Center Core Flashcards
Plank
Level 1: 0 (back) or 2 white (front)
Level 2: 1
Level 3: 0 (front) or 1 white (back)
Plank Set Up
-Hands on your front/back platform or carriage
-Feet/knees on your front/back platform or carriage
-Push your hips into a plank position
Plank: How to move
HOLD
Plank form & body cues
- Lift your heels over the balls of your feet
- Spiral your inner thighs towards each other
- Lift your hips up in line with your shoulders
- Press down through your palms to activate your back muscles
- Wrap your triceps back to your rib cage
- Rotate your biceps forward
- Keep a neutral neck position– ears in line with your shoulders
Plank Variations
forearm plank, modified plank (knees down, hands or forearms)
Pike to Plank
Level 1: 0 (back) or 2 white (front)
Level 2: 1
Level 3: 0 (front) or 1 white (back)
Pike to Plank Set Up
- Hands on your front/back platform or carriage
- Feet on your front/back platform or carriage
- Level 1: Forearms and knee/shins down
- Push your hips into a plank position
Pike to Plank How to Move
Pike your hips for 4, pike your hips for 3, pike your hips up for 2, pike your
hips for 1. Lower your hips down for 4, lower your hips for 3, lower your
hips for 2, stop with your hips in line with your shoulders on 1.
Pike to Plank Form & Body Cues
- Keep your heels lifted over the balls of your feet
- Spiral your inner thighs towards each other
- Keep your shoulders stacked over your wrists. Push down and away, and
pull down through your armpits to activate your back muscles - Wrap your triceps back to your rib cage
- Your carriage only has to come in halfway
- Keep a long spine, no rounding or tucking
-Keep a neutral neck position– ears in line with your shoulders
Pike to Plank Modification
modified plank position first, then add springs (front) or take off springs
(back)
Cannon Ball
Level 1: 0 (back) or 2 white (front)
Level 2: 1
Level 3: 0 (front) or 1 white (back)
Cannon Ball Set Up
- Forearms on your front/back platform or carriage
- Feet/knees on your front/back platform or carriage
- Push your hips into a plank position
Cannon Ball How to Move
Pike your hips for 4, bend your knees for 3, bend your knees for 2, bend
your knees for 1. Push your carriage out for 4, push your carriage for 3,
push your carriage for 2, hips in line with your shoulders on 1.
Cannon Ball Form & Body Cues
- Lift your heels over the balls of your feet
- Spiral your inner thighs towards each other
- Keep your shoulders stacked over your elbows. Push down and away, and
pull down through your armpits to activate your back muscles - Wrap your triceps back to your rib cage
- Keep a long spine, lift up your tailbone, no rounding or arching
- Keep a neutral neck position– ears in line with your shoulders
Cannon Ball Modifications
modified plank position first, then add springs (front) or take off springs
(back)
Bear Cub
Level 1: 0 (back) or 2 white (front)
Level 2: 1 white
Level 3: 0 (front) or 1 white (back)
Bear Cub Set Up
- Hands on your front/back platform or carriage
- Feet/knees on your front/back platform or carriage
- Push your hips into a plank position
Bear Cub: How to Move
Hands on your front/back platform or carriage
Feet/knees on your front/back platform or carriage
Push your hips into a plank position
Bear Cub Form & body cues
- Keep your hips in line with your shoulders as you bend your knees
- Lift your heels over the balls of your feet
- Keep your shoulders stacked over your wrists. Push down and away, and
pull down through your armpits to activate your back muscles - Wrap your triceps back to your rib cage
- Stop your knees under your hips to keep a neutral spine (no rounding or
arching) - Keep a neutral neck position– ears in line with your shoulders
Bear Cub Modification
Level down: knees down first, then add springs (front) or take off springs (back)
WHEELBARROW
Level 1: 0 (back) or 2 white (front)
Level 2: 1 white
Level 3: 0 (front) or 1 white (back)
Wheelbarrow Set Up
- Hands on your front/back platform or carriage
- Knees on your front/back platform or carriage
- Push your hips into a modified plank position
Wheelbarrow How to Move
Straight arms push your carriage out for 4, straight arms push your
carriage out for 3, straight arms push your carriage out for 2, straight arms
push your carriage out for 1. Straight arms pull your carriage in for 4,
straight arms pull your carriage for 3, straight arms pull your carriage in for
2, modified plank on 1.
Wheelbarrow Form & body cues
- Press your shins down into your platform/carriage, and squeeze your inner
thighs to activate your lower core muscles - Pull your shoulders out of your ears
- Only push the carriage out as far as your shoulders stay down
- Press down through your palms and away from the machine to activate your
back muscles (pull down through your armpits) - Wrap your triceps back to your rib cage
- Your carriage should never touch the platform
- Keep a long spine, no rounding or arching
- Keep a neutral neck position– ears in line with your shoulders
Wheelbarrow Modifications
Level down: add springs (front) or take off springs (back)
Body Saw
Level 1: 0 (back) or 2 white (front)
Level 2: 1 white
Level 3: 0 (front) or 1 white (back)
Body Saw Set Up
- Forearms on your front/back platform or carriage
- Knees on your front/back platform or carriage
- Push your hips into a modified plank position
Body Saw How to Move
Shoulders (or elbows if forearms are on the carriage) push your carriage out
for 4, shoulders push your carriage out for 3, shoulders push your carriage
out for 2, shoulders push your carriage out for 1. Shoulders pull your
carriage in/bend your elbows for 4, shoulders pull your carriage for 3,
shoulders pull your carriage in for 2, modified plank on 1.
