Fire Fighter Conditioning-Core Strength Phase 1

Core Strength Phase 1 Includes:

Plank:
1. Begin face down on ground and bear weight on your toes and forearms
2. Hold your body in a straight line from head to toe
3. Keep in alignment, holding this position for 30-60 seconds
4. Be sure that your hips do not raise up or sag in the middle

Superman:
1. Lay face down on a mat
2. Raise opposite arm and opposite leg
3. Then switch, keeping your legs are arms straight
4. Be sure that there is no twisting of your spinal column when switching arms and legs
5. You want to hold your core still while executing this exercise
6. Keep hips flat on the floor

Ball Crunch:
1. Lay on swiss ball, lower back on ball
2.  Knees bent, feet flat
3.  Support head with hands, elbows  pointed outward
4.  Crunch towards knees
5.  Apply no pressure with hands to the neck

Ball Curl-Ups
1. Lay flat on back, knees bent, feet flat
2. Put the swiss ball on upper thigh
3. Arms extended, hands few inches apart
4. Crunch towards ceiling
5. Lift back a few inches off the ground

Fitball Ball Squats
1. Begin in a standing position
2. Place a swiss ball behind your lower back against a wall
3. Make sure that when you squat the ball will be at your lower back
4. Squat down until your legs are at 90 degrees, pause and return to start position
5. Make sure that your knees don’t go past your toes

Ball Back Extensions
1. Lay face down with lower abdominal area over the top of a ball
2. Place your hands behind your head with elbows lifted
3. Relax upper body so that it lowers toward the ground
4. Raise your upper body back up in a straight line
5. Be sure to contract your glutes to prevent hyperextension
6. repeat

Side Lying Leg Raise
1. Rest your side on the ball
2. Raise your top leg as high as you can up to 90°
3. Lower leg back down without touching your top leg to your bottom leg or the floor
4. Keep hips stacked, avoid leaning forward
5. Repeat

 Calf Stretch
1. Stand a few feet from a wall, with one leg behind you and foot flat on the floor
2. Push against the wall, while pushing the heel of the rear foot to the ground
3. Be sure to keep your knee straight.
4. Hold for 30-45 seconds








Quadriceps Stretch
1. Stand on one foot while grabbing the shoe laces of the other foot
2. Pull your foot toward your butt to stretch the quadriceps, while tilting pelvis forward for a deeper stretch
3. Hold for 30-45 seconds








Hamstring Stretch
1. Place heel of foot on a surface that is off the ground
2. Bend forward from the waist while keeping the back straight
3. Do not curl your back forward
4. Hold this stretch for 30-45 seconds









Pretzel Stretch
1. Lying on your back
2. Bring one ankle over the opposite knee
3. Pull that knee toward your body by holding your leg behind the hamstrings
4. Hold this stretch for 30-45 seconds

Groin Stretch
1. Sit of the floor with the soles of your feet together
2. Press your knees toward the floor to feel a stretch in your groin area
3. Hold this stretch for 30-45 seconds
4. To progress this stretch, press on your inner thighs with your elbows, bringing your knees closer to the floor

Low Back Twisting Stretch
1. Lay on your back, and bring your knees to one side of your body
2. With the arm on the same side, push your knees toward the floor while keeping your upper back flat on the floor
3. Place opposite arm straight out, keeping shoulder blades in contact with the floor
4. Hold this stretch for 30-45 seconds

Overhead Stretch
1. Hold on to some sort of ledge, and push back with your hips
2. You should feel this stretch in the lats and the top of the shoulders
3. Keep your knees behind your toes.
4. Hold this stretch for 30-45 seconds







Doorway Stretch
1. Stand in a doorway with your forearms on the door frame, at 90°
2. Press forward to feel a stretch in your chest, shoulders and back
3. Keep your elbows at shoulder height
4. Hold this stretch for 30-45 seconds

Push Up Stretch
1. Lay face down on a mat
2. Press your upper body up with weight resting on your hands
3. Keep your hips in contact with the floor
4. This stretches your abdominal muscles, and lower back
5. Hold for 30-45 seconds

Cat Stretch
1. Begin on hands and knees as pictured
2. Draw spine up toward the ceiling to stretch the back
3. Return to neutral position
4. Draw belly down to the floor to stretch the abs, and return back to neutral
5. Repeat

Seated Pretzel
1. Sit on the floor with both legs out straight
2. Bend one knee and cross over the straight  leg so that the foot is flat on the floor (as pictured)
3. Hug your knee into your body
4. You should feel this stretch in your outer hip area

Double Knee Pull-In
1. Lie on back and bring both knees toward your chest.
2. Pull your knees in toward your body so that you feel a stretch in your glutes, and lower back area.