OAKHAM SCHOOL

BODYWEIGHT
STRENGTH
TRAINING

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION PAGE 3
SESSION PLAN PAGE 5
1 UPPER BODY EXERCISES PAGE 7
2 LOWER BODY EXERCISES PAGE 18
3 CORE STABILITY EXERCISES PAGE 28
4 ADDITIONAL EXERCISES PAGE 38

INTRODUCTION
Disclaimer
The following bodyweight exercises are safe for all ages to perform when
conducted properly However, you should not do them unless you have been
instructed on the proper techniques by an appropriate member of staff. You
should only attempt the harder exercises when you can easily complete the
easier exercises.
Benefits of Bodyweight Strength Training
Strength training in general is an excellent way to:
Help improve posture, balance, flexibility and co-ordination
Lose weight and improve aerobic fitness
Decrease the risk of sustaining an injury in sport by strengthening
tendons, ligaments and bones
Improve performance in sport
Improve confidence and self image
Improve the quality of sleep
When people think of strength training, they think of using external resistance
such as using weights. But an individual can gain exceptional levels of
strength (and size, if that is your goal) just by using their bodyweight. Dont
believe me? Check out the physiques of gymnasts, who reach phenomenal
levels of strength from bodyweight exercises.
Bodyweight strength training has some additional benefits over weight
training. These include:
Learning to master control of your own body
The fact that you dont need any equipment, and you can perform
bodyweight training almost anywhere
It lays an excellent foundation before you start weight training*
* From now on, any student coming into the weights room in the 5th, 6th and
7th form must be competent with bodyweight exercises before being given a
weights training program (individual cases permitting, such as injury).
Before beginning a weightlifting program, all students MUST be able to do a
minimum of the following with correct technique:
40 press ups
40 lunges
50 bodyweight squats
10 pull ups
60s side plank (both sides)

A COMMON THEME TO PROTECT YOUR BACK

In a lot of the exercises in this program, you will see the instructions squeeze
your abbs and glutes. This means you need to squeeze / contract your
abdominal muscles, and your gluteal muscles (your butt-cheeks) - Do this by
squeezing your butt cheeks together.
Doing this will help you to protect your lower back. When these
muscles are weak / not working, the lower back becomes tight, and this is a
common cause of back pain. By contracting them, you take a lot of pressure
off of the lower back. This is also a good strategy for reducing back pain
when you are standing for long periods, and even walking around. It will feel
weird initially, but you will get used to it after a while.
How to use this book
This book has been written as a reference for exercises that you should have
already been taught in PE lessons, games, or other fitness training sessions.
It has not been written to teach you how to do an exercise, but to remind you
of what I have already taught you.
If there is an exercise that you are not quite sure of then come and
find me and I will show you how its done.
On page 5 you will find an outline of the bodyweight strength training
sessions. I recommended that you print off this page, and only this page.

DO NOT PRINT THE WHOLE BOOK There are a lot of pages and
reprographics will not be happy if everyone prints off the whole book. Instead
you should download it and save it to your computer, and just print off page
5
Session plans
The exercises have been split into 2 sessions. I would recommend doing one
of the sessions on a Monday, and the other on a Wednesday.
You can also do some of the exercises on a daily basis i.e. if you find
press ups hard, doing 10 a day will make a big difference. And core stability
exercises can also be done every day
Always start with the easy exercises. When you can do the required number
of repetitions of an easy exercise, progress to the harder versions.
In a few months, if you find that the harder versions of the exercises
are too easy, come and see me, and we will work on some harder exercises
for you.

Sets and reps

A rep is the number of times you do an exercise e.g:

o 1 press up = 1 rep
o 10 press ups = 10 reps.
A set is a grouping of reps.
o 10 press ups = 1 set of 10 reps
o 10 press ups, with a 60 second rest, followed by another 10 = 2
sets of 10

So press ups: 3 x 10, 60s rest = 3 sets of 10 reps

AMAP = As Many As Possible. So when you see AMAP, do as many reps as
you can (with correct technique)
ALAP = As long as possible. This is often seen with a core stability exercise
such as a side plank, where you should do it for as long as possible (but stop
when you cannot keep the correct form).

SESSION PLANS
SESSION 1

SESSION 2

1) Pull ups 5 sets x AMAP

2) Press ups 5 sets x AMAP
3) Squats 5 sets x AMAP
4) Lunges 5 sets x AMAP
5) Nordic curls 4 sets x 8
6) Neck isometrics 2 x 10s each side
7) Curl up 4 x 20 (10 on each leg)
8) Side plank 4 sets x ALAP
9) Glute Bridge 4 sets x AMAP

1) Pull ups 5 sets x AMAP

2) Press ups 5 sets x AMAP
3) Squat 5 sets x AMAP
4) Lunges 5 sets x AMAP
5) Cossacks 4 sets x 10
6) Trap raise 4 sets x 15
7) Reverse crunch 4 sets x AMAP
8) Wipers 4 sets x AMAP
9) Clams 4 sets x AMAP

AMAP = as many as possible

ALAP = as long as possible
Progression
Read the notes for the following exercises:

