September Exercise of the Month - Side Body Twist with Foam Roller

Start side lying in a neutral spine, lying in a long line position. Place wrist on the foam roller and find balance on hips with legs long, maintaining glut engagement. To ensure that the underneath side remains 'active' consider reaching the top foot towards the opposite wall. This will keep both sides in neutral and reduce risk of beginning the exercise in lateral flexion.

Draw the foam roller towards the body to laterally flex the spine, simultaneously sliding the top hand towards the legs that are also lifting. Consider length at this point to maintain balance. Avoid pulling the foam roller too close as it is in place to aid shoulder stability and lat connection.

Using an exhale breath rotate the upper body towards the legs simultaneouly lifting the legs towards your body and the ceiling. The final position here should be a teaser, lumbar flexion and thoracic lengthened. You should be balanced on the back of the sit bones (ischial tuberosities) to simulate the teaser position. The foam roller may move towards you a little but ensure that you use this prop to stabilise the shoulder rather than rolling it too much as it will cease to be an aid and actually will not support you .

Then unwind the body back to the laterally flexed position, keeping the feet lifted and the shoulder connected by using the foam roller. You will feel that you need to roll the foam roller away from you a little. Keep in a straight line using adductors and gluts to keep balance. Finally return to the start position and repeat the exercise.

Modification: For those who have either tight or weak hip flexors or tight hamstrings, bending the knees at the height of the exercise may help technique and alignment as well making the exercise more accessible.

August - Exercise of the Month: Swan Dive with Torso Rotation using Foam Roller

This month's exercise of the month is a Swan Dive with Torso Rotation using the foam roller. You could also simulate this using the long box on the reformer and makes a beautiful full spinal extension exercise.

Start position: Legs laterally rotated and shoulder width apart. Place the wrists on the foam roller.

Initiate by stabilising the shoulders.

To create full extension of the spine, keep both arms straight pulling the foam roller underneath your body simultaneously rotating to the side and then return to the start position repeating on the other side.

Points to watch out for: Encourage thoracic extension rather than hingeing in the lumbar spine. Allow the eye to follow the arm rotating the head only as far as the thoracic spine can could.

Consider having the feeling of imprinting to maintain abdominal connection. Also have a feeling of lengthening the legs away as if on a stretcher to keep gluts engaged.

The aim is to lift the anterior superior illiac spine (ASIS) off the floor, but if this is not possible, you can work towards this over time.

The aim is to get even spinal rotation and extension as opposed to rotating on one vertebrae.

The exercise challenges deep abdominal muscles as well as gluts and spinal extensors.

Leg circles on foam roller with tower - July

Leg circles on the foam roller is a fabulous exercise to challenge stability as well as many other lower body muscles. The pictures show Tina using leg springs from the tower as well but you can easily do this without the aid of springs!

The first picture here shows the modification of one leg circles again with or without the tower. This is a fabulous exercise to challenge uni-lateral stability.


Modifcation: 1 leg circle on foam roller with tower

Here you will see the leg circles. Firstly keep legs adducted and press down to one long diagonal line as far as stability can be maintained, then abduct legs and circle back to start position.



This should also be reversed.




With the 1 leg circle ensure that the supporting leg is either in table top or on the floor, keeping the knee facing the ceiling and parallel. You may want to think of the inner thigh connection to help the pelvis maintain stability.



Enjoy this exercise of the month!

Exercise of the Month (JUNE) - Double Leg Stretch

As usual thanks to Tina who models so willingly! Next month I will start to add some equipment-based exercises

Start in imprint or neutral (if strong enough to maintain neutral). Bring legs into table top. Knees should be directly about the hips to maintain abdominal challenge.

Exhale to bring the torso off the ground (cervical and thoracic only) leaving the torso as long as possible.

Exhale to extend legs out on a diagonal. Only as low as you can maintain imprint or neutral and repeat back to table top 8-10 times. To release from the exercise follow the pictures backwards.

For an additional challenge maintain neutral or imprint and lift and lower the legs, keeping the head down on the floor. You may need to deepen the imprint as you lower the legs ensuring that the lumbar spine is supported.

Enjoy these two treats to ensure that your abdominals look good for the bikini season.

Side Bend with Fitness Circle

Lie on your side in neutral spine. This means keep slight activity on the waist below rather than allowing the waist to collapse on the floor. To ensure that the waist in neutral consider sending the top foot away lengthening both sides of the waist.

Draw the top hand along the leg and drag the underneath arm towards your shoulder to activate the shoulder stability muscles and latissimus dorsi to allow you to side bend. You should squeeze the inner thighs together and lift these simultaneously off the floor.

Modification: Use fitness circle between the ankles or around the ankles for adductor/abductor connection and additional lower body resistance.

Notes: Ensure that you lift up sideways as if between two sheets of glass. You will find that your buttocks and waist muscles will be working hard.

This exercise is good for people who need strength in the gluteus medius and oblique muscles.

Breast Stroke Prep using resistance band

My first posting is the Exercise of the month for February: Breast Stroke Prep using resistance band.
The main benefit of this exercise is to increase strength in the upper back muscles (trapezius and rhomboids) and stretch the chest muscles (pectorals).

Breast Stroke Prep (Prone)


Start Position:

Lying prone on the floor, legs long and placed either together or slightly apart.
Take the arms overhead with the resistance band between thumb and first finger. Keep resistance band slightly lose at this stage.
Pull the abdominals a little way from the floor and draw the pelvic floor muscles to support the pelvis from below. This should feel like you are drawing your sit bones, tail bone and pubic bone together with a gentle lift into the pelvic cavity.

Pull the arms gently out to the side (no lower than shoulder level) to tighten the band. Feel like your breast bone is lifting gentle up and over the band.

Be careful to keep the lower ribs on the floor and feel the shoulder blades draw slightly together with the shoulders relaxed away from your ears.
Keep your eye line towards the floor approximately 6” above the band rather than straight down or the front. This will keep the back of your neck nice and long.

If you prefer, bend your arms as you pull the arms out to the side.

This exercise targets the upper back muscles and you should feel the work within the shoulder blade area.
By keeping the abdominals drawn in a little, you may also feel some tension through the front of the abdominal area.
Warning: If you feel this in your lower back, either part the legs slightly or place a rolled up towel or a pillow underneath your navel and repeat the exercise keeping the lower ribs in contact with the ground.

Breast Stroke Prep (Sitting)
If you would prefer you can do the same exercise either sitting cross-legged or on a chair and pull the band out to the side whilst lifting the chest up and forward. The eye line also needs to come up a 4-5” to follow the line of the upper back.


Start the exercise sitting tall and then pull the band gently out to the side as you lift the chest up and forward, gently allowing the eye line to lift.


If the straight arm version is too difficult, bend the elbows back keeping the band tight to maintain the same extended shape.

Warning: This should be felt in the upper back and not the lower back. If this is felt in the lower back, try pulling in the abdominal muscles a little more and lifting the pelvic floor muscles away from the floor into the pelvic cavity.