of the spine is this?) and
sacrum are in contact with the rod. The lumbar spine
should be arched just enough to slide the palm of your
hand between your back and the dowel rode. Your
primary objective is to inhale and allow the
transverse abdominis to hang out towards the floor,
on exhalation drawn the bellybutton towards the spine.
Avoid any spinal movement during this exercise such as
contracting the gluteus, hamstrings or external
rotators.

To get the most out of this exercise we want to draw the
bellybutton in and hold for a count of 10, then relax
your abdominal region and let it hang towards the floor
for a count of 10. Repeat this 10 seconds in and 10
seconds out for up to two minutes. Repeat this exercise
two to four times per day. To assist you in this
exercise use a kitchen timer and set it for two minutes.

Horse Stance Series

The first part of the horse stance series is Horse Stance
Vertical, which will integrate the mulitifus (or
multifidus) muscle of your spinal column with the other
inner unit musculature. To accomplish this exercise
again get on all fours with your hands directly underneath
your shoulders with your elbow slightly bent. Your knees
should be directly underneath your hips at a 90-degree
angle. The exercise is then performed by raising your
left hand and right knee approximately one cm off the
ground (about the height of the piece of paper). Hold this
position for 10 seconds and repeat with the right hand
and left knee. Alternate back and forth until you have
done the exercise for a total of two minutes. Make sure
to not allow the hamstring to flex the lower legs toward
the ceiling and that the pelvis does not load (shift)
into the hip that is in contact with the ground. To
assist you in this exercise use a kitchen timer and set
it for two minutes.

More advanced horse stance exercises are described on the
inner unit web page.

Heel slides

Heel slides are a great integration exercise for the inner
unit, lower abdominals and lower extremities (outer unit).
To perform the exercise correctly lay supine (back down)
on the floor with your shoes off. In this position with
your hips and knees flexed (about eight inches from the
buttocks) with your spine in neutral position. Place a
blood pressure cuff under your lumbar spine. Pump the
blood pressure cuff up to 40-mm Hg and take deep
diaphragmatic breath. Slowly exhale and draw your belly
button in toward your spine. After exhalation slowly
slide the left leg out away from the start position. No
increase in blood pressure cuff is necessary. If the blood
pressure cuff begins to increase or decrease stop the
movement and slide the leg back to the beginning position.
Make a note of the distance.

The distance is now you're ending point. The goal is to
extend your leg farther out without the blood pressure
cuff changing. The farther you can go out, the better
integration of the inner unit and outer unit. Repeat for
the opposite leg and try to achieve 10 reps at a slow pace
for each leg. DO NOT RUSH THIS EXERCISE. Do this exercise
daily until you can alternate sliding each leg in and out
keeping the blood pressure cuff at 40 mm Hg.

All these exercises can be viewed and with full description
at www.fit-zone.com/innerunit.htm

After doing inner unit exercises for a while you may notice
your lower abdominal region feeling tighter and firmer.

The Outer Unit

The outer unit musculature system aids in movement and
function. The outer unit muscles are basically the prime
movers of the core and extremities such as the internal
oblique, external oblique, rectus abdominis, back, legs,
shoulder girdle and more. They each have vital function in
movement and are connected through four major sling
systems. These slings are the deep longitudinal system,
the lateral system, anterior oblique system and the
posterior oblique system. I brought up the sling
systems so you can understand that the function of our
musculature is much more complex then a simple leg
extension exercise on a machine. If you wish more details
on how the systems effectively contribute to functional
movement patterns, email me at david@fit-zone.com.

An outer unit program consists of exercises that allow for
multi-joint/multi-plane activities. This issue has been
forgotten or not taught in many gyms and exercise programs.
We tend to gravitate toward the new machines in the gym
performing isolation exercises that have no carryover to
everyday working situations. Our bodies were built as a
connective cohesive unit. By isolating muscles we interfere
with the basic general motor programs established millions
of years ago. For example: when you do leg extension on a
machine the amount of neurological impulse through the
muscle to the brain is diminished. It also contributes to
the lack of neurological communication between isolated
muscle (quadriceps) and the other muscle groups. I'm not
saying that leg extension on a machine is always wrong,
there are times in the rehabilitation setting, bodybuilding
and beginning weight training program where this is
appropriate. Once a neurological and muscular base has been
established, however, we must move on to integration of all
the muscles that surround the knee joint, hip joint, pelvis,
core and lower extremities. We need to establish a fully
functional dynamic muscular system.

