Intermountain Health Exercise Experts Shows Core Strength Exercises

Core strength is key to our everyday activity but if you already have back pain or other issues it can be hard to want to focus on strengthening this area of the body. Intermountain Health Park City Hospital exercise specialist Adam Ballenger said there are spine-friendly exercises you can do to strengthen your core.

Ballenger says to do the following routine a couple of times a week for a stronger core.

1) Plank:

• Using a bench or even your kitchen counter you will want to get into a push up position but make sure your hip doesn’t dip down.
• You’ll want to hold that position for 30-60 seconds and if you want a challenge, you can touch your hand to one shoulder and then switch.
• This helps build core muscles.

2) Band Rotation:

• While sitting use a resistance band that’s held in a door or sturdy surface.
• Warp the band around your arms and while facing forward, then slowly rotate away before coming back to center.
• Do this for 30-60 seconds before switching to the other side.

3) Stick Push:

• Using a stick or a broom you’ll want to start in a standing position with the stick in one hand and push it down into the ground as hard as you can.
• It’s important you don’t lean on it like a cane.
• Once you start that lift your knee up on the same side and it will tighten your core and work the muscles.
• Hold that for 30 second on each leg.
• Do 2-3 sets.

For more tips, see the Intermountain Health Sports Medicine and Performance Center we site or your personal care provider.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, over 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/.