Looking for core exercises without arms and little legs

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yirara
yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My core has lost pretty much all strength. I'm currently doing physio for my slowly healing shoulder and am not allowed yet to do things like pushups/crawls/any lift or any other weights. I just started running again and don't want to wreck my legs too much. Any ideas? So far I found:

Leg raises, dead bugs (need to be careful with extending arm), hyperextensions (same) and sit ups or rather slow sit downs :D Any more ideas?

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  • Ernest_Nigma
    Ernest_Nigma Posts: 68 Member
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    I like a modified version of bicycles. I looked at video online that shows something more like a crunch but thats not what I mean. They were holding their hands by the head and trying to touch elbows to opposite knees. Instead of pulling the knees up so high, I focus on alternately extending each leg out straight as I retract the other. Like a leg raise, the lower you extend the leg the harder it is. My version also doesn't use the arms at all. However, do focus on tightening the abs to pull on the front of your pelvis and press your back down. This version probably looks more like riding a unicycle but laying on your back.

    I'm sure the crunch style bicycle exercise is great but this version sounds perfect for your situation as long as you don't need to use your shoulders too much for side to side stability.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
    edited August 2023
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    Ernest_Nigma wrote: »
    I like a modified version of bicycles. I looked at video online that shows something more like a crunch but thats not what I mean. They were holding their hands by the head and trying to touch elbows to opposite knees. Instead of pulling the knees up so high, I focus on alternately extending each leg out straight as I retract the other. Like a leg raise, the lower you extend the leg the harder it is. My version also doesn't use the arms at all. However, do focus on tightening the abs to pull on the front of your pelvis and press your back down. This version probably looks more like riding a unicycle but laying on your back.

    I'm sure the crunch style bicycle exercise is great but this version sounds perfect for your situation as long as you don't need to use your shoulders too much for side to side stability.

    I know what you mean! That sounds excellent! I'll add this. I'm also thinking butt lifts: legs vertically up and then lifting up the butt. I'm totally running out of idea for the lower back though. Everything I can think of requires weights or are basically things I'm not allowed yet.

  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,340 Member
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    I was wondering about an adapted dragon flag but that might still put too much pressure on your shoulders 🤔 I don’t know what they’re called, but there is an exercise where you sit on the floor, legs out in front and apart. Put a block or something like a small pile of books in the middle by your ankles. Then lift one leg up and over the books, touch the floor and go back again. Do a few each side. You may need to press the floor with your good arm - I wasn’t strong enough to do them without a little stabilisation. If you can hold a bench with your good arm and it won’t stress your shoulder, you could also do reverse hypers for the lower back - they’re evil.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
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    claireychn074 wrote: »
    I was wondering about an adapted dragon flag but that might still put too much pressure on your shoulders 🤔 I don’t know what they’re called, but there is an exercise where you sit on the floor, legs out in front and apart. Put a block or something like a small pile of books in the middle by your ankles. Then lift one leg up and over the books, touch the floor and go back again. Do a few each side. You may need to press the floor with your good arm - I wasn’t strong enough to do them without a little stabilisation. If you can hold a bench with your good arm and it won’t stress your shoulder, you could also do reverse hypers for the lower back - they’re evil.

    Oh, I need to think about this tomorrow. I think I know what you mean and I will certainly try it. Also got another idea: kick legs over the back of a chair. First left leg towards the left, then the right leg as well, and then right towards the right and then the left follows. It's not super hard but also hits the core.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,515 Member
    edited August 2023
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    yirara wrote: »
    I'm totally running out of idea for the lower back though. Everything I can think of requires weights or are basically things I'm not allowed yet.
    Reverse hypers? You can do them with bodyweight by laying your upper body face down on a firm bed or table, keep feet together and raise to parallel, repeat.

    Can you do DB RDL? That would be posterior chain, not shoulders/arms.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,463 Member
    edited August 2023
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    Pilates Five series, or any Pilates on your back on a mat, including rollups. Or use a Pilates “magic circle” (or even a yoga block) between your knees or between ankles for things like dead bug, hip lifts, anywhere you can make the squeezing or stretching move with the circle.

    Rolling bridges on your back.

    Bridges with leg lift & taps, or bridges with rings between knees and squeezes.

    Lay on back legs up and spread legs as wide as you can and pulse apart. Try it with a rubber fitness band.

    I used to do boat pose as part of my routine morning stretches and try to hold it a little longer every day. That’s a great core one.