Some of the exercises I prescribed for outer unit work are:

* Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press on Swiss Ball
* Multi-directional lunge
* Bent over rows
* Chek press

These are by no means the only exercises for the outer
unit.

Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press on Swiss Ball

This exercise challenges the entire muscular system. To
perform this exercise grip dumbbells in your hands that
will allow eight to 10 repetitions. With the dumbbells
in hand sit down on a Swiss ball appropriate for your
height. From the seated position gradually walk your
feet and lower extremities away from the ball until you
reach a supine position with your shoulder girdle and head
resting on the Swiss ball and your shinbones perpendicular
to the ground. The dumb bells should be positioned straight
up from the shoulders; elbow slightly flexed and rotated
out. Position the hands in the dumbbells perpendicular to
the body. Gradually extend the right arm at a 90-degree
angle from the body towards the ceiling and gradually
rotate lower right shoulder and shoulder girdle off the
ball while maintaining a good structural position.
Gradually returned the dumbbell to its starting position
while simultaneously extending your left hand and dumbbell
towards the ceiling in the same manner. Alternate right and
left arms until you have reached the prescribed
repetitions.

Lunge-Static and Dynamic

The static and dynamic lunges are excellent interactive
exercises for the core musculature and lower extremities. I
chose these exercises because they are neurologically
challenging to the entire body. To perform the static
lunge (base level) place a dowel rod across your shoulder
gripping it at shoulder width. Keep your elbows under your
wrists, this aids in activation of the thoracic erectors and
helps stabilize the core. Make sure your posture is upright
with neutral spinal curves (no bending, shifting or leaning).
Draw your belly button in and upward activating the inner
unit. Slowly step forward with either leg until your shinbone
is perpendicular to the floor. Once you have reached the
lunge position with your upper body erect, allow your back
leg to descend to the floor until your knee gently touches
the floor making a special note to keep the shin-bone on
your lead leg perpendicular to the floor. Return slowly to
the pre-descend position. Repeat lunge for eight to 10
repetitions with the same leg then repeat for the opposite
leg. Slowly work up to three sets per leg.

The dynamic lunge is similar to the static lunge except for
you return to the standing position after each repetition.
Alternate legs until you have built up enough strength and
stabilization to perform eight to 10 repetitions for each
leg. After you feel comfortable doing the dynamic lunge
alternating, kick it up a notch and do the desired
repetitions for one leg at a time. Special note about the
lunge exercise DO NOT SHORT STEP. Short stepping the lunge
is when the shinbone moves forward and the knee moves past
the ankle joint. Short stepping indicates a quad dominant
neurological system. For women this can spell disaster!
Women have a much higher degree of quad dominance indicating
muscular imbalance in the lower extremities. This imbalance
could be one reason why women have more orthopedic knee
problems.

Bent Over Rows

The bent over row contributes to good strength and postural
stabilization. This exercise also strengthens the shoulder
girdle and effectively improves postural muscles such as
hamstrings, glutes and all deep hip muscles, low back,
Latissimus dorsi spinal erectors and core. To perform this
exercise, properly maintain neutral spinal curves. Grip the
barbell with a closed downward grip. Stand with feet wider
than shoulder width and knees flexed at 30 degrees, which
engages Iliotibial band. Your torso must maintain a
45-degree angle at all times. This starting position
resembles a second baseman stance in baseball. Take deep
diaphragmatic breath drawing in the bellybutton. With the
barbell at knee level gradually raise the bar to the
bottom of your sternum. Keep the forearms perpendicular
to the ground not allowing them to travel posteriorly as
you raise the weight. Slowly return the weight to the
starting position. Repeat for the recommended amount of
repetitions. I recommended a repetition range between eight
and 12 and tempo of the three seconds to raise the weight,
followed by two seconds holding the weight in the up
position and five seconds to lower the weight. This slow
tempo aids with overall muscular integration and
neurological conditioning. Work up to three sets.

