Nearly every athletic movement involves the use of your Abdominals, Obliques and/or Erector muscles. These muscles are the core of all strength and power movements, as well as the core muscular connection between your upper and lower body. These muscles are either involved in moving your torso or they work to stabilize your mid-section. In addition, these core muscles help provide the balance required to stay on your feet while playing. As a result, these muscles undergo great amounts of stress and need to be conditioned regularly. The stronger these muscles are the more support and stability they can provide. If these muscles are weak and unable to supply the stability your body demands, injury is likely to occur. Therefore, overload and challenge these muscles to build strength just like you do with every other muscle group throughout your body.

Core Series
Note: Remember your goal is to build core strength-endurance not pure muscular endurance. If you can complete 10 repetitions of any exercise with no challenge try a more difficult variation or use extra weight for added resistance with the movement.

Ab Crunch on the floor
Purpose: Develop abdominal muscles
Starting Position:
1. Lie on your back with your knees bend approximately 45? and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Place your hands either behind your ears or crossed over your chest
Procedure:
1. Keeping your lower back in contact with the floor, contract your abdominal muscles trying to touch your ribcage to your pelvis.
2. As you lift your head, neck and shoulders off the ground, keep your head facing upwards, do not tuck your chin to your chest.
3. Hold the up position of a second then slowly lower yourself back down.
Key Points:
1. Do not pull on your head with your arms or tuck your chin to your chest.
2. Do not rest in between each repetition.
Variations:
1. Hold a weight on your chest.
2. Perform the upward motion in three stages, crunching harder at each stage. Slowly lower yourself after the third stage. (3-Count Crunches)

 
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Toe Touches  
Purpose: Develop abdominal muscles
Starting Position:
1. Lie flat on your back with your legs straight up in the air, toes pointed at the ceiling.
2. Extend your arms straight up in the air.
3. Your hips, back and shoulders should all be touching the floor.
Procedure:
1. Contract your abdominal muscles as you reach for your toes. Your back and shoulders should rise off the ground.
2. Hold the up position for a second, then slowly lower yourself.
Key Points:
1. Do not round your shoulders in an attempt to reach your toes.
2. Keep your legs and toes pointed at the ceiling throughout the exercise.
Variations:
1. Hold a weight in your hands.
2. Alternate from side to side, reaching across toward the outside border of your foot.
 
 
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Hip Raises
Purpose: Develop abdominal muscles
Starting Position:
1. Lie flat on your back with your legs straight up in the air, toes pointed at the ceiling.
2. Extend your arms straight out on the floor beside your body.
3. Your hips, back and shoulders should all be touching the floor.
Procedure:
1. Contract your abdominal muscles as you press your feet toward the ceiling.
2. Your shoulders should remain in contact with the floor throughout the exercise.
3. Hold the up position for a second, then slowly lower your hips back down.
Key Points:
1. Keep your legs and feet pointed at the ceiling throughout the entire exercise.
2. Do not use your arms or the momentum from your legs to lift your hips off the ground.
Variations:
1. Hold a medicine ball between your knees or feet to add resistance.
2. Hold a length of elastic tubing in your hands and across the arches of your feet.
 
  
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Straight-Leg Raises
Purpose: Develop abdominal and hip flexor muscles
Starting Position:
1. Lie flat on your back with your legs extended out in front of you, hold your heels about 6 inches off the ground.
2. Place your hands palm down under your hips.
Procedure:
1. Keeping your legs straight, raise your feet until they point towards the ceiling.
2. Slowly lower your legs to the start position.
Key Points:
1. Keep your low back pressed to the floor throughout the exercise.
2. Do not allow your heels to rest on the ground until you are finished with your set.
Variations:
1. Hold a small weight or medicine ball between your knees or ankle

  
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Hanging Leg Raises
Purpose: Develop abdominal muscles
Starting Position:
1. Position the arm supports around your upper arms. Or hang by your hands from a chin-up bar.
2. Hang your body motionless from the supports.
Procedure:
1. Pull you knees to your chest.
2. When you can not tuck you knees anymore, curl your hips towards your ribcage.
3. Hold for a second, then slowly return to the starting position.
Key Points:
1. Do not allow the arm supports to rest in your armpits.
2. Do not allow yourself to swing and gain momentum.
Variations:
1. Perform the exercise with your legs straight throughout the movement.
2. Hold a small weight or medicine ball between your knees or ankles.
3. Hook a bungie chord or theraband tubing around your ankles and attached to the floor for added resistance.

  
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Decline Sit-ups
Purpose: Develop abdominal muscles
Starting Position:
1. Sit on a decline abdominal bench or backwards on an inclined utility bench.
2. Have a partner hold your feet if you can not brace them on the bench.
3. Position your arms across your chest or behind your ears.
Procedure:
1. Slowly lower yourself so your lower back makes contact with the bench.
2. Before your upper back contacts the bench, pause, then sit-up to return to the starting position
Key Points:
1. Lower yourself slowly so you do not generate momentum on the way down.
2. Do not rest in the down position
Variations:
1. Hold a weight on your chest or behind your head.
2. Slow the movement tempo down and perform the sit-up in a 3-count up and down manner.
3. Twist at the top of the sit-up.