Pull ups When you can do 10 pull ups, progress to one of the harder
versions, such as wide grip pull ups
Press ups When you can do 40 press ups, progress to one of the
harder versions, such as diamonds or feet raised press ups
Squats when you can easily do 50 press ups, progress to one of the
1 leg versions
Lunges When you can do 40 lunges, progress to one of the harder
versions such as Bulgarian Split Squats
Side planks When you can easily do a 60 second side plank, progress
to the partner resisted version
Glute bridge When you can do 30 glute bridges, progress to the
single leg versions
o When you can do 30 single leg glute bridges, progress to single
leg lowers
Clams When you can easily do 30 clams, progress to the partner
resisted version

1) UPPER BODY TRAINING

Pull ups

Pull ups work the muscles of the back and biceps. They are arguably the king
of upper body exercises, and being able to master pull ups will give you
fantastic levels of upper body strength.
Pull up technique
Grab the bar with a shoulder width pronated grip (hands facing away
from you) the arms should now be fully extended (completely
straight).
Squeeze the bar, and pull the shoulder blades together, and pull them
down at the same time.
Perform the pull up by bending the elbows, and pull yourself up until
your chin is above the bar. To make it more challenging, go higher
until the bar is touching the middle of your breast bone (sternum)
Initiate the pull up by pulling your elbows into the sides of your body.
When you are at the top, try and pause here for 1 second and squeeze
your shoulder blades together and down again (this may be difficult
when you first start).
Slowly lower yourself by extending the arms. Start to breath out as you
go down. You must go all the way down until your arms are once again
fully extended. To make the pull up harder go down as slow as
possible.

Pull up start position

Pull up end position

Common mistakes
Not performing a full range of motion on the exercise
o Not fully extending the arms on the way down Many
beginners pull themselves all the way up, but only come down
halfway before pulling themselves up again this does not
count as a pull up and is a waste of time. A full pull up requires
you to come all the way down until your arms are fully extended
o Not fully pulling yourself up if your chin does not go above the
bar then you have not fully completed the exercise, and again it
is a waste of time.
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Not keeping the shoulder blades pulled back and down maintaining
correct shoulder girdle alignment is essential to ensure that the correct
muscles are performing the work during the exercise. So think about
sticking your chest out.
Too much swinging and kicking with the legs initially you may need to
cheat with your pull ups by swinging and kicking to help you up. But
this should be a short term strategy, and you should be performing
them without swinging, as the momentum takes the work away from
your back and bicep muscles. Instead you should be doing them with
the entire body held in an solid, upright position, and only the arms
should be moving
Not staying in the middle you will need a partner to give you
feedback on this. When you pull yourself up, your head should be in
the middle of the bar. If you pull yourself to 1 side it is probably
because that is your strongest side. It is important to stay in the
middle to work both sides equally

By the end of the 4th form, you should be able to do 10, full range (all the
way down and all the way up) pull ups without swinging (hopefully some of
you will be able to do more than this). Initially you may not be able to do this,
so remember that persistence is the key dont give up and work at them
every day until you can do 10.
An old technique that has stood the test of time is this: Lets say that
you can only do 6 pull ups. Every time you walk past the pull up bar do 6 pull
ups. Before you know it, youll be doing lots more
Easier versions
If you cannot even do a single pull then dont despair you are not the only
one, although if you are reading this it probably means that you want to, so
read on, as the following versions are slightly easier ways of doing the pull
up. And for those of you that can do them, the following exercises may help
you to increase the amount you can do as well.
1) Chin up
If you struggle with pull ups then you may be able to do chin ups. A chin up
is performed exactly the same way as a pull up, but done with a supinated
grip (hands facing you). This is also a good exercise for those of you who can
do normal pull ups as you should be able to do more repetitions.

Chin up start position

Chin up end position

2) Negative pull ups

Use a bench to help you up, then jump up until your chin is above the bar,
and slowly yourself for 5 seconds, until your arms are fully extended. Then
step back onto the bench and repeat.
3) Partner assisted
Have a partner gently pushing you in the lower back to help you up if you
choose this method then you must lower yourself slowly unassisted, like you
are doing a negative pull up.

Partner assisted pull up

4) Lat Pull-down machine
O.K. so this isnt a bodyweight strength exercise, but you all have access to
the lat pull-down machine in the fitness centre, and it works the exact same
muscles in the exact same patterns as the pull up. So use the same
techniques: Shoulder blades pulled back and down and stick your chest out,
pull the elbows into the side of your body, pull the bar down until it touches
the middle of your breast bone

A common mistake when using the lat pull-down machine is to press

the bar down once it has passed your breast bone. Prevent this by sticking
the chest out and pulling the elbows into the side of your body.
When you can do 5 sets of 10 with a certain weight, increase the
weight.
Harder versions
When you can comfortably do 10 pull ups, you should continue to aim to do
more. You may also want to try the following to make the pull up harder
1) Slow pull ups
Instead of doing each pull up as quickly as possible, aim to go up for a count
of 3, pause at the top for 3 seconds, and lower yourself for 3-5 seconds. Not
only does this make the pull up harder by removing momentum, you also
increase the total time that the muscle is under tension (which will help to
increase muscle growth) this technique is a lot harder than it looks
2) Wide grip pull ups
The gold standard for pull ups is being able to perform them with a wide grip.
When you can do 10 with a shoulder width grip, put the hands 3 inches wider
than normal. And when these become easy, take the hands even further out,
until eventually you can do them with your hands towards the ends of the
bar.

