PATHFIT 101- MOVEMENT COMPETENCY TRAINING

A. Breathing Exercise
-To breathe properly take a deep breath through your mouth with minimal
chest expansion forcing air into your stomach and hold it, then brace your core
muscles as if you are preparing to take a punch in the stomach. This will help
to stabilize your spine and improve your posture. If you are holding a position
for a period of time (like a plank) you will continue to breathe in and out
keeping the bracing sensation.
Benefits:
 lowered blood pressure and heart rate.
 reduced levels of stress hormones in the blood.
 reduced lactic acid build-up in muscle tissue.
 balanced levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood.
 improved immune system functioning.
 increased physical energy.
B. Bracing the Core
-To brace your core, engage the muscles in your abdomen, lower back, and
pelvis. Tilt your pelvis posteriorly and squeeze your glutes. This will create
a stable base of support for your body.
Benefits:
 Prevent Injury
 Improve Athletic Performance
 Enhance Physical Fitness
Start Slowly
If you’re new to exercise or haven’t focused on core strength in the past, it’s
important to start slowly and gradually increase the intensity of your workouts.
Begin with basic exercises like planks, crunches, and back extensions, and
gradually increase the duration and intensity of these exercises over time.
Focus on Form
It’s important to focus on proper form when performing core exercises, as poor
form can increase the risk of injury and reduce the effectiveness of the exercise.
Keep your back straight, engage your core muscles, and avoid arching your back or
letting your hips sag.
Incorporate Bracing into Your Workouts
Bracing the core during exercises can be challenging, but it’s an important
technique for maximizing the benefits of your workout. Practice bracing during
exercises such as squats, deadlifts, push-ups, and planks to improve stability,
balance, and power. By incorporating bracing into your workouts, you can improve
your overall fitness and reduce the risk of injury. With practice and patience,
bracing can become second nature and help you achieve your fitness goals.
C. Crawling Exercises
1.Baby Crawl
-It is a great move to help improve your coordination and introduce you
to contralateral movements (aka opposite arm and opposite leg working
together).
The Physical and Neurological Benefits of Crawling (Baby, Bear, Crab and
Gorilla)
Crawling builds core strength and shoulder stability. Both hip alignment
and motor skills are improved in crawling. While crawling, your baby is
developing gross skills and fine motor skills, including improved hand-eye
coordination.
To do the Baby Crawl, start on your hands and knees with your knees
under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. To begin crawling
forward, step your right hand and left knee forward then your left hand and
right knee. Do not take too big a step forward so that your opposite arm and
opposite leg can work together. Brace your core as you crawl forward.
To move backward, keep the same movement pattern; however, make
sure you don’t take too big a step backward otherwise you will overload your
shoulders. You want to keep the movements small and tight and make sure
your core is engaged the entire time.

2. Bear Crawl

To do the Traditional Bear Crawl Forward,

A. start on your hands and knees with your knees under your hips and
your hands under your shoulders.
B. Then push your butt back and up into the air.
C. With your legs and arms basically straight, step your left hand
forward and your right foot forward.
D. Then step your right hand forward and your left foot forward.
E. Keep crawling forward on your hands and feet with your butt up in
the air.

To Bear Crawl backward,

A. you may find that you move the same arm and the same leg to step back
to move more quickly backward.
B. Keep your butt up in the air as you crawl forward and backward.

3. Crab Crawl

To do the Crab Crawl Forward,

A. sit on your butt with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
B. Place your hands behind you on the ground.
C. Then lift your butt up off the ground and step your right hand forward
toward your hip as you step your left leg out in front.
D. Then step with our right foot and left hand.
E. Leading with your feet, begin to move forward, keeping your butt up
off the ground.
 To crawl backward,
A. lead with your hands, reaching the right hand back as you move your
left foot in closer to your glutes.
B. Then your left hand will reach back as you bring your right foot in
closer to your glutes.
C. Keep your butt up off the ground the entire time.

4. Gorilla Crawl

To do the Gorilla Crawl,

A. start standing with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
B. Then bend over and reach your hands out on the ground in front of
you.
C. You will shift your weight forward to your hands on the ground and
then jump your feet forward outside your hands.
D. Once you’ve jumped your feet close to outside your hands, you will
again reach your hands out and place them in front of you on the
ground before jumping your feet back outside your hands.
E. Your weight may feel like it is a bit forward during this crawl. Do not
stand up between reps.
F. The more mobile your hips, the more you will be able to get your
feet outside your hands.

D. Press Up/Cobra Pose

To perform Press up/Cobra Pose,

A. lie prone on the ground with the torso and thighs flat on the floor.
B. Put the palms down on the ground beneath the shoulders and face
straight ahead.
C. Push the torso upwards while keeping the hips as close to the ground
as possible by pushing with the buttocks.
D. Raise the head and shoulders, and push the chest out as the elbows
are going into full extension.
E. At the top of the movement, pause for about five seconds before
bringing the upper body back to the floor.

Benefits:

 Opens the shoulder blades, neck, and collar bones.

 Improves spinal posture, flexibility, and alignment.
 Reduces back pain.
 Improves circulation.
 Opens the lungs.
 Stimulates the abdominal and digestive organs, improving digestion.
 Massages and regulates the adrenal and thyroid glands.
 Reduces stress.

