CAT:
Cue: Ninja Butt. (= Squeeze your butt and make it disappear)
Cue: tuck tailbone under & push hips forward (= posterior hip tilt)
Cue: Shorten your stance (= walk hands back towards knees and push into fingertips)
Cue: Push into a little ball (= whole body squeezes in the front/abs to ACTIVELY stretch back of entire spine SAFELY)
Cue: Round your entire spine (neck to tailbone is an arc, like a halloween cat)
COW:
Cue: Neutral Spine (= there isn't too much arch/hyperextension in low l=back; the curvature is, in fact a neutral spine in the cow posture)
Cue: Brace your core (= push down into tops of feet and palms to lift lower abs up towards your belly)
Cue: Sink shoulders down and back (= shoulders rotate inwards to squeeze shoulder blades down and together)
Start from a dolphin position (elbows under shoulders, hips on ground)
Push elbows down as you tuck tailbone under and drag knees towards elbows
Push shoulder blades apart by pushing elbows down into mat and look down (round neck)
Entire spine should be a C-Shape (tailbone to neck is rounded into an arc, like a halloween cat)
Make sure to drive movement from the lower abs contracting upwards from above hips towards belly
Use the traction of knees pulling upwards (towards elbows) ON THE MAT to create resistance (friction of the mat as it scrunches shorter, as seen in the thumbnail if this video) so that you feel which muscles are working/contracting: the lower abs & glutes squeezing.
Most important part: TAILBONE IS TUCKED UNDER
Hips should be lower than shoulders.
Cue: Ninja Butt. = Squeeze your butt and make it disappear :)
Cue: Rounded spine = tailbone to neck is rounded into an arc, like a halloween cat
Cue: cat posture = the cat in the "cat-cow" exercise
Cue: contract lower abs = use the mat as resistance to drag knees upwards while tucking tailbone under, and you will feel these abs fire up!
2 of the most important core exercises to do everyday! how to do this dynamic duo with proper form and engagement of muscles.
Posture is a REVERSE PLANK! = cat engagement of your hips and ribs while pushing hips forward, but because of the vectore of gravity (leaning backwards), it should appear as a straight line from knees to shoulders.
Tip: keep head neutral to gravity or even look down. Do not lean back your neck unless you want neck tension!
Cue: tuck tailbone under as you press hips forward into your palms (= posterior pelvic tilt)
Cue: pull ribcage down (= do not allow back to arch even slightly!)
Cue: squeeze knees together (= this will take the pressure off your knees and add support from you deep frontal line kinetic chain that connects the inside of your hips to your pelvic floor)
Cue: exhale back inhale forward (= helps to engage six pack contraction)
Imagine you are a Viking!
Six Sins of TRX-ing:
slack on the straps.
sawing straps side to side.
moving too fast. (= you will get slack at the top and pull on your shoulders at the bottom)
moving too slow. (=this will make the exercise 20x harder and you will loose form)
breaking the plank. (= usually hips fall back and you no longer have a straight line from heels to shoulders)
shoulders elevated.
Tip: Lift toes off the ground to help maintain a PLANK from heels to shoulders. You will feel the movement as you hinge on your heels. Yes, this works the muscles that lift your toes/feet upwards. Added bonus of fall prevention!
Cue: Maintain a REVERSE PLANK at all times.
Cue: Push hips forward to keep your body straight (= Reverse Plank)
Cue: Keep Shoulders down and back at all times.
Cue: bring elbows wide to add a squeeze between shoulder blades at the end ROM (range of motion)
Do not fear the TRX Lunge! It PROTECTS your knees because you have the assistance of the TRX.
Cue: Put all the weight in front leg throughout the lunge.
Cue: Use the TRX straps to keep weight back, so knee stays over the hell, not forward above the toes.
Cue: Weight is in the heel of front leg. you should feel the butt wortking!
Cue: Eyes gaze straight forward at eye level (head is neutral to gravity); DO NOT LOOK UP OR DOWN.
Cue: maintain a teeny tiny lean back to have tension on straps at all times
Cue: Shoulders down and back.
Cue: Elbows are always bent, even at the bottom of the lunge. WATCH OUT FOR ARMS GOING STRAIGHT. The straps will pull on the back of shoulders and round posture.
Do this routine as often as possible for strong core, hips, joint mobility, and a healthy spine!
How to follow:
Start with just the first circuit. First 5-10 minutes only. Do it everyday at the same time to build routine.
Next, start going further into the video. If something is too hard, skip that circuit or ask me for a modified version.
Finally, memorize the routine and you can start to do it on autopilot anytime you feel like getting into your body!
Tip: do the portions you feel like your body needs that day as a perfect cool down to your independent cardio sessions :)