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 Expert
Posts: 1395
  
Location: Missouri | On a human, that is. What are your tried and true exercises to build core strength? Specifically, a machine at the gym you really really like? I've tried to make myself to crunches and what have you at home but I never get more than a few min done a day.
I do a few spin classes a week, use the elliptical, so my thighs and legs are in decent shape. But I'm kind of a newbie when it comes to resistance and weight training. I know I really need to work on my core muscles to be able to ride more effectively.
Suggestions? |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 564
| I would like to know as well...I need to do something for my body..like asap.. |
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| One word... YOGA |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| All things legs.
Squats, deadlifts, leg press, Bulgarian squats, walking lunges, hip thrusts, leg curls, glute ham raises, cable kick backs, abducter, and sumo squats.
Break those excercises into two days in the week and get after it.
Start with body weight then add ten to twenty pounds every week, sets of four, 12 reps.
These excercises will make your legs amazingly strong, and your core works overdrive for pretty much all of them too. You’ll be super happy with the difference you can feel in your riding, I promise you.
If you question form, find someone knowledgeable that can help you or get on Pinterest and look up each one until you’re confident. Don’t do deadlifts or squats without someone to show you how.
Edited by classicpotatochip 2019-02-06 11:29 PM
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 Dog Resuce Agent
Posts: 3459
Location: southeast Texas | Planking |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | classicpotatochip - 2019-02-06 11:20 PM
All things legs.
Squats, deadlifts, leg press, Bulgarian squats, walking lunges, hip thrusts, leg curls, glute ham raises, cable kick backs, abducter, and sumo squats.
Break those excercises into two days in the week and get after it.
Start with body weight then add ten to twenty pounds every week, sets of four, 12 reps.
These excercises will make your legs amazingly strong, and your core works overdrive for pretty much all of them too. You’ll be super happy with the difference you can feel in your riding, I promise you.
If you question form, find someone knowledgeable that can help you or get on Pinterest and look up each one until you’re confident. Don’t do deadlifts or squats without someone to show you how.
Thank you! I have a pt friend that would show these to me in person if needed! I'd prefer to do my resistance training days at home just bc then I don't have to drag my kids to the gym with me. But crunches and the like are so boring. Thanks for your suggestions! |
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 Cute Little Imp
Posts: 2747
Location: N Texas | roxieannie - 2019-02-07 7:11 AM
Planking
Yep, on your elbows. A great exercise that I really feel the burn with is when you're in the plank position (on your hands and toes, not your elbows), then bring your left knee to your right elbow, then your right knee to your left elbow, and repeat. Do two or three sets of sixteen (eight for each leg). To me they feel more effective than crunches and work a larger part of your core. |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| classicpotatochip - 2019-02-06 11:20 PM
All things legs.
Squats, deadlifts, leg press, Bulgarian squats, walking lunges, hip thrusts, leg curls, glute ham raises, cable kick backs, abducter, and sumo squats.
Break those excercises into two days in the week and get after it.
Start with body weight then add ten to twenty pounds every week, sets of four, 12 reps.
These excercises will make your legs amazingly strong, and your core works overdrive for pretty much all of them too. You’ll be super happy with the difference you can feel in your riding, I promise you.
If you question form, find someone knowledgeable that can help you or get on Pinterest and look up each one until you’re confident. Don’t do deadlifts or squats without someone to show you how.
I agree with this. I have been working out hard for awhile but knew I was missing a few muscle groups so started an 8 week challenge with a PT.
This was one video on my Tuesday workout. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKV3q4o8qMo&t=385s
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| MOGirl07 - 2019-02-07 8:31 AM
classicpotatochip - 2019-02-06 11:20 PM
All things legs.
Squats, deadlifts, leg press, Bulgarian squats, walking lunges, hip thrusts, leg curls, glute ham raises, cable kick backs, abducter, and sumo squats.
Break those excercises into two days in the week and get after it.
Start with body weight then add ten to twenty pounds every week, sets of four, 12 reps.
