ADVENT CALENDAR OF CORE: DAY 3
It’s that time again Wild Runners!
Welcome to Day Three of the Wild Runners Advent Calendar of Core.
You’ve made it to day three – well done. Remember, your core needs you and it deserves 5 minutes of you time.
In today’s core tune up we are building on day one and two to go “around the world”. We have already experienced the plank and the side plank and now, to go “around the world” we need to master the glute bridge. Underactive glutes are a really common problem and will adversely affect your running form. If performed correctly this bridge will help you rediscover your glutes so that you can get them firing when you run.
Glute Bridge Exercise Cues
Like in the picture below, the glute bridge is performed by transferring your weight through your shoulders and heels. During the exercise you must take care to target your glute and not let your hamstrings do the work, we’ll look at those later.
To get into the correct position you need to lay on your back with your knees up and legs bent at 45 degrees. From this position you need to slowly lift yourself into position targeting your glute. As we are performing the exercise think about that $50 bill we’ve been trying so hard not to lose in our other exercises. As you start the bridge, contract your glute muscles to pinch the note and make sure it’s not caught by the wind and lost forever. If you feel your hamstrings kicking in and your glutes relaxing, STOP, readjust and try again. Make sure you are transferring your weight through your heels, not your toes.
Focus on dialling in some quality GLUTE time and stop those hamstrings from kicking in. Again…. Breathe!
Your glute bridge should look like this.
The Exercise Set:
As I have said, today we are going “around the world”. Yesterday, we mastered the side plank and on Day One, we mastered the front plank position. Adding in our glute bridge, we have all of the tools we need for a global adventure. On Day One, we found out which exercise level we should follow, try to stick at that level as we progress through this wonderful calendar.
These exercise are all about form. Anyone can do these exercises sloppily, just like anyone can pick up a heavy box with a bent back and end up with a hernia. We want to improve our strength rather than end up stuck in bed on pain killers. If you find yourself shaking uncontrollably, you are sagging in the middle or your back is starting to ache, STOP.
Here are today’s “around the world” exercises. I hope you enjoy them.
| Step | Instruction | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hold a Front Plank | 10 seconds | 20 seconds | 40 seconds |
| 2 | Rest | 30 seconds | 30 seconds | 20 seconds |
| 3 | Hold a Side Plank on your left arm | 10 seconds | 20 seconds | 40 seconds |
| 4 | Rest | 30 seconds | 30 seconds | 20 seconds |
| 5 | Hold a Glute Bridge | 10 seconds | 20 seconds | 40 seconds |
| 6 | Rest | 30 seconds | 30 seconds | 20 seconds |
| 7 | Hold a Side Plank on your right arm | 10 seconds | 20 seconds | 40 seconds |
| 8 | Rest | 2 mins | 2 mins | 2 mins |
| 9 | Repeat Circuit | 1 more time (2 sets total) | 1 more time (2 sets total) | 1 more time (2 sets total) |
Have you landed here without doing the exercises??? If so, give yourself a 5 minute break from your computer screen, take some ‘you time’ and look after your core.
Let us know how you go by commenting below or by posting a picture on Facebook with #CalendarOfCore .
I hope you are looking forward to Day Four and if you live local, lets meet on the trails!
I’ll leave you with a picture of our Mountain Goats going “around the world” this morning. Until tomorrow….
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Please note: these are exercises recommended for fit and healthy individuals with no medical history. Please consult your doctor to ascertain the suitability of each exercise before following the Calendar of Core.
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