Body Saw Form & Body Cues
- Press your shins down into your platform/carriage and squeeze your inner
thighs to activate your lower core muscles - Keep your forearms parallel to each other (like the number 11) to take
tension away from the traps and shoulders. - Pull down through your armpits
to activate your lats instead. - Only push the carriage out as far as your shoulders stay down
- Keep your hips in line with your shoulders, you should have a flat, neutral
spine - Your carriage should never touch the platform
- Keep a neutral neck position– ears in line with your shoulders
Crunch
Level 1: 0 (back) or 2 white (front)
Level 2: 1
Level 3: 0 (front) or 1 white (back)
Crunch: Set Up
- Forearms on your front/back platform or carriage
-Knees on your front/back platform or carriage - Push your hips into a modified plank position
Crunch: How to move
Tuck your chin and round your upper back (push your ribcage in) for 2,
round your midback (push your ribs up) for 1. Resist your carriage for 2,
neutral spine on 1.
Crunch Form and Body cues
- This activates your crunching abs (rectus abdominis) and is spinal flexion.
- Keep your shoulders stacked over your elbows. As you round your spine,
push down and away from the machine and pull your armpits down to keep
your shoulders stable. - Press down through your shins to activate your lower core muscles
- Lead from your upper back, not your hips–your hips should barely move
- To initiate the rounding of your spine, tuck your chin to your chest
- Knees stay behind your hips–the carriage should not move
- This is similar to XFormer crunches, but our body is flipped over. The
movement of the spine is the same. - The rounding in your spine should be small. Aim to look more like a
rainbow, not to curl up into a tiny ball. Keep your knees behind your hips.
High Bar Bear
Level 1: 0 (back) or 2 white (front)
Level 2: 1
Level 3: 0 (front) or 1 white (back)
High Bar Bear: Set up
-Hands on your high bars
- Feet behind your safety strap
- Lift your heels over the balls of your feet
- Bend your knees underneath your hips
- Lift your hips in line with your shoulders & hold
- Option to turn your highbars in towards each other for a more narrow grip
- Turn your highbars towards the mirror at the back of the machine to make it
less intense
High Bar Bear: How to Move
Push your knees out for 2, push your knees out for 1. Bend your knees in for
2, bend your knees in for 1.
High Bar Bear: Form & Body Cues
- Only push the carriage as far back as your hips stay up in line with your
shoulders. Do not let your hips fall lower than your shoulders. You should
have a flat, neutral spine. - Press down through your palms & pull your armpits down to activate your
lats and relax your shoulders - Keep your heels lifted over the balls of your feet
- Your carriage should never touch the platform, stop your knees under your
hips - Keep a neutral neck position– ears in line with your shoulders
Seated Crunch: Set Up
- Sit on your carriage/back platform
- Feet underneath your safety strap on your carriage/platform
- Lean your torso back to a 45 degree angle (neutral spine), push your legs
halfway out and hold - Level 1: hold onto the corners of your highbars or cross your arms over your
chest. Level 2: arms straight out. Level 3: hands by your ears and elbows
wide
Seated Crunch
Level 1: 0 (back)
Level 2/3: 1 white
Seated Crunch: How to Move
Lean your torso back for 4, push your legs out for for 3, lean back for 2,
push your legs out for 1. Lift your torso and bend your knees for 4, lift and
bend for 3, lift and bend for 2, lift and bend for 1
Seated Crunch Form & Body Cues:
- Keep your spine neutral the whole time, do not round the spine. Some good
cues to help maintain a neutral spine: heart open, long collarbone, shoulders
down and away from your ears, proud chest - Pull your shoulders down your back
Relax your toes and press down through your heels to activate your lower
core muscles - Your carriage should never touch the platform- this takes you out of a
neutral spine and requires you to round your spine - Keep a neutral neck position– ears in line with your shoulders
Stop with your torso just above the highbars
XFORMER CRUNCHES
Level 1 & 2: 3 whites
Level 3: 4 whites
XFORMER CRUNCHES Set Up
- Grab your black hard handles and lay down on your carriage with your head
towards the back of the room & hips by bottom carriage strap. - Hold your arms straight up above your shoulders
- Hold your legs in a tabletop position, knees over hips & shins parallel to your
machine - Push your spine down flat into your carriage and hold
XFORMER CRUNCHES: How to move
Tuck your chin and round your upper back for 4, push your arms down
towards your carriage for 3, round your midback for 2, stop your hands by
your hips on 1. Lift your arms up for 4, lengthen your spine out for 3, flatten
your spine to your carriage for 2, stop your hands above your shoulders on
1.
XFORMER CRUNCHES Form & Body Cues
This activates your crunching abs (rectus abdominis) and is spinal flexion.
●
Keep your low back flat the carriage the whole time.
●
Lead from your upper back, not your hips–your lower body is still (unless
doing a variation) and your knees should never be over your stomach
●
To initiate the rounding of your spine, tuck your chin to your chest
●
This is similar to classic crunch
●
The rounding in your spine should be small. You should not feel pressure in
your lower spine as your round.