Chek Press (modified Arnold press)

The Chek press is one of my favorite exercises for
strengthening and integrating back musculature with the
shoulder girdle. To perform the Chek presses choose
dumbbells that will allow for eight to 10 repetitions.
With dumbbells in hand sit on a bench with proper neutral
spinal alignment (erect trunk). With the dumbbells shoulder
height palms facing each other and forearms perpendicular
to the floor gradually opening your arms as if you are
opening a book. Proceed to push the dumbbells to an
overhead position bringing the dumbbells together in front
of you as if you are closing a book. Lower the dumb bells
to the starting position and repeat for the desired
repetitions.

These exercises can be viewed at
www.fit-zone.com/outerunit.htm


When the inner and outer unit works together as a cohesive
unit we greatly improve our daily lives by reducing the
risk of joint injuries, ligamentous and muscular strain
and low back pain.

The next issue we will undertake is posture. Posture is the
position by which movement begins and ends. Having proper
postural alignment enables the body to perform movements
quicker with less joint and muscular strain. A qualified
physical therapist or a CHEK practitioner in your area
should evaluate posture. If you're interested in a CHEK
practitioner in your area please email me at
mailto:david@fit-zone.com.

The body is designed to work at the most economical level
thus saving energy for future use. We spend more energy
maintaining misalign posture thus creating a situation
for muscular and joint pain to arise. Think of yourself
like a skyscraper, if the skyscraper leaned to the left for
10 floors and then a little to the right 10 floors and so
on you would not enter the building. However, we let
ourselves become such a building. We compromise our
body's integrity by not maintaining proper posture
resulting in decreased circulation (leading to varicose
veins), muscular pain, joint pain and many other
conditions.

Women in general tend to develop poor posture because of
many factors. Women tend to have more clerical and
computer oriented jobs that demand sitting in a chair
eyeing a computer screen for long periods of time. They
also wear high heel shoes, which leads to an alteration
and compensation of their posture (if you want to know
more about this just e-mail me). The development
of breast tissue or the augmentation of breasts can lead to
many postural changes. Women also have less musculature to
maintain proper alignment leading to rounded shoulders,
forward head posture, hyper extended knees and increased
thoracic and lumbar curve. Men do develop all of these
postural problems but at a different degree and rate
depending on their situation.

To improve our posture and reduce structural damage we
should adhere to a corrective postural exercise program.
This simple yet productive program will combat the effects
of bad posture and help alleviate joint and muscular pain.

Exercises for correcting posture:

* Prone Cobra
* Axial Extension Trainer
* Wall Leans
* Cervical Extension using a blood pressure cuff

Prone Cobra

Prone Cobra is a great postural strengthening and endurance
exercise. To perform this exercise lay face down on a
comfortable surface. Maintaining proper spinal alignment
gradually raise your chest off the ground while
simultaneously externally rotating your arms outward in
conjunction with supination of the hands (when you are
in the correct position your thumbs are pointing toward
the ceiling like a thumbs up from Fonzi). The shoulder
blades should be gradually drawn together while keeping
the head from flexing or extending. Maintain this position
for 10 seconds then return to the starting position and
rest for 10 seconds. Repeat this sequence 10 times, two to
three times per day. To assist you in this exercise use a
kitchen timer.

Axial Extension Trainer

The axial extension exercise is performed by standing
straight up in perfect functional posture. The exercise
is performed for two minutes at a time and six to eight
times per day. To perform the axial extension trainer
stand up as though you have a balloon tied to the top
of your head and it's pulling you toward the sky. Another
variation is to place a five-pound diver's weight on the
top of your head. Placing the diver's weight on the top
of your head will excite all of your postural muscles
and encourage proper alignment.

Wall Leans

Wall leans are great exercise for exciting the cervical,
thoracic extender musculature and postural endurance. To
perform the exercise stand with your head shoulders
buttocks and heels against a wall. Place a soft towel
behind your head for comfort. Walk your feet out one foot
from the wall while maintaining rigid standing posture.
Make sure that your hands are at your side. Maintain
this position 30-45 seconds depending upon your current
situation. Repeat this exercise three to four times per
day for 30-45 seconds each time. Work up to two minutes
in the wall lean position.