Wide grip pull up start position

End position

3) Off-set pull ups

As you pull yourself up, pull yourself to 1 side. This is an easier version of
doing a 1 arm pull up. You must make sure that the next rep you pull yourself
to the other side, and do an equal number of pull ups on both sides.

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Off set pull ups. Pull yourself up to

the left

Then come back to the start position

Then pull yourself up to the right

4) Towel pull ups
As well as challenging your back strength, these are an excellent exercise for
improving grip, an important element for Rugby and Judo players. Wrap a
towel around the pull up bar, grab each end, and pull yourself up.

Press ups
Press ups are possibly one of the most underrated exercises. That is a shame,
because the press up not only gives you amazing levels of upper body
strength, but is also a great exercise for improving posture and core stability
(when done correctly). Press ups are also very versatile, and as soon as you
think they are easy, there are always lots of versions you can do to make
them harder (and easier)
PRESS UP TECHNIQUE
Before doing an actual press up, it is vitally important to set up
correctly:
o Your ear should be in line with your shoulder do not let the
head droop down towards the ground

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o Your neck should be in a neutral position, so look directly down

at the ground you wouldnt perform any standing up exercise
whilst looking up at the sky as it puts too much pressure on
your neck this is the same for press ups
o Your hands should be directly below your shoulders with your
fingers pointing forward
o You need to set your shoulder blades by pulling them together
and pulling them down (try and put your shoulder blades into
your back pocket)
o Squeeze your abbs and glutes. Do not let your hips sag down or
keep them too high. A straight line should run from your
shoulders to your ankles, and this line should run through your
hips.
Perform the press up by bending the elbows. The elbows should run
down the side of your body (and brush the body if possible).
Keep bending the elbows until your chest and nose are just off of the
floor.
Extend the arms fully until you are back in the starting position.

Press up start position

Press up end position

COMMON MISTAKES
Many of the common mistakes in a press up occur from incorrect posture
they can be corrected by focusing on the correct set up position (see above).
The common posture mistakes are:
Letting the head sag down
Not keeping the shoulder blades pulled back and down
Not keeping the abbs and glutes squeezed
Not keeping the hips in line with the rest of the body

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As well as these, mistakes are often made with the execution of the exercise,
such as:
Not going all the way to the ground
Not fully extending the arms on the way up
Not keeping the elbows into the side of the body
If you are making any of these mistakes and cannot correct them, then the
version of the press up you are trying is too difficult and you need to work on
an easier version.
Easier versions
(If you are struggling to hold the correct posture, the exercises in the core
stability section will of great benefit to you)
1) Hands raised
Placing the hands on the edge of a raised object such as a chair makes the
press up easier. When you have mastered this move onto a lower platform,
until you are eventually doing them from the floor

Hands raised press up start position End position

2) Knees down
The classic mistake when doing press ups from the knees is to have the
knees directly below the hips. This is the wrong position to be in. Instead,
start in a full press up position first, and then let the knees drop down to the
floor. From this position the upper leg should form a 45 angle between the
knees and the hips. Perform the press up from this position

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Knees down press up notice the knees are not below the hips, but back at a
45 angle in the start position
3) Negative press ups
This is the hardest version of the 3 easiest methods. Start in a proper press
up position, and then slowly lower yourself down for 5 seconds. You must go
all the way down to make it an effective exercise. When you get to the
bottom let your knees drop down and then press up from the knees.
Harder versions
As with the previous exercises, you can make the press up harder by doing it
slowly. The press up is one of the most varied exercise, and there are
countless ways to make press ups harder. Here are some of them:
1) Diamond press ups
Place your hands together (thumbs touching each other and index fingers
touching) and perform the press up from this position. Elbows run down the
side of the body and do not flare out to the side

Diamond press ups hand position

End position of diamond press up

2) Feet up
Place your feet on a raised object eg chair. The higher you go, the harder it
will be.

Feet up press up start position

End position

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3) Partner resisted press ups

Have a partner put a small amount of pressure on the back of your shoulders
to provide resistance. If they push so hard that you cant keep the correct
form then the resistance is too high
4) Off-set press ups
From the normal press up position, place 1 hand out wide. From here perform
10 press ups, but the arm that is closer to the body performs most of the
work. Do 10 press ups with 1 arm and then 10 with the other.

Off set press up. Right hand is further Bottom position, body is close to the
away from the body than the left
left arm which is doing most of
hand
the work
5) Clap press ups
When your press up strength has improved, the clap press up should be
attempted. Sink down to the bottom position, then press up as quickly as
possible and throw your body up into the air. When you are at your highest
position, take your hands off the floor and quickly clap the hands together
before bringing them back down. Do not attempt this until you can do the
previous harder versions of the press up.
6) 1 arm press ups
The king of the press up, and possibly one of the hardest exercises to
achieve. From the press up position, place your feet out wide, and place 1
arm behind your back. When you go down, instead of going straight down, go
down to the side and turn away from the pressing arm e.g. if using your right
arm, go down slightly to your left and turn to your left. As you get stronger,
you will be able to go down without having to turn your body.

