Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and arms by your side.
Hook a piece of exercise band over a chair or door handle. If using a door handle, make sure the door is shut.
Have your pelvis in neutral by tipping your pelvis back and forth and half way between. Find thoracic neutral by relaxing your shoulders and widening at the collar bones. Lengthen via your neck by imagining you are holding a ripe peach under your chin. Relax your tummy muscles. Engage your pelvic floor and deep transverse abdominals. Engage your shoulder blade muscles. Turn out at the hips to find hip neutral and engage gluteus medius and maximus. Straighten your knees to activate VMO.
Holding the end of the exercise band in each hand, keep it taut and keep arms relaxed and straight at the elbow. Re-engage shoulder blades and gently draw your arms back a few inches, keeping elbows straight. What you should feel is your shoulder blades and deep transverse abdominals engaging more. You must not feel this in your arms. It should be that you are making the work go through your trunk. Hold this position momentarily if advised, then return to the starting position. Rest then repeat.
Turn round so you have your back to the door and the exercise band is taut behind you.
Repeat the same exercise but gently pulling your arms forwards a few inches. This will strengthen the stabilising muscles in a slightly different way. Make sure the stabilising muscles are doing the work. Hold this position momentarily if advised, then return to the starting position. Rest then repeat.
Remember with both these exercises that your trunk stays still and is not pulled forwards or backwards.
