New Delhi: Strong abdominal and back muscles are essential for doing everyday tasks, like lifting your 20-pound toddler or picking up heavy bags, not to forget preventing an achy back or maintaining good posture at your desk.
Core muscles act as a central link in a chain connecting our upper and lower body. Thus, weak core muscles can impair how well our arms and legs function.
Here are some of the exercises recommended by Rashmi Gupta (MPT Sports), Physiotherapist at Aktiv Health that every girl should do to keep their core strong.
1 Transverse Abdominus Activation
Contract your lower abdominals as if you were trying to lift one leg from the table. Initiate the movement but do not lift foot greater than 1 inch from the table. Repeat opposite side. Perform 15 repetitions 2 sets.
2 Sahrmann Lower Abdominal Exercise
Start with both knees bent, and your feet on the table. Tighten your abdominal muscles, like you are drawing your mid-section to your belly button. Lift 1 leg to a 90-degree hip flexion position, then the second leg to the same position (just like Level 1). Touch the first heel to the table, slide it along the table until the leg is straight, return to the 90-degree position. Repeat with the second leg (touch, slide along the table, slide back). Lower 1 leg to the starting position, then the second leg. Do 10 reps and 3 - 4 sets.
3 Table Top with Marching
Begin in the table-top position with lower abdominal muscles engaged, low back flat against the ground (90 degrees at your hips and knees). Then alternate tapping your heels to the ground one at a time. Between each tap, return to the starting position before alternating to the opposite leg. Tapping the ground with each heel once is one repetition. Do 10 reps and 3 - 4 sets.
4 Straight leg press up- Rotation
While lying on your back, cross your legs and lift them straight up. Next, flatten your low back so that it thrusts your legs a few inches upwards towards the ceiling. While maintaining this position with your low back flat on the floor, slowly rock your legs side-to-side as shown. Do 10 reps and 3 - 4 sets.