Cervical Flexors
With a blood pressure cuff

Lie comfortably on the floor and place the blood pressure
cuff under your cervical spine (neck area). Pump the of
blood pressure cuff up to 40 mm Hg. Tuck your chin to
your chest and gently apply pressure to the blood
pressure cuff with your neck extender's musculature. The
blood pressure cuff should rise up 10 mm Hg to 50 mm Hg.
Hold this position for 15 seconds, rest for 10 seconds
and repeat this cycle for two minutes.

All these exercises can be viewed at
www.fit-zone.com/posture.htm

BASIC CORE CONDITIONING

After completing the inner unit exercise program and you
have corrected basic postural misalignment you can move on
to basic core training. A strong and stable core will
contribute to stabilization of large and small joint
structures. The core exercises should work the outer unit
muscles in all three planes of motion. The transverse
plane (rotation), sagittal plane (backwards/forward) and
frontal plane (left and right). Knowing the planes of
motion is not necessary for improving your core strength
and coordination, but I tell you so you understand the
madness behind the meaning (do you mean meaning behind the
madness?).

Any person can benefit from a good core-conditioning
program. Whether you're a mountain climber, housewife
doing daily chores, an athlete at any level or construction
worker. We all need core conditioning to carry out our
daily activities and reduce injury. Women in particular
can benefit from inner unit and postural improvement plus
the addition of outer unit and core exercises. One reason
is women have a wider pelvis for child bearing. This
sometimes leads to a knock knee lower body posture. This
knock knee position creates muscle imbalances, sheer force
through pelvis and compression in lumbar spine. A simple
squat with a belt around your knees can dramatically
improve your situation. If you or someone you know suffers
from knock-knee alignment e-mail me david@fit-zone.com

The following core exercises contribute to functional
integration of body for both men and women. The core is
the bridge between the upper and lower body. These
exercises will provide maximum benefit.

A core-conditioning program should follow the correct
order. Always train your lower abdominals first followed
by your oblique musculature and finishing off with the
upper abdominals. This exercise order is determined by
the neurological demand for each region of your core.

Please note:

All inner unit exercises are extremely important before
beginning a core-conditioning program. I must caution
against doing any of these exercises without good
functioning spine and pelvis. Do not do any of these
exercises if you have any spinal orthopedic problems.

As you know by now we must have good stabilization at the
joint level coupled with proper activation of the
transverse abdominis (girdle) to prevent our joints,
big and small, from deterioration. Again, please consult
your physician before starting any exercise program
especially if you have any joint deterioration.

The major muscles of the core consist of the internal
oblique, external oblique, rectus abdominis, transverse
abdominis, quadratus lumbar and the spinal erectors.
A good core program should coordinate all these muscles
as one working unit. Below you'll find some basic core
exercises I have used with great success.

Reverse Trunk Flexion
(lower abdominals)

The reverse trunk flexion is a multi-joint movement
designed to target the abdominal region. The exercise
starts out with contraction of the lower abdominals
and progresses to the upper rectus abdominis. The
oblique musculature assists in stabilization of the
pelvis during the movement.

Exercise notes: Keep your shoulder blades on the bench
though out the exercise. Avoid any arching of your back
at the lumbar region. Keep the tempo or movements slow
and keep the upper body in proper neutral alignment.
Make sure you only go down far enough to touch your
sacrum keeping your thighs perpendicular to the floor.

Lie on a flat bench with your back flat, scapula and
sacrum pressed firmly against the bench. With your
legs together, flex them to 90 degrees or perpendicular
to the bench. Hold firmly to the top edge of the bench,
a platform or stationary object to anchor the upper
body down. Slowly proceed to contract the lower abdominal
region by pulling the pelvis up towards the rib cage.
Continue to pull the pelvis towards the rib cage until
the abdominals are fully contracted and the hips are
rolled up slightly off of the padded bench. Slowly lower
the trunk and pelvis to the starting position. Repeat
the exercise for the desired repetitions. Repetition
range should stay within eight to 12.