15

Start position, body is square

As you go down, twist slightly away

from the working arm

1 arm press up, birds eye view

Upper body injury prevention + posture exercises

Trap raise Y raise
When you sit at a computer all day you slouch forward, and the muscles in
the middle of your back (between the bottom of the shoulder blades) weaken
and get slack, causing your head and shoulders to droop forward. This
exercise will help to improve this, and also help to prevent shoulder injuries
Lie face down and place your arms out (straight) above your head at a
45 angle, making a Y-shape. Point your thumbs up to the ceiling
Squeeze your shoulder blades together as hard as you can
Keeping them squeezed (this is vital) and without taking your head off
of the floor, lift your arms off the floor and up as high as you can.
Pause for a second at the top, and them lower them to the ground
Repeat this for 15 times. Make sure that you squeeze the shoulder
blades together before every repetition.

16

Trap raise start position

End position

This is a posture and injury prevention exercise, so it should be done slowly,

and there should be no momentum coming from the rest of the body
Neck isometrics
Place your hands on your forehead and press them into each other for 10
seconds DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH. Then place your left hand on the
left side of your head and repeat the same exercise. Then do the same for
the back of your head (both hands) and finally place your right hand on the
right side of your neck

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2) LOWER BODY TRAINING

There are 2 fundamental movement patterns involving the lower body; the
squat, and the lunge. We will look at these (and variations) first before
looking at a few additional exercises.

The squat
The set up
Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder width, with the toes
pointing slightly out to the side
Clasp your fingers together and put your hands behind your head
Pull your elbows back and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Stick your chest out and think about lifting it up you may feel the
muscles between your shoulder blades contracting
Squeeze your abbs and glutes your pelvis should now be in a neutral
position
Push your knees out to the side think about spreading the floor away
with the outside of your feet
Take a deep breath in and hold in until you have gone down and up
remember your abbs and glutes should be squeezed
Keep your head neutral look straight forward and keep your eyes
fixed on that point during the squat
The descent
The squat is initiated by simultaneously bending the knees and hips,
allow you to sit down between your legs (this is why the legs are quite
wide i.e. slightly wider than shoulder width).
Squat down as low as you can There is a myth that you should
not bend the knees past 90. Not only is this myth not true, you are
actually placing more pressure on the knees if you keep them at 90
You need to keep your lower back as flat as possible. It is likely to
round when you first start doing squats. You can make it flatter by
lifting the chest up and pulling your elbows back again you will feel
this working the muscles between the shoulder blades
o Make sure that you keep your head neutral lifting the chest up
does not meaning tilting the head back
The knees should be in line with the toes another common problem
is allowing the knees to fall in. You need to prevent this by pushing the
knees out hard and also pushing the outside of the feet into the floor.
You will probably feel a stretch in your groin.
As you descend, the weight should be on your heels if you are
leaning forward too much you may need to think about sitting
backwards slightly

18

The ascent
Stand up by extending the hips and knees, and by pushing the head
and chest straight up this should all happen at the same time so that
the trunk of the body stays in the same position.

Squat start position

Squat bottom position

Common mistakes
Going onto the toes the weight should be on your heels. If the
weight is on your toes, shift your bodyweight backwards onto the heels
Rounding the lower back the lower back should be flat. If it rounds,
lift the chest up and work the muscles in-between your shoulder blades
Letting the knees drift in correct this by pushing the knees out to the
side. Also think about pushing the floor away with the outside of the
feet.
Squat flexibility
The common mistakes can usually be fixed by improving and concentrating
on technique. However, there are some specific flexibility drills you can do as
well
1) A common problem is the rounding of the lower back when you squat
down low:
Following the above instructions, squat down until your lower back
starts to round (you will need feedback from a partner)
Pause in this position for a second, and then lift the chest up and pull
the elbows back this should flatten the lower back by contracting the
muscles between the shoulder blades

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Then go 1 inch lower, pause for a second and lift the chest up again
(and pull the elbows back)
Repeat this 1 more time, and then stand up

2) Another common problem is letting the knees fall inwards because of the
flexibility of your groin:
Squat down as low as you can
Clasp your hands together, and place your elbows inside your knees
Lift your chest up, and push your knees out with your elbows

Harder versions 1 leg versions

Squatting on both legs with just your bodyweight should not be too
challenging. But the 1 leg squat version are far more difficult
1) One leg box squat
The box squat technique has already been described as a technique for
helping to learn the squat. The box / bench should be about knee height, and
you need to start about 6 inches in front of it so that you sit backwards and
down, not down. When you are sitting on it, your shin should be completely
vertical.
You can make the exercise harder by decreasing the height of the box
/ bench whatever you choose to sit on, just make sure that it is sturdy.

