If you don’t have a yoga mat, try spreading a soft blanket on the ground where it won’t slip and slide.
You can keep your fingers spread wide or ball them into fists—whichever you prefer. If you’re doing this with bare feet, you might slip and slide around. Try putting on some running shoes to give yourself more of a grip.
This is called an “elbow plank” or a “forearm plank. ”
Squeeze your glute muscles to stop your hips before they hit the floor.
You’ll feel this in your obliques and your lower back.
If you start to fall, engage your abs and your glutes to stop yourself.
If you don’t engage your core, you won’t get the full benefits of this workout! You can really hurt your lower back if you aren’t engaging your core enough.
This is a great workout to add into your core routine.
If a classic side plank is too much, bend your knees and support your weight with your right knee instead of your right foot.
This also doubles as a cardio exercise since it will get your heart rate up. If you’re just starting out and the up and down plank is too much, do a plank on your knees instead of your toes and then try it again.
Both of these exercises help to relieve stress on your core and your lower back muscles. Try inhaling on the cat stretch and exhaling on the cow stretch to get the most out of these exercises.
Your hips and feet might lift off the ground just slightly as you do this stretch, which is fine! You’ll feel this stretch in your obliques and your lower back.
This is a great stretch for the sides of your torso and your abs. You can do this in addition or instead of the oblique stretch lying down.
If you have any lower back problems, this stretch may be too intense for you. Take it slow, and stop if you feel any sharp pain.
