ADVENT CALENDAR OF CORE: DAY 4

Welcome to Day 4 of the Wild Runners Advent Calendar of Core!

After three days of core exercises, assuming you don’t normally pay such close attention to getting core fit, your core might be feeling a little bit tender. Don’t worry, some muscle discomfort is a normal part of the muscle building process.

As we perform new or harder exercise we cause micro tears in the muscles that we are training. These muscles then adapt and repair, becoming stronger as a result. If we are sensible with recovery, this process will occur in 24 – 48 hours and our soreness will dissipate. If we have gone too hard, our recovery will be longer and adversely affect the next day’s exercise. If this happens, adjust your training. Finding a happy balance between soreness and recovery time is crucial unless we want to spend the next week hobbling around unable to exercise and wasting any good we may have done.

Given this, it is important that we exercise in cycles, causing just the right amount of stress to our muscles and then allowing them to adapt and repair in time for the next round of exercise to kick start the muscle adaption again.

In today’s core tune up we are going to perform the Lunge Walk. This exercise is often used as a warm up before a run and while it requires good core control, it doesn’t require such intense strength. So today we are on easy street. You’re welcome, weary core…

Lunge Walk Exercise Cues

In today’s exercise we will travel forwards so we have a sequence of pictures to show you the move. Plan ahead and perhaps do this exercise outside if your room is quite small.

Start by standing tall and looking ahead. Hold your arms straight up, brushing your ears, with your hands pressed together. Think tall! From this position we are going to raise one leg and take a large controlled step forward. Control the hips, keeping them parallel, as you raise your leg. Note control is the key through this exercise. We aren’t launching forward, we are slowly stepping forward and as we start to fall toward the ground our front leg lands and is used to stop our trailing knee hitting the ground. This slowing down causes eccentric stress in your quad, as the muscle resists lengthening, to slow your descent. Our knee should never hit the ground. Instead, think about allowing your knee to brush the grass but not touch the soil. From this position we stand up and forwards. Return to a tall posture with your hands above your head, mimicking your starting position but a metre or so ahead.

Nice stuff! You have performed a lunge. Repeat this process with your other leg and you will have completed a Lung Walk.

During this exercise always look straight ahead, not at your feet, and hold a tall posture. As you lift one leg, your hips should remain parallel, controlled by your core. When you step out and land on your leading foot, your knee should be kept in line with your foot. Don’t allow it to drop inwards or outwards.

One step of the Lunge Walk should look like this.

Click To View larger Image.

The Exercise Set:

Today’s exercise set is short and sweet so use this chance to really dial in good posture and control.

Whoop! And you are done, nice stuff!

Let us know how you went by commenting on our web page or by posting a picture on Facebook with #CalendarOfCore .

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See you tomorrow Wild Runners.