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Beyond
The Crunch
By Theresa
Cochran, PFT, CFC, AFLCA
Strong abdominal muscles are vital to support daily living as well as to help
support recreational pursuits. It is critical to the health of the back and the
stability of the body, to strengthen all of core muscles. Thus, it gradually
improves your skiing or snowboarding performance.
To examine the anatomy of abdominals, individuals need to be aware of the types
of muscles and their different functions. The core muscle groups that are
important for skiing and snowboarding are the Transverse Abdominis, the internal
and external Obliques, the Rectus Abdominis, the Erector Spinae and the pelvic
floor muscles.
The Transverse
Abdominis is the deepest muscle of the abdominal wall. It is
located below the belly button and wraps around the entire body. It stabilizes
the pelvis and spine during movement. During activities or exercise the Transverse helps to hold the body in an upright
position and plays a major role in balance.
The Internal
and External Obliques
are located on the sides of the core area. When the Obliques are activated on
only one side of the body they rotate the trunk and bend the body to the side.
When snowboarding an individual often rotates their body and legs to opposite
sides. To rotate the body to opposite sides effectively an individual must
strengthen their oblique muscles.
The Rectus Abdominis is
the most superficial muscle. It works with all the other core muscles to
stabilize the pelvis.
The Erector Spinae
muscles are the prime movers in back extension (bending backwards).They ascend
the spine on both sides. These muscles are very active while a person is skiing
or snowboarding because they lean forward and hold that position for a long
period of time. Without strong Erector Spinae muscles, the result will be a sore
back.
All of these core muscles are responsible in some way to stabilize the spine
while the rest of the body engages in movement. It is crucial for a stable
skiing or snowboarding technique that the core muscles are trained in the way
that they are going to be used on the slopes. Train the stabilizers in a way
that dictate how they function. An individual needs to incorporate exercises
that encourage stabilization at the same time as movement into their fitness
program. Think beyond the crunch!
A skier or snowboarder needs to have great abdominal strength and stability. An
example of a stabilization exercise to increase these core areas would be a
'front bridge' or a 'plank'. Starting from a prone position (face down) on the
floor, place the elbows directly below the body and lift body off the ground
from the knees, and then from the toes as you get stronger. Keep the body in a
straight line while keeping the abdominal muscles contracted.
In this position, drop one hip at a time towards the floor and hold for 5
seconds, repeat 5 on each side. Another example of a core conditioning exercise
that will improve balance and stability, is kneeling on the hands and knees on a
stability ball. This creates instability in the body and encourages the core
muscles to work very hard to keep a person from falling off the ball.
Incorporate a medicine ball into training by sitting on the floor with knees
bent and upper body lowered to a 45-degree angle. Hold a medicine ball in the
hands and rotate the upper body side to side. This will encourage the obliques
to work while the Transverse Abdominis stabilizes the lower extremities.
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