These excercises will make your legs amazingly strong, and your core works overdrive for pretty much all of them too. You’ll be super happy with the difference you can feel in your riding, I promise you.
If you question form, find someone knowledgeable that can help you or get on Pinterest and look up each one until you’re confident. Don’t do deadlifts or squats without someone to show you how.
Thank you! I have a pt friend that would show these to me in person if needed! I'd prefer to do my resistance training days at home just bc then I don't have to drag my kids to the gym with me. But crunches and the like are so boring. Thanks for your suggestions!
I mostly work out at home but things got stale so I ordered a few yoga DVDs.. body by yoga is amazing, it's hard but you can pick and choose your level. I absolutely love doing this kind of yoga, I honestly sweat and burn more doing these DVDs than running for 40 minutes on my treadmill. You can get the DVDs pretty cheap on amazon. I always tell people this ain't church yoga, its intense! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1100
Location: Southeastern Idaho | I have injured my back 3 times (herniated the same disc twice) and am big on doing core work. One word - Planks!!!! I get on Pintrest, search core workouts and "kill" myself 4 -5 mornings a week. I also sit on a ball in my office, no chairs. Its made a huge difference and I don't have back pain very often any more. I can see a huge difference in being able to stay forward and stay balanced when I am roping now vs. right after my injuries healed. |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12703
| For those of us who have passed a certain age (different for everyone) and can no longer do squats, thrusts, planks and other high stress exercises --
Floor ab work, yoga moves and stretching. Add a new ab exercise or yoga move weekly until you are taking up all your allotted time.
You may not get 'buff,' but you will ride better and won't hurt afterward, or get hurt as easily from unplanned quick motions (spooks). |
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Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| lonely va barrelxr - 2019-02-07 9:51 AM
For those of us who have passed a certain age (different for everyone) and can no longer do squats, thrusts, planks and other high stress exercises --
Floor ab work, yoga moves and stretching. Add a new ab exercise or yoga move weekly until you are taking up all your allotted time.
You may not get 'buff,' but you will ride better and won't hurt afterward, or get hurt as easily from unplanned quick motions (spooks).
Also true. I have a bad knee and a bad shoulder so I have to do a lot of modifications. I worked with a PT about a year ago when I wanted to do more strength building and learned lower impact modifications. Squats hurt my knee super bad but we just adjusted my stance a little bit and now I can do them without many issues after (this is just me obv).
I had a Pilates DVD - low impact but kicked my butt bad!!!! |
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Veteran
Posts: 289
Location: Northeast SD | Anything that works on your balance is also working on your core. When balancing concentrate on the core muscles.
No machine is really going to help it is mostly what you can do on the ground. Variations of planks, side planks, movement planks. |
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11490
Location: 31 lengths farms | When you are stuck at home try getting down and planking or doing a series of crunches every time a commercial comes on, either for the entire commercial period, or one commercial or for a set of say 30. Fits core strength into what you are doing.
Anytime you change the leg position on a core exercise you change the muscle group you are working also so don't forget to do that. We do a set we refer to as "The series from H*ll" but it is actual kind of quick and kicks your butt.
30x crunches with legs straight
10x a hollow hold position , shoulders/head and legs up off the ground in a hollowed position then with arms straight and hands near your hips pulse arms up and down 10 X
30x crunches with legs crossed rt over left
10x hollow/pulse
30 crunch left over rt
10x hollow pulse
30x crunch knees bent
10x hollow pulse
30x crunch legs in butterfly
10x hollow pulse
30x bent leg hip lift
10x hollow pulse
30xstraight leg hip lift
10x hollow pulse
remember to stretch it out afterwards and you may need to build up to these numbers, maybe start with 20 and 5.
Plank position with feet on a ball, elbows on floor or plank with elbows on ball, change it up.
Can also put feet on ball, hands on the floor and roll the ball in towards your hands and back out.
Feet on ball and alternate taking 1 foot off ball and bring knee towards opposite shoulder.
Feet on all and alternate taking 1 knee toward same side shoulder.