20

1 leg box squat start position

Stand up on one leg

Return to this position without putting the foot down

2) Skater squat
Extend 1 leg out behind you so that you are now on one leg. From here,
squat down as low as you can, just like you would in a normal squat. The
main difference is that you will struggle to keep your body in an upright
position, so lean forward for balance, and put your hands out for extra
balance.

21

3) Pistol squat
The final version is the pistol squat. The pistol squat is the same as the skater
squat, but this time the non working leg is held straight out in front of you.
Like the skater squat, you will struggle to perform this with a completely
upright body, so lean forward slightly and have your hands out in front to act
as a counterbalance. To improve the counterbalance you may want to hold a
small object in front of you
An assisted pistol squat, where you hold onto a sturdy object such as a
door frame is another way to help you learn the pistol squat.

Pistol squat start position

Pistol squat bottom position

The pistol squat is a very difficult exercise to do. You can make it slightly
easier by holding onto a partners hand for support. Just make sure your
partner is strong enough to hold you up

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The lunge
Like the squat, the lunge builds up strength, dynamic stability and dynamic
flexibility in the lower body.
Start with the feet at shoulder width. Like you have done before in so
many exercises, squeeze your abdominal muscles, and squeeze your
butt-cheeks together (imagine you are squeezing a 5 note between
your butt-cheeks), and slightly pull your shoulder blades back.
Keeping your body upright, take a large step forward. Then, bend your
back knee and push it towards the ground. Your front foot should be
completely flat on the ground
In the bottom position of the lunge, your front knee should be at a
right angle (and above the ankle). The front knee, like in the squat,
should be in line with the foot, and both of them should be pointing
forward the knee should not be coming in towards the mid-line of
the body
The body should be completely upright. The back knee should be at a
right angle, and be just off of the ground
To get back to the start position, stand up and push yourself back with
the front foot, by pushing through the heel. The front foot should go
straight back to next to the back foot.
Then repeat the lunge on the other leg
The step down into the bottom position should be done in 1 fluid movement,
as should the step back up.

Lunge start position

Lunge bottom position

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Lunge side on view

Common mistakes and easier versions
Bending the front knee when you have stepped forward, if you go
further down by bending the front knee you will go too far forward, so
initiate the down movement by bending the back knee.
If the step forward is too short you will also lean too far forward, and
will go onto the toes.
Letting the front knee drift in. Push it out so that it tracks the front foot
If you struggle with the lunge, you can break it down using the split squat
Split squat
The split squat is just like the lunge, but the feet stay in the same place
Step forward with the front leg (as you would in the lunge) and keep
the foot there this is the starting position.
Bend the back knee towards the ground (just like in the lunge)
Stand up, back into the starting position, but keep the feet exactly
where they are.
Repeat this 5 times with the same foot in front, and then swap legs
Harder version Bulgarian Split Squat
This exercise will really challenge your balance and flexibility (you will feel a
stretch in the back leg). It is exactly the same as the split squat (described
above) but the back foot is raised onto a bench / sturdy object, which should
be about knee height.
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You need to take a big step out with the front foot, then keeping your
body upright, bend the back knee towards the ground, and then stand up
using the front leg. Do 5 on each leg

Bulgarian Split squat start position

Bottom position

Other lower body bodyweight exercises

Nordic curls
Not only will Nordic curls improve the strength and flexibility of your
hamstrings, they will help you to prevent pulling your hamstring, as you are
making the hamstring stronger when it is stretched.
Kneel down, and have a partner grab hold of your ankles. Squeeze
your abbs and glutes, make sure you are up straight (a straight line
must run through your knees, hips and shoulders), and place your
hands up to the side of your chest.
Lower yourself down for a count of 5 seconds you must make sure
that the movement comes from the knees and not the hips i.e. do not
bend at the hips
When you get to the bottom, push yourself back up to halfway (by
doing an explosive press up)
When you get to halfway, use your hamstrings (on the backs of your
upper leg) to bring yourself back up to the starting position again,
you must make sure that you do not bend from the waist.

Nordic curl start position

Slowly lower yourself, and keep your

Body in a straight line

25

Touch the mat with your chest and

hands at the same time

And then press up and contract your

hamstrings to bring yourself back
up to the starting position

If you do not feel your hamstrings working during this exercise, then it either
means that:
you are bending too much at the hips, so squeeze your butt-cheeks
together and push your hips forward all the way through
You are getting up too high with the press up portion of the lift. If so,
only use your arms to come off the ground a little bit, and then let
your hamstrings do all of the work

Cossacks
This exercise will help to develop strength and flexibility in the groin, as well
as the rest of the lower body. It requires a great amount of strength, balance,
and flexibility. If you find squatting difficult you may struggle to do this
initially so keep working at it.
Start with your feet wide. From here, you need to simultaneously:
o Move to one side and stretch the groin of the opposite leg. The
opposite leg needs to rotate so that your toes point up into the
air e.g. if you move to the left your right groin is stretched, and
your right leg rotates so that the toes of the right foot point up
to the sky.
o At the same time you need to squat backwards over the left leg.
You wont be able to stay upright, and you will find yourself
leaning over the left leg
From here, drive yourself back up to the starting position using the left
leg. Then repeat to the other side

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Cossack bottom position (front)

Cossack bottom position (side)

As you can see from the above picture, from the side the Cossack looks like a
squat, as you need to sit backwards as you move over to the side
You can make the exercise more challenging by going from one side to the
other without coming back up i.e. you move side to side and stay at the same
height.

