Deep muscles
Happy Monday everyone! It's been a while I have updated my blog since I have been very busy with work, chores, working out and even traveling a little (I had a nice short Lapland trip recently! More pics about that on my IG ;) ). While my life being so hectic I don't always have as much time for taking care of my body as I would like to have and I hate to admit but I have been ignoring deep muscle workouts and stretching for a while now...well like I posted before I recently got severe back pain and also my knee and now my shoulder too are hurting.All of these body parts have been a little sore before, but since neglecting my body maintenance and just working out hard, I developed some repetitive strain injuries which are restricting my workouts quite a lot now. This has made me to realize how important it is to take care of your body, especially if you are exercising a lot!
The most surprising thing I have noticed is that my deep muscles are way weaker than I thought. My physical therapist told me a part reason for my back pain, in addition to my body structure, is that my deep muscles are so weak so that they allow my body to go that naturally wrong position. I have done some heavy lifting at the gym and exercising my shallow abdominal muscles a lot.Even older guys have complimented my ab workout techniques and been wondering the weights I use for abs, but at the same time my deep abs are really not in that good condition after all. They are pretty weak and are not supporting my body the way they are supposed to be. Even deeper glutes of mine are not as activated as they should be and activating both my deeper abs and my hip area and glutes I can have more efficient workouts and help my body to stay healthy. The deep muscles are the base of the posture and the muscle strength and that's why they should be in a good shape to support your body during everyday life and exercising.
For example these deep ab exercises can be a little boring since they are slow pace and tiny movements. I am a person who likes to stay busy and do things as fast as possible but it is actually really good for me to calm down a little and take some time for taking care of my body. Doing only two exercises per day as a starter for your workout to activate your muscles or having these exercises in the middle of your workout routine to keep your deep muscles activated during the whole workout, these quick exercises are not that bad or time consuming after all.
Here are some of my favorite exercises I like to do for my deep abs.
Lie down on your back and raise your legs up in the air on 90 degree angle. Start sliding your legs down in turns and finally both together keeping your knees bent all the time. You don't have to go all the way down, just a little bit so that your core stays activated and your lower back doesn't lose the contact with floor.The whole point is to squeeze your abs towards your back and keep your back in contact to the floor all the time. You can do 3 sets and 10 repeats of this exercise. Right leg-left leg- both legs together combo is one repeat( Check the video on my IG!)
Again lie down on your back and raise your legs straight up in the air towards the ceiling and cross your legs. Now try to lift you bum up so that your hips temporarily lose the contact with the floor. Repeat 10 times and do 3 sets.
Take a big yoga ball and lean against it with your arms. Roll the ball back and forth so that it goes further away from your body and comes back in. Repeat 10 times and do 3 sets. This is better version for a blank if you have lower back issues and your deep abs need activation.
By doing these kind of exercises daily you can strengthen your deep abs in no time and give your body the support it needs. I have been doing these almost daily, I should do then every day according to my physical therapist but I have forgotten them during the days I don't exercise...oops! I'm trying to do better in the future ;) But I do have included these in my workouts and even in a short period of time I have noticed a difference in my body. It feels stronger, more stable and my workouts are getting easier all the time.
In addition to these supportive exercises I have included more stretching, pilates and massage into my routines and I have noticed a big difference! The massage has untied my tight muscles and also helped with the back pain and by stretching and having alternative workout methods I can prevent my muscles to get too tight and ease the strain on my joints. My promise to myself is to keep going like this and not forget the body maintenance in the future either. You should do the same and try how some little, simple differences in your routines can affect the way you feel.
The most surprising thing I have noticed is that my deep muscles are way weaker than I thought. My physical therapist told me a part reason for my back pain, in addition to my body structure, is that my deep muscles are so weak so that they allow my body to go that naturally wrong position. I have done some heavy lifting at the gym and exercising my shallow abdominal muscles a lot.Even older guys have complimented my ab workout techniques and been wondering the weights I use for abs, but at the same time my deep abs are really not in that good condition after all. They are pretty weak and are not supporting my body the way they are supposed to be. Even deeper glutes of mine are not as activated as they should be and activating both my deeper abs and my hip area and glutes I can have more efficient workouts and help my body to stay healthy. The deep muscles are the base of the posture and the muscle strength and that's why they should be in a good shape to support your body during everyday life and exercising.
For example these deep ab exercises can be a little boring since they are slow pace and tiny movements. I am a person who likes to stay busy and do things as fast as possible but it is actually really good for me to calm down a little and take some time for taking care of my body. Doing only two exercises per day as a starter for your workout to activate your muscles or having these exercises in the middle of your workout routine to keep your deep muscles activated during the whole workout, these quick exercises are not that bad or time consuming after all.
Here are some of my favorite exercises I like to do for my deep abs.
Lie down on your back and raise your legs up in the air on 90 degree angle. Start sliding your legs down in turns and finally both together keeping your knees bent all the time. You don't have to go all the way down, just a little bit so that your core stays activated and your lower back doesn't lose the contact with floor.The whole point is to squeeze your abs towards your back and keep your back in contact to the floor all the time. You can do 3 sets and 10 repeats of this exercise. Right leg-left leg- both legs together combo is one repeat( Check the video on my IG!)
Again lie down on your back and raise your legs straight up in the air towards the ceiling and cross your legs. Now try to lift you bum up so that your hips temporarily lose the contact with the floor. Repeat 10 times and do 3 sets.
Take a big yoga ball and lean against it with your arms. Roll the ball back and forth so that it goes further away from your body and comes back in. Repeat 10 times and do 3 sets. This is better version for a blank if you have lower back issues and your deep abs need activation.
By doing these kind of exercises daily you can strengthen your deep abs in no time and give your body the support it needs. I have been doing these almost daily, I should do then every day according to my physical therapist but I have forgotten them during the days I don't exercise...oops! I'm trying to do better in the future ;) But I do have included these in my workouts and even in a short period of time I have noticed a difference in my body. It feels stronger, more stable and my workouts are getting easier all the time.
In addition to these supportive exercises I have included more stretching, pilates and massage into my routines and I have noticed a big difference! The massage has untied my tight muscles and also helped with the back pain and by stretching and having alternative workout methods I can prevent my muscles to get too tight and ease the strain on my joints. My promise to myself is to keep going like this and not forget the body maintenance in the future either. You should do the same and try how some little, simple differences in your routines can affect the way you feel.
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