While I've been trying to heal, I've spent some time doing exercises that force both sides of my body to work. This will help distribute work across my pelvis, helping osteitis pubis, and prevent disproportionate muscle growth. Unfortunately I can still feel left sided weakness, but I'm working on it.
Some of the exercises I like are:
- plank with leg lifts
- bridges with leg lift
- bridges with leg to chest (prevents use of the spine so you have to use the glutes to lift body)
- slow bicycle (keep your spine pressed to the ground and lift bent leg to 90 degrees)
- one-legged squats
- one-legged dead lifts
- pilates crunches
- side plank with weights; reach under body with weight then back to the ceiling
- skaters
I don't know if you've noticed this, but it seems like on me certain muscles are always larger on one side: for example, my left calf is bulkier than my right. A training and balance problem or just a quirk of anatomy??? Am I the only one like that or are you more muscular on one side??
those are all great exercises, and I've done almost all of them as part of knee pain rehab. I should probably be doing them consistently every week or so at least. And yea, I've always noticed that while doing bridges that one side is stronger than the other. I try to do more reps to equal that out, but it is hard to get them perfectly equal.
ReplyDeleteSorry, you are not unique. I have the same issues.
ReplyDeleteThese are great and similar to what I am doing with my strength trainer!!
ReplyDeleteI also have a bigger calf than the other, but it's always been like that.. I don't think one calf is stronger. But I do have imbalances in stability, and balance. Also in my glutes... but part of that is my injury at the moment.
I should have credited you in this post, I got some of these exercises from your posts! Including the bridges with knee curled to chest: otherwise when fatigued I tend to just use my lower back rather than glutes and abs to do the lifting.
DeleteI am bookmarking this page so that I can come back to these workouts, I need to do them myself!
ReplyDeleteThese are great. I have to do similar exercises on my left side because of several knee injuries/surgeries that have really weakened that side. Lots of extra work, but worth it to be able to run!
ReplyDelete