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3) CORE STABILITY AND STRENGTH TRAINING

CORE STABILITY vs CORE STRENGTH
There is a difference between core stability and core strength:
Core stability involves preventing movement in the spine and pelvis
Core strength involves using the strength of the core muscles to move
the spine
So, if your core muscles are working to prevent excessive movement in the
spine, then you are training for core stability. And if your core muscles are
working to provide movement in the spine, then you are working to improve
core strength (although there may be some cross over between the 2
categories)
Whilst core strength is needed for improved performance, it is important to
lay a good foundation for injury prevention with lots of core stability training.
Core stability myths
1) There are some core muscles that are more important than others, and
you should concentrate on these more than others
This is absolute rubbish. Core stability involves your abdominal muscles, your
oblique muscles, your back muscles, the muscles of the hips, and lots of deep
muscles that attach directly to the spine and pelvis that you cannot see.
All of these muscles must work equally and in tandem. If you make
some of them stronger than the others you create an imbalance will affect
your posture and make yourself more susceptible to injury. There is no core
stability muscle that is more important than the others.
The common misconceptions are that the abdominals (myth no.2) and
the transverse abdominis (myth no.3) are the most important core muscles
they are not
2) Sit ups are the best core stability exercise
Hopefully by now you have realised that the abdominals are not the only set
of core muscles that you have to train. They do need to be trained as much
as any other core muscle group though. The question is, what is the correct
way to train them?
If you look at the amount of spine bending that usually occurs in sit
ups, you will notice that that amount of spine bending does not occur in most
sporting situations. Can you think of many sports where bending the spine is
beneficial? Movement usually occurs from the hips, not the spine, which is
why you need to have good flexibility and mobility in the hips, and be able to
provide stiffness in the core muscles surrounding the spine
It has also been shown that the constant bending of the spine that
occurs during sit ups is also likely to lead to disc problems in the lower back.

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Another problem with sit ups, is that when most people do them, they
are actually using their hip flexors too much (which puts extra strain on the
back). And usually sit ups are done with so much momentum that the
abdominals only receive minimal stimulation and dont actually do that much
work. In summary there are much better ways to train your abdominals than
by doing sit ups.
3) Suck in your belly button to switch on your core muscles during strength
training
If you suck in your belly button, you can activate a deep core muscle called
the Transverse Abdominis (TVA). Sitting at your desk and doing this every
now and again is not such a bad idea by itself. The problem occurs however
when you do this during strength training
Sucking in your belly button during exercise to switch on the TVA
actually switches off other muscles, and actually makes you weaker in the mid
section instead, you should brace your entire abdominal wall during
strength training, and other activities to activate every core muscle
So to summarise:
The core muscles all need to be trained equally to prevent an
imbalance the abdominals and the TVA are not the most important
core muscles
Sit ups are not the king of core stability exercises
Sucking in your belly button is not a good idea during strength
exercises instead, squeeze your abbs (and glutes)
This program contains 4 core stability exercises, and 2 core strength exercises
(there are also some bonus core stability exercises in the 4th section).

CORE STABILITY EXERCISES

Curl up
This exercise works the abdominals (and other core muscles) without bending
the lower back. There is some movement in the spine between the upper
(thoracic) and lower (lumbar) spine, but the lower back stays straight.
Lie on your back, and place your hands behind your lower back with
your elbows on the floor. Extend 1 leg, and keep 1 leg straight.
Keeping your lower back down, lift your chest, shoulders and head
about 3 inches off the ground. Hold this position for 5 seconds then
come down DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH WHILST DOING IT
Do this 10 times, then swap legs
When you bring your head, shoulders and chest up, remember that
you are not doing a sit up. Keep your head in a neutral position. Keep
looking up at the ceiling, and dont look forward towards your feet
Place your tongue behind your top row of teeth to help relax the neck,
which may get tired the first few times you do this exercise

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Curl up start position

Curl up finish position
You can make the exercise much harder by squeezing your abdominals as
hard as you can before you start the exercise.
Curl up progression Dead-bug
When the curl up is too easy, progress to the Deadbug. This is another
exercise for the abdominals that involves no movement from the lumbar
spine.
Lie on your back. Place your hands under your lower back and lift the
knees up. You should feel the back pressing against the hands
You need to keep the same amount of pressure on the hands as you
do this exercise. Try and pull your hands out as you do it. If you can
pull your hands out, you need to press down harder with the back
this will make the abdominals work harder.
So, keeping the hands pressed down, slowly extend 1 leg out and
back, and then repeat on the other side. That is 1 rep. Do 10
The key to making this exercise work is pressing against the hands. If
you can pull your hands out whilst you are moving the legs, the
abdominals are not working hard enough.
If you struggle to do this, move back to doing curl ups instead.
When you can do this exercise continuously for 60 seconds, make it
harder by moving both legs at the same time (this is an advanced
exercise)

Deadbug start position

Deadbug end position

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Double leg version

Side plank
Lie on your side. Your elbow should be directly below your shoulder,
and your elbow should be bent to 90 with your hand out in front.
Place the top foot on top of the bottom foot
Keeping your body in a straight line (top shoulder directly above the
bottom shoulder, top hip directly above the bottom hip), raise your
hips off of the ground. There should be a straight line between your
shoulder and ankle, and that line should run through the bottom hip
You should be able to hold this position for at least 30s. Hold it for
longer if you can
If you cannot hold it for 30s, bend your knees to 90, so that your feet
are directly behind the knees. Keeping the body in a straight line, raise
the hips up, and keep the knees on the ground.