    Boat to canoe to boat reps, also great.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
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    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    I'm totally running out of idea for the lower back though. Everything I can think of requires weights or are basically things I'm not allowed yet.
    Reverse hypers? You can do them with bodyweight by laying your upper body face down on a firm bed or table, keep feet together and raise to parallel, repeat.

    Can you do DB RDL? That would be posterior chain, not shoulders/arms.

    Yes, I'm doing hyperextensions. I might also add swimmers. Not allowed to lift up any weight yet, thus weighted romanians are a nope still. Which is good, because I still experience a bit of pain if I lift up something heavy or do certain movements. I could do bodyweight, but with my hypermobile ankles this will be a very wobbly affair compared to weighted ones where I can use the weight to stabilize my feet :D
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
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    springlering62 wrote: »
    Pilates Five series, or any Pilates on your back on a mat, including rollups. Or use a Pilates “magic circle” (or even a yoga block) between your knees or between ankles for things like dead bug, hip lifts, anywhere you can make the squeezing or stretching move with the circle.

    Rolling bridges on your back.

    Bridges with leg lift & taps, or bridges with rings between knees and squeezes.

    Lay on back legs up and spread legs as wide as you can and pulse apart. Try it with a rubber fitness band.

    I used to do boat pose as part of my routine morning stretches and try to hold it a little longer every day. That’s a great core one.

    Boat to canoe to boat reps, also great.

    Thanks a lot! I need to test whether I can put some pressure on my shoulder yet. It might be possible, or not. :)
  • williamsonmj1
    williamsonmj1 Posts: 85 Member
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    Curl Ups are a good option:

    https://youtu.be/2_e4I-brfqs?t=96
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
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    williamsonmj1 wrote: »
    Curl Ups are a good option:

    https://youtu.be/2_e4I-brfqs?t=96

    Cool! I can do this!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
    edited August 2023
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    Ok, I have a choice of 9 exercises now that I can do with not too many problems. The others recommended here are still too difficult. But they're on the backup list. Looking forward to the super core DOMs :D

    dead bug
    leg lifts
    sit roll up and kind of slow flat back down (no crashing down occurred :D )
    butt lift
    bicycle with a twist
    russian twist with a blue plush hippo doorstopper
    roll ups to a bridge (yay, works)
    hyperextension
    wobbly one-legged Romanian without weight
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
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    Ok, now looking what Garmin has recognized of this... apparently I did triceps exercises and core. Not too bad, with the minor problem that 4 exercises are marked as unknown :D

    Ok, thanks a lot guys. Really a huge help.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,515 Member
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    With the leg raises, be sure to actually lift your butt, otherwise it's mostly going to be hip flexors working.

    Russian twist, I've seen enough mentions of that being bad for the spine and discs that I wouldn't touch it. You might want to research that.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
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    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    With the leg raises, be sure to actually lift your butt, otherwise it's mostly going to be hip flexors working.

    Russian twist, I've seen enough mentions of that being bad for the spine and discs that I wouldn't touch it. You might want to research that.

    Thanks Retroguy. At the moment I still feel the leg lifts in my lower core like crazy. I'm also still doing the dummy version with hands underneath butt. That's why I'm doing the additional butt lifts, which hits more of the upper core. Babysteps. I've not done much since November or so. Thus things will be slow. Slow Russian twists feel fine for me right now, but I'll keep it in mind <3
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,515 Member
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    I get what you're saying about progress.

    Yeah you'll feel it in the abs without lifting your butt while doing leg raises, but that's isometric on the abs, which is the least effective way to build muscle.

    Dr. Mike shows this with hanging leg raises in yesterday's abs video, at 2:55. Same principle applies if laying on your back.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w2nnuis7wc
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,463 Member
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    I’m just here for the blue plush hippo.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
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    springlering62 wrote: »
    I’m just here for the blue plush hippo.

    It's big corduroy! <3
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,398 Member
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    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    I get what you're saying about progress.

    Yeah you'll feel it in the abs without lifting your butt while doing leg raises, but that's isometric on the abs, which is the least effective way to build muscle.

    Dr. Mike shows this with hanging leg raises in yesterday's abs video, at 2:55. Same principle applies if laying on your back.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w2nnuis7wc

    Thanks a lot! Makes sense. I think I still need to do those for a bit because I just lack the strength for anything else. I do know that those will get me towards proper ones eventually.

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