HERITAGE EXERCISES

Lying On Stomach Exercises

Note: All lying on stomach exercises work your back muscles as well as other areas. If you have back problems, proceed carefully. Do not strain yourself.

Quad Stretch

  • Lie on your stomach with your legs together. Keep your stomach and your back muscles energized.
  • Reach back with your right hand and grasp your right ankle. Gently pull your right leg up towards your right buttock as far as is comfortable. Hold for 30 seconds. Make sure your knee is pointed at the floor, and stop pulling if you feel and discomfort in your knee or the tendons on either side of your knee. Be sure to pull gently and slowly.
  • Repeat 2 times each side.

Superman

  • Lie on your stomach with your legs together. Keep your stomach and back muscles energized.
  • Stretch your arms out on the floor in front of you. Simultaneously extend your arms and legs off the floor as high as is comfortable, raising your head as high as you can. Leave your hips and stomach resting on the floor, and keep your arms and legs straight. Hold for 15 seconds.
  • Repeat 3 times. You can also work your arms during this stretch by doing the breaststroke in the air with your arms while you hold your body up.

Cobra

  • Lie on your stomach with your legs together. Keep your stomach and back muscles energized.
  • Put your hands directly under your shoulders. Turn your feet so that your toes are flat on the floor and push back gently towards your feet so that you feel a stretch in the back of your calves.
  • Leaving your hips flat on the floor, straighten your arms as much as you can, pushing your torso up into the air. Once you are at your fullest extension, lift your head so you are looking straight ahead, making sure your shoulders are not bunching up around your neck. Keeping your mouth closed with your tongue touching the roof of your mouth during this exercise will help stretch and firm the skin and muscles under your chin and in the front of your neck. *Hold for 15-30 seconds and then slowly lower yourself to the floor.
  • Repeat 2-3 times.
  • If you are not able at first to straighten your arms completely, straighten them as much as you can. Work up to full extension.

Torpedo Posture

  • Lie on your stomach with your legs together. Keep your stomach and back muscles energized.
  • Put your arms down at your sides on the floor. Leaving your hips and legs flat on the floor, lift your torso into the air as much as you can without using your arms. Hold a few seconds, then return to the floor.
  • Repeat 2-3 times.

Opposite Extensions

  • Lie on your stomach with your legs together. Keep your stomach and back muscles energized.
  • Extend your arms along the floor in front of you. Inhale.
  • Exhale, raise your right arm and your left leg, lifting your head as high as you can at the same time. Keep hips on the floor. *Inhale while slowly lowering your arm and leg.
  • Exhale, energize your stomach muscles, and raise left arm and right leg.
  • Repeat 5 times each side.

Leg Lifts

  • Lie on your stomach with your legs together. Keep your stomach and back muscles energized. Fold your arms under your chin.
  • Keeping your leg straight, lift your right leg off the ground as high as you can, and then lower it back down to the floor. Maintain good control over your leg as it descends (do not let your leg drop to the floor).
  • Repeat 8 times on each leg. You can use ankle weights to increase difficulty.

Lying On Stomach Exercises | Kneeling Exercises | Abdominal Exercises
Leg/AB Combinations | Upper Body Exercises | Other Exercises

All of this information was freely provided by Ariel Bennett T.C.R.G. Of the Heritage Irish Stepdancers. "Please let everyone know that they are welcome to download and use the information with our blessing. If they would like to print it for widespread use or post it on a website, etc. all they need to do is write us at info@heritageirish.com and ask for permission (which we grant freely)."

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