E. Hip Bridge

How to perform Hip Bridge

 A. Tighten your abdominal and buttock muscles by pushing your low back
into the ground.
B. Raise your hips to create a straight line from your knees to your
shoulders.
C. Squeeze your core and pull your belly button back toward your spine.
D. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
E. Lower the hips to return to the starting position.

Benefits:
 strengthens your glutes (your butt muscles)
 your hamstrings (the muscles in the back of your thigh)
 building muscle and power at the backs of your legs and your lower
back too

F. Bird Dog Series

Benefits:
Two useful core exercises are the bird dog and dead bug. The bird
dog exercise helps increase strength in the abdominals, lower back,
butt, and thighs. The dead bug focuses on core strength without
straining the back. It can also help with mobility through arm – leg
coordination.

How to perform Bird Dog:

1. Begin on a Quadruped Position.
2. Place your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders.
3. Maintain a neutral spine by engaging your abdominal muscles.
4. Draw your shoulder blades together.
5. Raise your
Level 1: right arm/left arm
Level 2: right leg/left leg
Level 3: right arm/left leg & left arm/right leg (Contra Lateral)
Level 4 (Ipsilateral) right arm/right leg & left arm/ left Leg
6. Lengthen the back of your neck and tuck your chin into your chest to
gaze down at the floor.
7. Hold this position for a few seconds, then lower back down to the
starting position.
8. Return to the starting position. This is 1 round.
9. Do 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.

G. Dead Bug Series

How to perform dead bug series:

 1: Lie on your back, arms extended above you with fingers pointing at
the ceiling.
2: Flatten your back to the floor and tighten your abdominals.
3: Take a deep breath in. During the exhale, slowly extend down your
Level 1: Right arm/Left arm
Level 2: Right leg/ Left leg
Level 3: Right arm/Left Leg & Left arm/ Right Leg (Contralateral)
Level 4: Right arm/Right leg & Left arm/Left leg (Ipsilateral)
Level 5: Both Arms and Legs
toward the floor without letting your back arch.
4. Return to starting position and repeat with opposite arm and leg.
Continue alternating for 8 reps.

H. Plank Series 1 & 2 only

Planks can help improve your posture by strengthening your back, chest,
shoulders, neck, and abs, this exercise makes it easier to keep your shoulders
back and your lower back in a neutral position while sitting or standing — two
vital components of good posture.

How to perform High Plank

1. Start on your hands and knees. Your hands should be shoulder-width

apart; your knees should be about hip-width apart.
2. Lift your knees off the ground and step your feet back so that your legs
are straight and fully extended.
3. Keep your core, butt, and quads tight, and avoid arching your back.
Think length—imagine that you’re extending out from the crown of your
head and out through your heels simultaneously.
4. Keep your neck in a neutral position by gazing at the floor a few inches
in front of your hands.
5. Hold this position for a set amount of time.

How to perform Low Plank

1. Start on your hands and knees, then lower down to your forearms so
your elbows are directly underneath your shoulders, your palms are
down and fingertips are facing forward, and your forearms are parallel
to each other.
2. Lift your knees off the ground, and step your feet back so that your legs
are straight and fully extended.
 3. Keep your core, butt, and quads tight, and avoid arching your back.
Think length—imagine that you’re extending out from the crown of your
head and out through your heels simultaneously.
4. Keep your neck in a neutral position by gazing at the floor.
5. Hold this position for a set amount of time.

I. Lateral Plank walk

How to perform the exercise:

1. Start in a high plank position with your palms flat on the floor, hands
shoulder-width apart, shoulders stacked directly above your wrists, legs
extended behind you, and your core and glutes engaged.
2. Take a step to the right starting with your right hand and right foot and
following with your left hand and foot, maintaining a plank position as
you move. This is 1 rep.
3. Do a set amount of reps in one direction, and then repeat the same
number of reps moving in the opposite direction.

J. Scapular Protraction and Retraction

The benefits of these exercises are numerous in that it enhances almost all of
the upper back muscles and exercises. While it does help to strengthen the
upper back, it also helps to warm up the muscles in preparation for upper body
training.

How to perform the exercise:

1. Place yourself on all four limbs on the floor, with your hands a little
wider than your shoulders.
2. The elbows should not be locked out. Maintain a tiny bend in them.
3. Stretch your legs back until your hands and toes are straight and your
feet are hip width apart.
4. Raise your belly button towards your spine to tighten your abs and
strengthen your core.
5. Slowly lower your body to the floor, gradually bending your elbows
until they reach a 90-degree angle.
6. Push back up through your hands in a controlled manner and return to
the beginning position. Repeat the desired number of times.

K. Squat Series 1 & 2 Only

Benefits:
 Strengthens your core
 Reduces the risk of injury
 Crushes calories
 Strengthens the muscles of your lower body
 Boosts athletic ability and strength

 Variety helps with motivation

How to perform the exercise 1:
1. Get into a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and legs
extended out straight.
2. Step your foot beside your arms.
3. Raise your arms up high.
4. Then straighten your Legs.
5. Do the exercise backward.

How to perform the exercise 2

1. Get into a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and legs
extended out straight.
2. Step your foot beside your arms.
3. Raise your arms up high.
4. Jump up into the air so that your feet leave the floor.
5. Land back into the squat softly, to protect your knees, and go right into the
next rep.
6. Do the exercise backward.