Everyone by now has heard the term “core strength” and about how it’s so important to have it. The core consists of abdominal, back, shoulder blade, hip, and glute muscles, in other words, the muscles in your trunk that support the spine. Core strength helps to prevent and recover from a host of injuries, not to mention improve your self image and make you stand a little taller. When I teach my clients to do a bridge, I emphasize squeezing the glutes together to activate them and maintaining smooth, slow movements. The more control you have, the better your core strength. If you feel cramping in your hamstrings (backs of your thighs) with this exercise, then you need to work on squeezing your buttocks together to activate your glutes. This means your glutes are significantly weak and is something you should focus on improving in your workouts. Here are a few videos of a favorite core strengthening exercise: the bridge, and a few of its variations.
Bridging Progressions and a cool Canadian accent
Bridging with arm movements
Shoulder Bridge with Hip Rotation
Bridging with a Physioball- Expert Village
Bridging and Hamstring Curl with Physioball
Straight Leg Bridging with Physioball- Adam Ford Ridgeline Fitness
My name is Monique Serpas, PT, DPT. I am a physical therapist that practices at HealthReach Rehab-Norhshore in Glendale,WI. I realize how difficult it can be to overcome an injury or manage a chronic condition and am focused on helping my clients achieve wellness through a physically active lifestyle. I treat orthopaedic, balance, and vestibular disorders and practice using a combination of hands-on manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and education. This enables my patients to assist in their own recovery and injury prevention. I worked with a multidisciplinary team at HealthReach to develop an evidence-based program for the prevention of falls in older adults. I also developed a golf rehab and injury prevention program for HealthReach Sports Medicine. I hold a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Concordia University Wisconsin (2008) and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Louisiana State University (2004). I am a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Wisconsin Physical Therapy Association (WPTA), and the Orthopaedic and Neurology sections of the APTA. I serve on the state board of the WPTA.
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Self Myofascial Release with Foam Rolling
March 5, 2010
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