184/365 Aye Aye Captain!

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

The rectus abdominis muscle originates at your pubis and is inserted in your ribs. What does this mean for you? Your muscles contract from insertion to origin which means that when you do crunches, you are bringing your chest to your knees. Concentric contractions like this are not the only ways you can work your abdominals. You can also work them eccentrically by doing the Captain's Chair exercise.

 1. Rest forearms on arm pads and back against cushion. You can also grip a bar overhead.

2. Hold body up by pressing weight into arm cushions, keep shoulders down. If you're holding a bar, steady yourself.

3. Hang legs straight down. Slowly, bring knees up. To make it more difficult, keep legs straight and hinge from the hips.

4. Slowly, bring knees/legs down into starting position.


This exercise will work your hip flexors when you bring your knees up and your abdominals when you bring your knees down.

In health,

Lauren

77/365 Hips Don't Lie

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Hip strength is incredibly important for all athletes and exercisers. Unfortunately, hips are often neglected during strength training. By strengthening your hips, you will prevent injury and also be a better runner.

When we run or walk, we are supposed to put one foot right in front of the other. Our knees are supposed to drive straight up and straight back down, not inwards or outwards. Running excessively with bad form will ultimately result in injury. Our knees are only meant to take so much pressure; stacking your weight onto your knees at a bad angle with only exacerbate it. This bad angle is most likely due in part to weak hips. Our hips are able to do many things: abduct (leg out to the side), adduct (bring the leg back to the body), flex (bring the leg forward), and extend (bring the leg back). It's important that all of the muscles involved for making these possible are balanced. Women tend to have weak abductors and are at a greater disadvantage because of our naturally wide birthing hips that men are without.

An exercise to strengthen those abductors begins with you lying on the floor:
1. Lie on your left side on the floor.

2. Rest your head on your extended left arm or on your left hand (arm bent). Bend your left knee behind you for stabilization.

3. With your right leg straight, lift it up to the side with toe pointed up.
4. Flex right foot and bring right leg down with control.
5. Repeat on both sides.

In health,

Lauren