Hard Core

AMC Outdoors, April 2006

Four strength training exercises to help you get fit for spring

Whether you’re planning a multi-day paddle trip, a hike in the Whites, or a bike ride with friends, training your core muscle group will help you improve strength, flexibility, and balance. The core muscles stabilize the lumbar spine and pelvis, contributing to a strong foundation. “Core conditioning helps you move efficiently and makes people less prone to overuse injuries,” says Will Kirousis of Tri-Hard Sports Conditioning Systems in central Massachusetts. “These types of exercises are functional and work your body in the way it was designed to move.”

PREPARATION  Kirousis recommends five to 10 minutes of a movement based warm-up, such as lightly swinging your ankles, legs, arms, and shoulders. Plan for two days a week of core strength training for 30 to 45 minutes, performing 10 to 12 repetitions and two to three sets. You’ll need dumbbells, elastic stretch bands, and a medicine ball. In lieu of these, you can always substitute a loaded daypack for a medicine ball. Full grocery bags can replace dumbbells, and a canoe or kayak paddle makes a great stand-in for a barbell.

EXERCISES
Standing ball throw. This can be done alone or with a partner. Use a medicine ball or loaded backpack, and stand with your feet shoulder width apart, your right leg forward and left leg back. Hold the ball in your right hand and rotate forward to throw the ball with a “pressing” motion to your partner or against a wall. Switch sides.

Dead lift. Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Bend at the hips and at the knees and lift the bar, keeping your back flat. Look straight ahead and raise the bar until you straighten and the bar is at your mid-thigh. Pause for a second of contraction and slowly bend your knees and hips as you return to the starting position.

Standing arm row. Anchor one end of the elastic fitness band in the hinge of a doorway, at shoulder height. Stand with your right leg in front of your left leg, knees slightly bent. Slowly draw the elastic band back with a reaching motion. Rotate your torso as you pull. Switch sides.

Farmer’s walk. A simple but effective core strength training exercise. Pick up a heavy weight in one hand and carry it to the other end of the room and back. Switch sides and repeat.

- Jen Kula