Woodchopper
(internal and external obliques)

This is an excellent exercise for integration and strength
within the core musculature. This is an advanced exercise
so please be cautious while learning this technique. The
woodchopper exercise is exactly what it sounds like~a
diagonal motion across your body. This exercise can be done
with the cable system or a dumbbell. Take a stance shoulder
width apart or slightly wider with the cable handle hanging
outside your right shoulder. Position your body in an
athletic or second base position stance perpendicular to
the handle. Reach up with your left hand and grasp the
handle with an over handgrip. Proceed to grip the handle
with your right hand covering your left hand, basically
gripping the handle with both hands. Slowly draw your
bellybutton in and proceed to pull the cable diagonally
across your body until the handle is outside your left
pocket. Keep your arms stiff and straight and do not lean
forward flexing the spine. Slowly reverse the direction to
the starting position. Do the exercise to the left and right
sides. This rotational movement effectively integrates core
musculature with the upper and lower extremities. The
woodchopper should be performed for about 10 repetitions on
the three seconds down and three seconds up-tempo. This
exercise does not need to the done with huge amount of
weight.

Supine Lateral Ball Roll

The supine lateral ball roll is a great exercise for
training the core musculature and contributing stabilizing
musculature in all three planes of motion. This exercise is
demanding to the musculature and neurological systems. The
exercise integrates the obliques, gluteus, hamstrings,
quadriceps, neck and all shoulder girdle musculature. It
needs to be performed correctly so please read the
description thoroughly. Using a dowel rod makes this
exercise easier. Place a dowel rod across your chest and
grip it with wide arms and palms up. Sit on the Swiss ball
appropriate to your height*, walk your feet out away from
the ball until your shoulder girdle and head is comfortably
resting on the apex (top) of the ball. Make sure your shins
are perpendicular to the ground and you stay in good
horizontal alignment throughout the exercise. Maintain
neutral head and neck alignment, and hold the tongue on the
roof the mouth to stabilize the cervical spine. Do not let
the pelvis dip. Draw your bellybutton towards the spine
with the initiation of lateral movement. Keep pelvis high,
glutes and hamstrings must remain contracted. While in this
position gradually slide laterally towards the right until
your right scapula is off the Swiss ball. Keep the dowel rod
parallel to the floor at all times. Hold this position for
one second. Return to start position and gradually slide
laterally towards the left until the left scapula is off this
was ball. This completes one repetition. Repetition range is
from six to eight; tempo is slow to moderate. Work up to
three sets. *Swiss ball height can be found at
www.fit-zone.com/swissball.htm

Trunk flexion (crunch)

Trunk flexion or "crunch" sit-up is the most popular
exercise for conditioning the abdominal region. However, if
the crunch sit-up is not performed with additional abdominal
exercises like the ones mentioned earlier it could have a
detrimental effect on your body over time. When performed
correctly the crunch is a good upper abdominal region
strengthening exercise. The crunch exercise from the floor
position leads to a more ridged thoracic spine. It also
contributes to a shortened rectus abdominis, which intern
pulls the rib cage towards the pelvis resulting in poor
postural alignment. Again if the crunch is overused the
rectus shortens and the thoracic spine becomes more rigid.
This scenario leads to the inability to extend backward
causing injury and poor posture. If you're a beginner of
trunk flexion or crunch exercise, perform it lying on the
floor. To perform the exercise correctly, maintain proper
neutral posture in the cervical spine. Place your tongue
on the roof of your mouth preventing shear forces through
your cervical spine. Keep the lower back pressed firmly
against the floor throughout the exercise. Place arms across
your chest. Move slowly contracting your rectus abdominis
moving up one vertebra at a time. Keep tension in the
abdominals at all times. Do not let your chin dropped to
your chest. A good way to maintain neutral posture in the
cervical spine is to pretend your chin is traveling towards
the ceiling. Once you have reached full contraction slowly
return to the start position. To increase the difficulty,
place your arms out to the side with your fingertips on your
cheekbones. Once you've worked up to three sets of 12 to 15
repetitions and feel comfortable doing this exercise, move
the exercise to a Swiss ball. To find out how to properly
perform the Swiss ball trunk flexion e-mail me at
david@fit-zone.com

If you would like a personal program designed especially
for you or if you wish to have more information about
anything I've discussed above, email me at
david@fit-zone.com and put "exercises program" in the
subject line.

David J. Grisaffi, C.H.E.K.II, Corrective Exercise
Kinesiologist, www.fit-zone.com, david@fit-zone.com

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