Suggestions for exercise routine additions

Shari325

In April, I was very limited physically due to my size and lack of conditioning and dealing with arthritis related joint issues (a form of RA). I began attending physical therapy and have consistently lost 3# a week and I am now able to use the treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike and have begun some strength training. I am still unable to work, so I cannot afford a gym membership at this time. But, I do have some equipment at home - elliptical, treadmill, BowFlex, stability ball, resistance bands, and adjustable dumbbells (5-50#).

I have a very weak core and posterior chain, as well as tight hips. I am currently following a dumbbell routine that is split into an A and B workout of 3x10 that increases weight each session.
Workout A
Stationary Lunges
Bench Press
Straight Leg Deadlift
Resisted Crunches

Workout B
Squats (Currently body weight due to form issues)
Seated Shoulder Press
Bent-over Rows
Plank

I would like to add additional exercises or stretches to help strengthen the weak core and posterior chain, as well as loosen up my hips. Suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Shari

Cherimoose

I assume you mean your hip flexor muscles (in front of your hip), as opposed to the side or rear hip muscles. If that's the case, this is a good stretch for them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQmpO9VT2X4
Hold for 20+ seconds, and repeat several times daily

I don't see the logic of working legs twice as often as your pushing and pulling muscles ("chest" and "upper back"). I would follow a full-body workout every 2-3 days. In my profile is a link to one such routine. You'll notice there are no bench or floor exercises (except for the Turkish get-ups). That's to simulate how our body (and especially core) functions in the real world.

Stiff-leg deadlifts are generally safer for the back than straight-leg deadlifts.

Why do you think your core is "very weak"? How are you determining this?

Shari325

Cherimoose, thank you for replying.
I suppose it is the hip flexor muscle. I struggle to move my leg backwards. When standing, I can kick my left leg back only a few inches, the right leg goes a little further. I refer to core weakness and weak posterior chain because that is what the physical therapist I was seeing told me was the cause of my overall weakness, inability to complete a full crunch, low back pain, and instability in the sacroiliac joints. All of these things have improved with physical therapy, but I no longer have access to the machines at physical therapy. I'm looking for things that will help me to continue making progress.

Cherimoose

The hip joint is only able to move about 15 degrees into extension, so don't beat yourself up if the right leg doesn't improve a whole lot more. But do try to get the left leg equal to the right. The key to improving flexibility is to stretch multiple times daily, because muscles have a short memory.

Hopefully your PT showed you the "bracing" or "drawing in" maneuver, which is the fundamental core exercise to master before doing anything else. The main muscle it uses is the TVA (transversus abdominis), which is the "core of your core". This video explains how to contract it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p8eXl1OGdM
(You don't have to contract it as tightly as he does later in the video)

It's more of an endurance exercise rather than a strength exercise. Having a healthy spine doesn't take a lot of brute strength, it takes core *endurance* - the ability maintain a light contraction all throughout the day. That's why our core muscles are mostly made up of endurance fibers ("slow twitch") not the strength fibers (fast twitch) found in our extremities. Anyone with back problems should practice the bracing maneuver all day long - while walking, while sitting, etc. That tends to have the biggest effect on reducing back pain - more than strength exercises.

With that said, the strength program mentioned earlier gives a proper core workout. Each exercise utilizes your core to some degree, so basically you get a 30 minute core workout. For example, the cable chest press and push-ups are essentially a plank with the bench press motion added to it. So they kill 2 birds with 1 stone, eliminating the need for both the bench press and plank. Makes sense?

Stage14

You might also try some ballet based workouts. Ballerobica is a great DVD that I had a lot Of success with when I first started working out again. It really improved my core, flexibility, and balance and it's completely body weight based. It's also divided into sections, so you can customize the length and focus of your workout. Just make sure to check with your PT before starting it and probably avoid the high impact aerobic section (which is only about 3 minutes out of a total hour of workout options).