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Core Stability
Core muscles, like the core structure of a skyscraper, are the muscles that keep you upright, stabilized, and balanced. No matter what your physical activity, your core muscles are at work. The stronger they are the better your posture and the less susceptible you are to injury. If your core muscles are weak, you are at risk. Fortunately, just like any other muscle group, your core muscles can be strengthened.
Before you begin to do these exercises, learn to contract your abdominal muscles; then, keep them contracted throughout the exercises. How do you know when your abdominal muscles are contracted? Cough: That tightness you feel around your trunk is the wonderful feeling of contracted abs.
Trunk Twist
Starting Position: Lie on your back with your knees bent, your feet flat on the floor, and your hands on your stomach. Tighten your abdominal muscles. Keeping both shoulders against the floor, slowing allow your knees to fall together to one side. Go only as far as comfortable. You should feel a deep stretch, but no pain. Pull your legs back up to the starting position with your trunk muscles. Repeat the movement on the other side. Breathe evenly and deeply throughout the exercise, keeping your abdominals tight. Begin with 1 to 5 repetitions. As you gain strength, work up to 10 to 15 repetitions.
  
Pelvic Lift
Starting Position: Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and arms relaxed at your side. Contract your abdominal muscles and raise your hips off the floor until they are aligned with your knees and shoulders. Hold this position for about 15 seconds, breathing naturally and deeply. Return to the starting position. As you improve, try extending one leg at a time while in the raised position.
 
Abdominal Crunch
Starting Position: Lying on your back with your hips and knees bent at a 90-degree angle (Rest your lower legs on a chair, ottoman, or bench, or place your feet flat-footed against a wall). With your hands clasped and resting on your chest and your eyes on the ceiling, slowly curl your abdominal muscles, slightly lifting your shoulders off the floor; focus on using your abdominals to pull your rib cage toward your hips. Repeat as many times as you can while keeping your abdominal muscles contracted. Rest, contract, and repeat some more.
 
Spider Smash
Starting Position: Lying on your stomach on the floor with your forehead resting in your palms and your legs extended, bend one leg at the knee. The bottom on your shoe should be facing the ceiling. Slowing press your foot to the ceiling, as if you were going to smash a spider with the sole of your shoe. Your knee will only rise slightly off of the ground. Work up to 10 repetitions with each leg.
 
Abdominal Press
Starting Position: Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor. Cough to tighten your abdominal muscles. Raise one of your knees until your hip and knee are at 90-degree angles. With the same arm as raised leg, press your hand against the knee, keeping your arm straight. Use your abdominal muscles to try to resist the pressure of your hand against your knee. Hold for about 15 seconds, breathing evenly and deeply. Keep your abdominal muscles contracted throughout. Release and repeat on the other side.
 
Oppostion Reach
Starting Position: Lie on your stomach on the floor with your forehead resting on the back of one hand. Extend your other arm and your legs. Slowing reach forward and slightly up with one arm while lifting the opposite leg slightly up from the hip. Hold this lifted position for a count of 5 and return to starting position. Reverse sides. Repeat up to 10 times on each side. You only need to raise your arms and legs a couple of inches off the ground for this to effectively strengthen your lower back.
 
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