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SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 2021 THE RIDER /43


Fitness for Riders: Core Stability and Control


photos), but didn’t have the strength in their deeper sta- bilizers to do those cool exercises er- g o n omi c a l l y. Cool


exercises, even bouts of en-


By Dr. Heather Sansom Core training is one of


the most popular themes for rider fitness, and with good reason. Almost a decade ago when I was writing a fitness column for Dressage Today, I developed a rider fitness training scale with core strength very close to the base of the pyramid. When you ride, you are a vertical spine, sitting on a horizontal one. You are moving in all planes, and supporting your back with- out tension is critical. Many riders’ back issues stem from poor alignment of the spine, or from absorption of too much motion (negative loading). Books like Bal- ance


in Movement


(Suzanne von Dietze), When Two Spines Align (Beth Baumert) and the Centered Riding books dis- cuss these biomechanics in detail. Core strength is not


just for dressage riders. I have worked with riders in Western disciplines, en- durance, polo, mounted games, pentathlon, Event- ing, hunter and show jump- ing,


driving, natural


horsemanship, and pleasure riding. Every rider needs a strong core to protect the spine. Actually, the basis of all sport and functional movement is the core. Your core not only protects your spine. It also controls where your limbs are, how you dis- tribute your weight, and movement. There are lots of op-


tions for core training. After writing dozens of articles for equestrian magazines on core training, I finally wrote a downloadable ebook on core training for riders (Killer Core for Riders, www.equifitt.com/ebooks4r iders/), and one for runners (Killer Core for Runners, www.equifitt.com/core4run ners/). Both are also avail- able in hardcopy through Amazon.


I had to write


them because I was getting the same kinds of questions from readers, and seeing the same types of chronic prob- lems. I realized that people were jumping on the core bandwagon and doing the handful of exercises fea- tured in an article here or there, but they weren’t doing progressive training. They were risking injury be- cause their training was hap- hazard. They were doing cool exercises for large core muscles (because those sell- they’re cool and make good


thusiastic or serious effort, are not progressive training. I ended up specializing in integrated core training as I found that nearly all my rid- ing and other sport clients were having trouble engag- ing it properly to protect their spine in motion. All of my core work-


outs (ebooks and the sec- tions in Fit to Ride in Nine Weeks) are based on pro- gressive training principles. If you’re interested in a great resource on how your spine works and how to sta- bilize it and use it properly, you might like to get a copy of Stuart McGill’s Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance. What you want to do as a rider is work from the inside, out. If you’re just


starting to take a se- rious look at core training, or revisit- ing the basics, start slowly and gradu- ally ramp up. Also, pay attention to cov- ering as many planes of movement as you can. I like Pi- lates as a base for core training, be- cause it trains inner stabilizers


the fitness ball, a weight, and a twisting motion. You need to be able to sit or lie on the ball while maintain- ing perfect balance (no movement or wiggling), and then do the motions without weight, before


adding


weight. You are using the ball to work on your balance and centering yourself. When you add in the move- ment, you are destabilizing yourself and have to use your lateral (and many other) core muscles to main- tain a symmetrical and cen- tered position on the ball (so


Exercise 1: weighted twist seated on the ball. Sit with your weight


evenly distributed in both seatbones,


holding a


weighted object in front of you. Slowly twist from side to side while paying atten- tion to your weight in your seat bones and the pressure of the floor on your feet. Use your core to accomplish the twisting motion, while maintaining a straight and neutral spine (your spine ro- tates, but does not bend). If you find that the ball


Exercise 2: lying bridge on ball with weighted twist Sit on the ball holding


a weight. Lay back and walk your feet out until you are lying on your back with the ball under your shoulder blades. Maintain some core tone and a feeling of a slight crunch as you keep your hips up (using your gluteals). Hold the weight straight overhead,


then


reach it out to each side turning your


shoulders


slightly. You will need to pay attention to the position


of the ball under your spine, and the pressure in your feet. You will find that as you shift the weight to one side, you need to counter- balance with a little more pressure in the opposite side.


lizing muscles, as well as ro- tational muscles,


You are training stabi- and


cross-body co-ordination to support asymmetrical load- ing.


For both exercises,


start out with a few repeti- tions daily. When you can do 20-30 (pairs: left and right equals one movement), then you are well ready for some different exercises.


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first,


along with symme- try. Pilates isn’t for everyone, but as long as your work- out has those bases covered first, you are in a better posi- tion to protect your spine and train with better


alignment. Then you can add in


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Happy Riding and Training!


You have more potential than you realise. Happy rid- ing and training!


© Heather R. Sansom Equifitt offers coaching for riders that helps with fitness, posture and biomechanics to help you ride better. Most services including rid- ing instruction are available by Skype. Equifitt: www.equifitt.com


Reprinted from The Rider September 2017.


some of those more cool and tough exercises that work the outer core muscles, or incorporate more move- ment.


Ok, enough theory!


The two exercises I wanted to bring you this month use


it doesn’t roll). When you add the weight, you are also working on strengthening your lateral core muscles (obliques), while maintain- ing a constant centre of gravity with the rest of your core.


rolls a lot, you can start with it propped against a wall. You will get bonus strength- ening for your shoulders if you are holding a weight. The pictures below show modifications of the seated exercise.


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