Side plank normal version

Side plank easier version knees bent

Side plank progression Partner resisted side plank

When you can do the side plank for 60 seconds, you can make it
harder by having a partner push gently down onto the outside of your
hips.

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Glute bridge
Lie on your back and bend your knees to 90, keeping your feet on the
floor. Your feet and knees should be shoulder width.
Squeeze your butt-cheeks together and raise your hips off the ground.
Raise the hips up until they are part of a straight line between your
shoulders and your knees
At the top, pause for a second and squeeze the butt-cheeks together
again, and then slowly lower down to the ground.
You should feel this in the butt-cheeks, and not in the hamstrings or
the lower back

Glute bridge start position

Glute bridge end position

When you can do 30, progress to the single leg version - From the starting
position, extend 1 leg, so that the upper thighs of both legs are parallel. From
here, raise up like before by using just one side. Do as many as you can on 1
leg before swapping sides.

Single leg version of glute bridge

End position

Glute bridge progression single leg lowers

When you can do 30 single leg glute bridges, you can attempt this version:
Get into position for a single leg glute bridge, and raise your hips up.
This is the starting position
From here, slowly lower the foot to the ground and then bring it back
up, without letting the hips drop down
The hips must stay exactly where they are, and they must stay level.
The goal is to be able to do 30 on each side.
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Glute bridge single leg lowers lower the leg but keep the hips up
Clam
This exercise works the small muscles on the outside of the hips. It is
important for helping to keep the knee in line with the rest of the body during
running, jumping and landing etc. Everyone should do this, but it is a very
important exercise for female athletes, especially Netball players.
Lie on your side. Extend the bottom arm out, and place the head on
that shoulder like a pillow
Bring your knees up in front of you. The feet should be in line with the
rest of the body
Without rocking your torso from side to side (the top shoulder should
be directly above the bottom shoulder and the torso should not move)
raise your top knee up and away from the other one, Get it as high as
you can without rocking the body. The feet should stay in contact with
each other
This is a reasonably easy exercise, so do it SLOWLY and do lots of
repetitions

Clam start position

Clam end position

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Clam progression Partner resisted clam

When you can do 30 clams, have a partner add a small amount of pressure
onto the outside of your knee. Initially aim to do 10 of these, and then build
up to 15, then 20 etc

Resisted clam start position

End position

CORE STRENGTH EXERCISES

Reverse crunch
In this exercise, there is a small amount of bending of the spine, but no
where near as much that will occur in a sit up. There is also less momentum
than in a sit up, so the abdominals are doing the work
Lie on your back and bring your legs straight up into the air. This is the
starting position
From here, using your abdominal muscles only, bring your feet above
your face, and then kick them up towards the sky, and then back to
the starting position.
It is important that you do not let the legs go too far back they must
go back to the starting position. Imagine a vertical line coming up from
your hips towards the sky your legs cannot go past this line. If they
do, you will be using too much momentum. This exercise involves a
very small range of movement.

Start position feet above the hips

Bring the feet above the face and then

Push them up

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Harder version 1 Hanging knee raise

Hang off of a pull up bar with straight arms. Dont pull yourself up, it is
not a pull up exercise.
From here, bring your knees all the way up to your shoulders and then
down again.
You should try to avoid using too much momentum. When you first do
this that may not be possible, so a small amount of swinging is
permitted when you first start doing them
The goal is to get the knees all the way up to the shoulders

Start with the legs hanging down

Bring the knees up to the shoulders

Harder version 2 Hanging leg raise

This is exactly the same exercise, but the legs stay straight, and you
are attempting to touch the pull up bar with your shins be careful not
to smash them against the bar.

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Hanging leg raise try and touch the bar with the shins
Wipers
Lie on your back and bring your legs up to a vertical position. Keep
them as straight as possible. Put your arms out to the side for support.
This is the starting position
From here, lower your legs to the side and then bring them back to the
start before going to the other side this is 1 repetition
Do not let your feet touch the floor. The aim is to get the feet as low
as possible with out putting them down
Aim for 10 repetitions

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4) ADDITIONAL EXERCISES
This section looks at some additional exercises that you may wish to attempt
once you have mastered the exercises in sections 1, 2 + 3. If you choose to
do these exercises, you should do them as well as the exercises from the
session plans.
Feel free to come and see me when you find this program is starting to
get too easy, and we may look at some individual exercises for you.

