Your route to personal fitness
Personal Training with
Michael Dobson
This month's 'Exercise of the Month' video is two advanced exercises combined on the stability ball that works multiple muscle groups across the body. The first phase, the 'Decline Single Leg Press Up' concentrates on the chest and triceps with the added core stability from balancing one legged on the stability ball. It is important to keep the core tight at all times so that the hips don't drop and the body maintains a straight posture from head to foot whilst keeping the balance. By doing this you are performing a plank which, is an isometric contraction on the muscles of the core(inner and outer abdominals, obliques and lower back). The gluteal muscles also need to work to stabilise the leg on the ball and hold the floating leg from dropping towards the floor. The main movement of the press up works the chest, triceps and the front of the shoulders. This exercise can be made easier, by resting more of the leg on the ball(above the knee), or harder by balancing on the ball with just the toes.
Moving onto the second phase, the 'Single Leg Bicycle Hip Flexion'. This phase concentrates more on the muscles of the core and upper legs. The correct posture is very important and yet again we're looking for the hips to stay high by keeping the core switched on and the back straight. A controlled forward and backward bicycle movement with the legs will work the hip flexor muscles(rectus femoris and the ilopsoas) and thighs(vastus group).
Both of these are difficult exercises that require quite a bit of shoulder and core strength as well as balance. Once you can do these exercises you will see they are like a full body workout from the amount of muscles needed to perform them correctly.
Give it a go and see how you get on.
"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it." William Arthur Ward
