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Print and take this with you: Pre-hab CORE Printable

Here’s the drill. This entire sequence will take you just under 10 minutes to complete.

Meet your TVA: Isometric contraction – 3 x 8 seconds.

Strengthen your TVA:

• Dead Bug x 60s
• Sexy Cat / Angry Cat x 60s
• Bicycles x 60s
• Plank-Ups x 60s (or ab-leg lifts if you have an upper body injury)
• V-sit progression x 30s each variation, with rests.
• Plank x 30s front, 30s each side.
• Balance out front & back: Bird Dogs x60s

Stretch:

• Cobra x 30s
• Hip flexor lunge stretch x 30s each side

 

When should you do these exercises?

As a minimum, I recommend including two 8-counts of the activating exercise (the isometric contraction) and dead bug for 30-60 seconds prior to every session of on-skate training or off-skate bodyweight training! This will ensure your TVA is activated and engaged prior to the work you’re about to ask it to do. As an option, you can also include sexy cat / angry cat for 30 – 60s as well, because it helps warm and loosen your spine.

I do not recommend doing the full sequence before working out or skating, however. You need your core muscles to be strong and available to you, not tired. So save the full sequence for after practice or workouts, or on its own when you’ve got a free ten minutes in front of the telly.