Whether you are
rehabilitating from an injury, trying to get in shape, or training for the next
level in your sport, peak performance is made up of several components.
Knowing the basic components of strength can help you reach your desired level
of performance. Following are examples of some of the exercises that will
help you develop the balance, strength and flexibility you are looking for.
BalanceA
valuable and frequently neglected aspect of fitness. Maintaining or improving
your balance will help you in everything from walking to skiing.
 | 1:
The best place to start is simply standing on one foot looking straight ahead.
Seems easy--try looking up at the ceiling. For all balance activities
squeeze your gluts and abdominals tight. Focusing on a non-moving object
will also assist. |
  | 2,3:
You can take this up a level by standing on a pillow, a trampoline, or a solid
foam pad. An uneven surface provides more challenge. |
| 4,5,6:
Active balance exercises introduce motion while maintaining your balance.
Try balancing then move your free leg in front, to the side and behind you.
Also practice bringing your free leg up towards your upper body while bending
your upper body to meet your leg. |    |
 | Strength:
The first three exercises
are great back to basics strengtheners that can be done anytime.even while you
are watching television. Straight
Leg Raises
Muscles Worked: Quads
Form:
Sitting in a semi-reclined position, one leg bent and the other extended straight.
Tighten your quad and lift your leg to the level of your opposite knee.
Hold for a count of two, then slowly lower. |
 |
| Leg
Abduction Muscles
Worked: Glut Medius. Helps strengthen the rotator muscles of your hip. Form:
Lying on your side with your heel lined up with your butt, lift your upper leg
with your toes turned towards the floor. Hold for a count of two, then slowly
lower. |
|
| Adductor
Ball Squeeze Muscles
Worked: Adductors Form:
Lying on your back with your knees bent, your back flat and a ball between
your knees. Squeeze the ball and hold for a count of five, then slowly release.
|
Introducing
motion to your exercises makes them more functional or realistic for the way we
move in our daily life. The following exercises will strengthen different
muscles that work together to help you in your activities of daily living and
your sports.
  | Mini
Squats Muscles
worked: Gluts and Quads Form:
Keeping your knees over your ankles and lined up over your second toe, sit backwards
as if lowering yourself into a chair. Your legs should be shoulder width
apart and your body weight primarily in your heels. Put your arms out in
front of you to help you counter balance. |
  | Wall
Slides
Muscles worked: Gluts and Quads Form:
Place a physio-ball behind your back. Keep your feet far enough in front
of you that when you slide down, your knees will line up over your ankles. Your
legs should be shoulder width apart with your body weight in your heels.
Bend your knees and lower yourself until your legs are parallel to the ground.
Curling your toes up will help to further engage your Vastus Medialus Obliques. |
| Bridging
Muscles worked: Gluts
and Hamstrings Form:
Lying with your feet flat on the ground tilt your pelvis until you feel your
back flatten. Hold your abdominals tight, squeeze your gluts and lift up.
Maintain your pelvic tilt, keep your shoulder blades down on the floor.
To further engage your hamstrings, lightly pull back through your heels, not actually
allowing them to slide, but enough to engage the muscles. |
|
| Ball
Bridging To
make the previous exercise more challenging try adding a physioball. This
will help improve your core strength and balance. Muscles
worked: Gluts and Hamstrings Form:
Place your heels on the ball. Keeping your knees bent, lift your butt off
the ground and then lower yourself back to the start position. Maintain
a pelvic tilt and contracted abdominals. Start with your hands by your side,
as you get stronger or more confident, try resting on your elbows, eventually
crossing your arms across your chest. | |
| Ball
Hamstring Curl Muscles
worked: Hamstrings and Gluts Form:
Begin with the same motion as bridging on the ball, then pull your heels towards
your butt, rolling the ball. Roll the ball back out. Keep your legs
parallel and squeeze your gluts tight. Keeping your shoulder blades on the
ground and try to keep your butt as high as possible. Like
the ball bridging, as you get stronger, try lifting your arms off the ground. |
|
 |
| Glut
Extension with Abduction Muscles
worked: Gluteus Maximus, Medius, Minimus Form:
Laying on a physioball, Maintain a pelvic tilt, pushing your pubic bone into the
ball. Keep your legs together, squeeze your butt and lift your legs off
the ground. Once up, pull your legs apart still moving in a slightly upward
motion. Bring your legs together and lower, do not touch the ground before
repeating. | |
 |
| Single
Leg Squat Muscles
Worked: Gluts and Quads Form:
Keep your weight back in your heels. Balancing on one leg, slowly lower
yourself down, keeping your knee over your ankle. Press up through your
heel and raise to the starting position. Different
Variations: During your first few sessions of this exercise rest
your hand on something to help you balance. Option
A: Slow and Continuous
3
counts down and 3 counts up Option
B: Speed Drills
Still maintaining good form and maybe just
a finger on a table for balance, see how many you can perform in a minute.then
a minute and a half. Option
C: ½ Foam Roller Balance
The foam roller will throw
in a new dimension to help challenge your balance. Stand on the foam roller
so that it runs the length of your foot. | |
  | Standing
Lunge Muscles
Worked: Gluts and Quads Form:
Standing with one foot a stride length in front of the other. Keep your
weight in your front heel. Lower your body straight down allowing your rear
heel to lift off the ground and keeping the front knee over the front ankle.
Press back up squeezing your butt and pressing through your front heel. |
  | Step
Ups Muscles
Worked: Gluts and Quads Form:
Using a step or a low bench. Place one leg on the step, maintaining
even hips try to press yourself up using the leg on the step, not by pushing off
from the ground. Slowly lower yourself back to the ground again keeping
your hips even. |
  | Step
Downs Muscles
Worked: Gluts and Quads Form:
You will not be stepping all the way down. Start this move on a bench or
stair. Slowly lower one heel about two inches over the edge of the stair
keeping your weight in the heel of the other foot. Raise and lower in this
small range. |
  | Calf
Raises Muscles
Worked: Gastrocnemius Form:
Standing with something to lightly hold onto for balance. Slowly raise up onto
your toes. Try to stay up over your big toe. Slowly lower. Variation:
To make them a little more difficult, try doing these on a step. Stand on
the ball of your toes with your heels hanging over the edge of the step.
Slowly raise and lower allowing the heel to lower below the level of the step
each time. |
For each of these
exercises start with 2 sets of 12 and gradually increase to 3 sets of 15.
Performed 2-3 times a week, you will soon find the strength you have been looking
for. |
