Silke's Original Intensive Core Training Programme

1. PRONE ROLL OUT: Kneel in front of a Stability Ball so your ears are stacked above your shoulders, hips and knees. Place your hands together on top of the ball with your shoulders in line with your elbows. Whilst bracing the abdominal region roll the ball forward as far as possible without arching your back. Progress to Roll Out on the Barbell to full extension.

2. STABILITY BALL - LYING WOOD CHOP: Lay on your back on a Stability Ball. Hold a dumbbell with both hands above your right shoulder. In one move swing the dumbbell across your body to the outside of your left hip. Perform the move as fast as you can whilst maintaining control. Lower your body back to the start position and swap sides with the dumbbell repeating the same move on the opposite side. That is one repetition.

3. SEATED TORSO ROTATION (MED BALL): Holding a medicine ball sit on the floor with your knees slightly bent and your torso about 45 degrees from the floor. Hold the ball straight out from your chest with your arms slightly bent. Without changing the angle of the arms rotate your upper body from side to side as fast as you can, nearly touching the medicine ball to the floor each time. Each time you twist to one side is a rep. (I prefer to do this exercise with a dumbbell).

4. STABILITY BALL DUMBBELL CHEST PRESS: Lay supine (facing the ceiling) on an anti burst Stability Ball with your head just beyond the apex of the ball and your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent at right angles directly above your ankles. With a dumbbell in each hand and your elbow joints at right angles with your palms facing forward press the dumbbells to the ceiling maintaining your knuckles in a “to the ceiling” position. Pause at the top and slowly release, that’s one repetition.

5. STATIC PLANK (STATIC FLOOR): Lay face down on the floor and place both elbows directly underneath your shoulders so that your upper arms are vertical. Whilst maintaining an ear, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle aligned position place your tip toes on the floor. Maintain neutral spinal alignment and brace your torso for the recommended time frame.

6. RUSSIAN TWISTS (DYNAMIC UNSTABLE): Lay supine (facing the ceiling) on a Stability Ball with your head just beyond the apex of the ball and your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent at right angles directly above your ankles. Clasp both hands together and extend the arms so that your knuckles are pointing towards the ceiling. Whilst maintaining the integrity of the lower body rotate right to left with a dynamic, yet controlled movement from your torso so that your arms appear to travel right to left... indeed they do but only via the movement in the torso not the shoulders!

7. FOOTBRIDGE ON FLOOR (PROGRESS TO STABILITY BALL): Lay on your back with both knees bent. Whilst keeping your head and shoulder girdle on the floor slowly peel your body off the floor as you drive your hips to the ceiling keeping the weight distributed into the heels. Pause at the top then slowly release and start again.

8. SUPINE STABILITY BALL FOOTBRIDGE (STATIC UNSTABLE): Lay on your back with heels on top of a Stability Ball. Brace the abs and switch on your glutes as you lift the hips until there is a straight line from heels to shoulders. Shoulders and head stay firmly on the ground.

9. SIDE PLANK (STATIC FLOOR): Lay on one side, ensuring the top hip is “stacked” above the bottom hip. Push up until there is a straight body line through ear, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle. Maintain the elbow under the shoulder to avoid upper body strain.

10. RONE JACK KNIFE (DYNAMIC UNSTABLE): Start in a press up position with the instep on the apex of the ball. Maintain hands under the shoulders as well as an “ear, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle” alignment and slowly drag the ball in so that the knees end up under the hips – return the posi0on at a steady pace.

11. LYING WINDSCREEN WIPERS (DYNAMIC FLOOR): Lay on your back with arms out to the sides. Lift legs straight up in the air until the hip is at 90 degrees. Set the spine in neutral. Keeping legs straight and maintaining hip angle, move the legs to one side, controlling any movement in the trunk. Go as far as you can in control, keeping your upper back and shoulders on the floor. Bring the legs to a halt, pull them back up to the start position and repeat on other side.

12. SUPINE SHOULDER BRIDGE - BALANCE CHALLENGE (STATIC UNSTABLE): Lay on your back on the ball with your head just beyond the apex of the ball, feet on the ground about hip width apart. Maintain a straight line between ear, shoulder, hip and knee. Lift up one leg so that it is fully extended while the other one stays fixed on the ground. Try and keep balance on one leg as long as possible, then change legs.

13. BACK EXTENSIONS (PROGRESS WITH LEVERS): Whilst lying face down, slowly peel your torso off the floor while maintaining contact between your hips and the floor. Your toes stay in contact with the floor as you maintain a position where you tuck the chin in and maintain a “long back”. The hands stay behind the lower back as you pause at the top and slowly peel back down. Progress to Back Extensions on the Stability Ball.

14. CRUNCHES: Whilst lying on your back place your feet on a step (or deck) so that your knees are bent and directly above your hips. Take your opposite hand to your opposite shoulder so that your elbows are facing your thighs. To score one repetition you must raise the shoulder girdle off the floor until you make contact with the thighs and then return to the start position. Progress to Crunches on the Stability Ball.

15. MED BALL DYNAMIC PLANK: Take up a position on the floor where your hands are flat and together as well as your toes being in contact with the floor. Take one hand onto a medicine ball, now add the other. Quickly with control take the original hand down to the opposite side and follow with the second hand. That is one repetition. Whilst maintaining an ear, shoulder, hip knee and ankle alignment repeat the process back.

16. Spiderman: Take up a position on the floor where your hands are flat and together as well as your toes being in contact with the floor (Plank position). Lift one leg off the floor and move the knee towards the elbow. Place leg back on floor and repeat exercise with the other leg. Progress to Spiderman with Press up inbetween.