Seated position, legs straight, try to keep hands up near knees, lift one leg as high off the floor as you can, hold, then pulse foot up and down from floor to again as high as you can lift it say 10x, hold, the small pulses, then hold. Do other side. Always keeping hands as close to knees as you can, do not lean backwards. Try to work up to being able to flutter kick both legs keeping hands near knees.
Repeat this in straddle position.
Can also do this series standing, obviously you don't have to keep hands near knees on this, stay close to the wall or a chair to balance. |
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Veteran
Posts: 134
| Pilates has drastically helped me build up my core and overall strength. I did a beginner calendar where I worked out 5-6 times a week but now my goal is 3x per week where I focus on either upper body, lower body, or core, but I always do a quick ab video even on non ab days. Most of the videos I do don't even require extra weight, but they are still killer. There are plenty of videos on youtube. I combine that with cardio at least once a week. I can do all of this at my house for free as I hate going to a gym. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1511
Location: Illinois | We used to do an exercise in dance that would kill me. I can't think of the correct term for it. Lay on your back with your arms at your sides. Lift your legs up so they're straight up in the air. Then slowly drop them back to the floor, but don't touch the floor. Keep your heels about 2" off the floor. Hold 10 seconds to start, repeat 5x. Gradually increase the time, we used to do 45 seconds. Also do the same thing with your legs in he air, then move them to the right slowly & don't let them touch the ground. Repeat to the left. Same time & reps. Keep your legs straight in all 3 exercises. When I was doing this my core was so strong it would take a hurricane to unseat me on my horse lol |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | JLazyT_perf_horses - 2019-02-07 3:50 PM
We used to do an exercise in dance that would kill me. I can't think of the correct term for it. Lay on your back with your arms at your sides. Lift your legs up so they're straight up in the air. Then slowly drop them back to the floor, but don't touch the floor. Keep your heels about 2" off the floor. Hold 10 seconds to start, repeat 5x. Gradually increase the time, we used to do 45 seconds. Also do the same thing with your legs in he air, then move them to the right slowly & don't let them touch the ground. Repeat to the left. Same time & reps. Keep your legs straight in all 3 exercises. When I was doing this my core was so strong it would take a hurricane to unseat me on my horse lol
Ohhhh I do a variation of this already (sounds like, from what you are describing)
While I'm at it. Anyone have any specific exercises to tighten up the love handles ? After two kids....I've lost the weight but good grief. That area is so stubborn and it drives me bananas! |
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | Pilates is good too, and of course cross fit if you want to go that route .. |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | Thanks all for your suggestions! I'll be looking into some good workout dvds I can do at home with kids.
I'll save the gym for spin classes and then I'll only be there 3x a week....WAY more feasible than what I am currently doing... |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 705
Location: Weatherford, TX | EagleJess - 2019-02-07 12:14 PM Pilates has drastically helped me build up my core and overall strength. I did a beginner calendar where I worked out 5-6 times a week but now my goal is 3x per week where I focus on either upper body, lower body, or core, but I always do a quick ab video even on non ab days. Most of the videos I do don't even require extra weight, but they are still killer. There are plenty of videos on youtube. I combine that with cardio at least once a week. I can do all of this at my house for free as I hate going to a gym.
Pilates is way worse (hard to do) than yoga. Pilates will work your core big time...core is the premise to Pilates and resistance training. You do not have to use machines if you have a knowledgeable Pilates trainer. The machines are there but you can still get a great workout or warm up without the machines. |
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  Ms. Marine
Posts: 4624
Location: Texas | Lots of planking and running. Make sure you're engaging your core in all of your workouts. |
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Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | BarrelRacing4Christ - 2019-02-08 9:52 PM
Lots of planking and running. Make sure you're engaging your core in all of your workouts.
I used to run quite a bit. Was actually training for a half marathon and had ran a 15k and a few 10k races but my hips got all screwed up. Replaced the running with spin for less impact. |
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 I Prefer a Beard
Posts: 1944
| Also remember your core includes your back don’t forget to work your back extensors.
Edited by caspersabelpip 2019-02-09 5:10 PM
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OT....core work