Introduction
Sheathing involves strengthening the core muscles (abdominal and back muscles) through bodyweight balance exercises. The sheathing provides better support for the bust and abdomen.
Sheathing improves your physical performance and also reduces the risk of injury. Almost mandatory in every sport, the sheathing exercises below will allow you to improve your physical condition.
Unlike other muscle building and bodybuilding exercises, sheathing requires little or no equipment. It is thus straightforward to perform these different exercises at home without investing in costly machines. Your body is your main machine.
At Travel Nutrition, we practice sheathing sessions every morning when we get out of bed. For 30 minutes and on an empty stomach, we perform different series with rest phases between each of them. These series are made up of other exercises that allow us to strengthen our abdominal and back muscles.
Discover, without further ado, our Top 5 cladding exercises:
The Plank: The Great Classic Of Sheathing
The plank is arguably the most well-known core exercise. Balancing on tiptoes and forearms, the position is very close to that of a push-up. This exercise strengthens the abdominals and back muscles in particular but allows you to work the whole body, whether the shoulders, the buttocks, the legs, or the arms.
Contrary to appearances, the plank is not a simple sheathing exercise. To be effective, the plank must be executed flawlessly. Find out how to perform the plank exercise :
Using a mat may be more comfortable. Lie on your stomach, place your elbows under your shoulders, and position the balls of your feet on the floor. Your forearms should be parallel to your body. Regarding your hands, you can either lay them flat on the floor or keep your fists triggered.
Once you’re settled in, push up on your toes and forearms.
Make sure you have the most upright posture possible during the exercise. First of all, your neck should be as relaxed as possible and be an extension of your spine. The rest of your body should be fully extended and form a perfectly straight line. Thus, your back must not be arched, and your buttocks must not fall at the risk of losing all the effectiveness of the exercise.
To progress on the plank exercise, set progressive goals for yourself each day by increasing the duration gradually. You will quickly notice the progress you will make, and the training will become easier and easier for you.
You can also make variants of plank sheathing, such as side sheathing.
Push-Ups: The Essential Of Muscle-Strengthening Exercises
From a position similar to the plank, push-ups, also called “Push-ups,” allow you to strengthen the entire upper body, whether the abdominals, back muscles, arms, or pecs. The goal of push-ups is to perform arm flexions and extensions while keeping the rest of the body straight and sheathed.
Like the plank, push-ups require an optimal position to be effective and avoid any risk of injury. They do not require any special equipment except a floor mat and can be done anywhere.
To perform this sheathing exercise, lie on the floor with your elbows under your shoulders, hands flat, and against the floor. Looking forward, then push on your arms while contracting your abs to lift your whole body while remaining as straight as possible. Once your arms are extended, perform the reverse movement. Repeat these movements in series according to your level.
If you are a beginner, push-ups can seem like an almost impossible exercise. Don’t worry; there are variations! To start, you can, for example, perform this sheathing exercise with your knees on the ground. This will make the movement easier from the start. Gradually, you will be able to raise your knees as you train.
The Mountain Climber: A Dynamic Sheathing Exercise
The “Mountain Climber,” “alpinist,” is a dynamic sheathing exercise. Unlike the plank, this sheathing exercise involves rapid and repetitive movements to strengthen the core deeply. The starting position of the “mountain climber” is the same as that of the push-ups: arms outstretched, hands flat on the ground, and tiptoe. Once in this position, alternately bring one knee up to your chest quickly as climbing the Himalayas.
In addition to strengthening your abdominals, the “Mountain Climber” exercise will allow you to improve your quadriceps (thigh muscles), your hamstrings, and your glutes. This sheathing exercise will also impact your cardio which will be enhanced thanks to the repetition of rapid movements.
Lateral Sheathing: Strengthening The Obliques
Although very complete, the side sheathing allows you to focus on your side abdominals, called obliques. We can assimilate the lateral sheathing to a plank exercise but on the side. To perform this exercise:
- Lie on your side, resting on your forearm, and bend your elbow.
- Straighten your legs and place your feet on top of each other.
- Raise your hips, making sure your head, hips, and feet form a straight line.
Consider alternating sides, switching arms to work the sides of your side abs.
For this exercise, there are also many variations. The best known of these involves raising and lowering your top leg to make the exercise even more effective.
The Crunches
When you hear “I do abs,” you necessarily think of this exercise: crunches. Lying on your back, arms crossed on your chest, legs bent, and knees bent at 90°, you slowly raise your shoulders and shoulder blades a few centimeters. This exercise allows you to strengthen your entire abdominal belt.
To avoid injury, do not put your hands behind your head; you risk injuring your cervical or lumbar region.
Abstract
As you will have understood, there are a multitude of cladding exercises. Whatever sport you practice (weight training, cross-training, team sports, individual sports), muscle building is essential. This will increase your performance and reduce the risk of injury.
If your goal is weight loss, sheathing exercises will also be efficient.
Remember, however, that sheathing sessions must be regular for optimal results, and you must adopt a healthy and balanced diet.
As you go through the sessions, you will gradually feel the progress coming. You will be able to increase the repetitions and the duration of the exercises but do not skip the steps and go at your own pace!
Finally, some food supplements can accelerate your muscle gain in the abdominal strap and accelerate the arrival of a flat stomach. Discover all our products!
ALSO READ: YOGA FOR ATHLETES: THE PERFECT ADDITION TO ANY WORKOUT