  
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Crunches on Physioball (Swiss Ball, Thera Ball, etc.)
Purpose: Develop abdominal muscles through a full range of motion
Starting Position:
1. Lie back on a Physioball so that your back arches across the ball, positioning the ball under your hips.
2. Bend your knees at a 90? angle. Your feet should be flat on the floor.
Procedure:
1. Tighten your abdominal muscles and crunch, moving your ribcage towards your hips.
2. Hold for a second, then slowly return to the starting position.
Key Points:
1. Keep your abdominal muscles tight for balance.
2. When in the upward phase of the exercise, push your hips into the ball for stability.
Variations:
1. Extend your arms out overhead, or hold a weight on your chest.
2. Twist at the top of the crunch.
3. Have a partner press down on your shoulders at the top of the movement as you begin your descent to the starting position.

  
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Suitcase Crunches (on the floor and on a bench)
Purpose: Develop abdominal muscles
Starting Position:
1. Lie flat on your back with your legs straight out in front of you.
2. Raise your feet and shoulders approximately one inch off the ground.
3. Cross your arms on your chest.
Procedure:
1. Simultaneously, perform a sit-up as you tuck your knees to your chest.
2. Hold for a second, then slowly return to the starting position.
Key Points:
1. Make sure your move your body evenly to stay balanced.
Variations:
1. Perform this exercise balanced on a bench.
2. Hold your arms over your head throughout the movement.
3. Keep your legs straight as you raise them.
4. Hold a weight on your chest.

  
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Oblique Crunches
Purpose: Develop the oblique and abdominal muscles
Starting Position:
1. Lie flat on your back with your hands cupped behind your head, elbows out.
2. With your knees bent, lay both legs over to the side as far as possible.
Procedure:
1. Keeping your shoulders parallel to the floor, perform a crunch.
2. Complete one set on your right side, and then switch to the left.
Key Points:
1. Keep your shoulders parallel with the floor throughout movement.
2. Avoid pulling on your head with your hands.
Variations:
1. Hold a weight on your chest or behind your head.
2. Perform the upward phase of the exercise in a segmented 3-count manner.
 
   
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Windshield Wipers, (Straight-Leg Hip Rotations)
Purpose: Develop the oblique and hip flexor muscles
Starting Position:
1. Lie on your back on a bench with your hips at the edge.
2. Grasp the bench or an immovable object (power rack) above your shoulders.
3. Extend your legs upward towards the ceiling, knees unlocked.
Procedure:
1. Lower your legs to the one side, using your full range of motion.
2. Hold for a second then return to the starting position.
3. Repeat on the other side.
Key Points:
1. Keep your legs straight throughout the exercise.
2. Keep the movements smooth and fluid, don't move too quickly and create excessive momentum.
Variations:
1. Perform exercise with a small weight or medicine ball between your knees or ankles.
 
   
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Lateral Crunches
Purpose: Develop oblique and abdominal muscles
Starting Position:
1. Lie on your side on a flat or back extension bench.
2. Position your hips on the edge of the bench. Hang your upper body as far down as possible.
3. Have a partner hold your legs down if there are no supports.
Procedure:
1. Raise your body up slightly past parallel with the floor, so your elbow touches your hip.
2. Hold for a second, then return to the starting position.
Key Points:
1. Maintain a sideways position throughout movement, do not twist in the upward phase.
2. Make sure your upper body is fully stretched off the bench, your head should almost touch the ground.
Variations:
1. Hold a weight on your chest or behind your head.
2. Perform the upward phase in a 3-count manner.
 
  
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Russian Twists and Seated Side-to-Sides
Purpose: Develop the oblique and abdominal muscles
Starting Position:
1. Sit back on a decline bench, back extension machine or on the floor, place your hands behind your ears.
2. Hold your torso at a ~45o angle to the floor.
Procedure:
1. Twist your upper body as far as you can to the right.
2. Hold for a second then twist as far as you can to the left.
Key Points:
1. Make sure you twist through your full range of motion.
Variations:
1. Perform exercise on the floor balancing on your hips (Side-to-Sides).
2. Hold a weight plate at the middle of your torso with your elbows locked into your sides.
 
         
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Floor wipers, (Lying Lateral Flexion)
Purpose: Develop the oblique and abdominal muscles
Starting Positions:
1. Lie flat on the floor with your legs together and straight out.
2. Place your arms at your sides with your palms down.
Procedure:
1. Reach your right hand down your side trying to touch your knee. Your left shoulder should raise slightly.
2. Hold for a second, then return to starting position.
3. Repeat on the other side.
Key Points:
1. Maintain your torso in contact with the floor, this is your source of resistance.
 
   
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Cross over Crunches
Purpose: Develop the oblique and abdominal muscles
Starting Position:
1. Lie on your back with your hands cupped behind your head.
2. With your knees bent, cross your left ankle over your right knee.
Procedure:
1. Bring your right shoulder off the ground and toward your left hip.
2. Hold for a second then return to the starting position.
3. Perform the next set on the opposite side.
Key points:
1. Try to raise your shoulder to your knee, not your elbow.
Variations:
1. Hold a weight on the side of your chest which is being raised.
 
   
 

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