Upper body partner resistance training

For these upper body exercises, resistance is provided by a partner. They are
competitive and fun exercises, and you can push each other quite hard. Your
partner can make them harder or easier by providing more or less resistance.
If you cant physically perform the exercises then your partner is
providing too much resistance and they need to ease off slightly.
These exercises work in both directions i.e. your partner works against
you when you move the arms in both directions. They can be performed
sitting, kneeling or standing. Squeeze your abbs and glutes in all of these
exercises.
For all of these exercises, the partner grabs your wrists.
1) Side raises + Side pull-downs
Keeping them straight, raise your arms up to the side to shoulder height and
then down again. That counts as 1 repetition, and your partner resists both
movements.

2) Front raises and front pull-downs

The same exercise, but this time the arms go up to the front (shoulder
height) and down again.

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3) Shoulder press + lateral pull-down

This requires the partner to be higher than the person doing the exercise.
With the hands to the side of your head and your palms facing forward, push
your hands straight up until your arms are straight, and then pull the elbows
down into the side of your body

4) Pec fly and reverse fly

Hold the arms straight out in front of you at shoulder height. Pull them back
until they are out by your side, and then pull them back together and try and
clap your hands.

5) Resisted press up
This exercises only works when you are on the way up. Your partner provides
a very small amount of resistance onto your upper back. If you cannot keep
the correct posture, then your partner is providing too much resistance.
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Advanced core stability + strength exercises

When you find that the core stability exercises are not that difficult you can
attempt some of the following exercises,that combine core stability and core
strength.
You should not attempt them until you can do all of the previous core
stability and strength exercises
Plank walk outs
Start in a press up position and squeeze your abbs and glutes
From here, keeping your torso in a straight position and without letting
your hips sag down, walk your hands forward and your feet backwards
to make your body longer
Walk out until you are in a position that you can hold for 30s
When you can hold this position for 30s, make the exercise harder by
walking out longer the ultimate position is to have your nose just off
of the ground

Start position

Walk out as far as you can

Rocky
You need to hold onto a sturdy object, or the ankles of a partner who
has good strength and balance
Bring your knees into your shoulders and then push your feet up into
the air until your body is in a straight line squeeze your abbs and
glutes, and push your hips forward to keep your body in a straight line.
That wasnt the exercise you are now in the starting position. From
here, slowly lower yourself to the ground for a count of 5 seconds
without bending at the waist your bottom and feet should hit the
ground at the same time. If they dont, it means that your waist is bent,
so squeeze the butt-cheeks harder and push your hips forward.
Repeat this 5 times

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Rocky start position get the body

Then slowly lower the body, keeping it
as straight as possible first
as straight as possible
Harder version dragon flag
In the Rocky exercise, you are only working on the way down. In a
dragon flag, you work on the way down and on the way up
Start off by getting into the same starting position, with your feet
pointing up to the sky and your body in a straight line
Lower yourself to the ground like you were before. But just before you
touch the ground, bring yourself back up, and keep yourself in a
straight line!
Hanging wipers
This is an advanced version of the wipers that are part of the program
Hang from a pull up bar, and then bring your hips and legs up as high
as you can. You should now be in the same position that you were
when on the floor the upper body should be parallel with the
ground, and the legs should be completely vertical and pointing up to
the ceiling
From here perform the exercise as before take the legs all the way
down to one side, then back to the start before going to the other side

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Start position feet up to ceiling

Come down until feet are level with

hips

Suspension training

Suspension training is a system of training that involves using your

bodyweight whilst it is suspended using rope or gymnastics rings. Recently
several companies have released specialist equipment for suspension training,
the most common being a company called TRX.
Although we currently do not have any suspension training devices in
the school, several of you have said that you may be buying a set, so it is
worth me going over some of the basic exercises with you.
There are far too may suspension exercises to mention here. Most
suspension trainers come with their own program that you can follow. Here
are some of the basic exercises
HORIZONTAL ROW
Lie on your back with your legs straight and grab the rings with your
arms fully extended
Take away the slack and take the strain by pulling the shoulder blades
back (keep the arms straight), squeezing your abbs and glutes. This is
important. You should now only be touching the floor with your feet.
Keeping your posture in the correct position by following the above
points, pull yourself up by bending the elbows until your hands are
touching the sides of your body. Your elbows should brush the sides of
your body
In this position, pause for a second (squeeze the shoulder blades
together again) and slowly lower yourself down back to the starting
position after lowering yourself make sure you are still only touching
the floor with your feet and keep your gluteal and abdominal muscles
squeezed.

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Common mistakes
Bending at the waist and letting the hips sag It is important to keep
your body in a straight line, so squeeze the abdominal and gluteal
muscles hard
Losing the shoulder position keep your shoulder blades pulled
together
Harder versions
As with pull ups, you can make the exercise harder by going slower and
pausing at the top of the pull
1) Feet raised
Raising the feet with a partner or by placing them on a bench will also make
the exercise harder

2) Face pulls
Technically this is actually a different exercise, but you should attempt it once
you have mastered the basic pull. Lie on the ground with the rings directly
above your face. Instead of pulling the elbows into the side of your body, pull
your elbows out to the side and try to kiss the rings.

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SUSPENDED PRESS UPS

Perform a press up as normal with the hands in the rings of the suspension
trainer

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