The 10 step physiotherapy program to �attenyour abs, achieve core strength and eliminateback and neck pain for life.Fully revised 3rd edition

www.fixprogram.com

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PILATES and YOGAFOR CORE STRENGTH

TheFix Program®

Getting started on a new exercise program

The Fix Program for neck and back pain teaches exercises that are fantastic forspine problems. However it’s always best to plan the exercise sequence youwould like to try, and seek some expert guidance before you begin your newworkout.

Ideally, attend an assessment at a fix program near you, so that an individualset of exercises can be prescribed for you.

Visit our website for locations and qualified physiotherapists: www.fixprogram.com

Not all the exercises in this book are suitable for all back conditions. If you can’tget to a physiotherapist you could also get advice from your family doctor beforebeginning a new exercise.

First published 2000 byThe Fix Program Australia Pty Ltdwww.fixprogram.com

Copyright The Fix Program Australia 2005

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, orby any means (electronic, photocopying or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher.

‘The Fix Program’ and the Fix logo device are registered trademarks of The Fix Program Australia Pty Ltd

TM

Introducing the Fix Program

The Physiotherapy, Yoga, Pilates and Swissball exercises in The Fix Program will help youbuild core strength.

Your core is a muscular system composedof layers, between your neck and pelvis. Itis the foundation system for all movementsof the body.

Improving your core strength will give you aflat tummy, strong back muscles, easymovement, a slim waist, good posture andeliminate most aches and pains.

The Fix Program is a ten-step program thatwill show you how you can safely use exercisesto locate, wake up and strengthen your core.

You will also improve your spinal posture by gently lengthening and strengtheningthe main back and limb muscles. Whole body muscle balance will be restored.Information about pain and it’s effects will help you change your habits, set new goals,and reduce fear of injury with exercise. You will quickly be moving without pain andwith greater freedom and confidence. Your physical abilities and fitness will improvedramatically.

By the end of The Fix Program you will have:

Firmer stronger abdominal musclesA flatter tummyEasier movement

Great postureImproved “all over” muscle tone

ConfidenceA sense of active control of pain

Great pain relief!

1 The Fix Program

Step 1: Alignment and Posture

The Fix Program 8

Step 1: Alignment and PostureSitting Alignment and the “Active Sitting” Exercise

Starting Position

To find correct sitting alignment:Sit forward on the chair and place your hands on your hipsHave your knees and feet as wide as your hips.Have your feet firmly on the ground directly under yourknees, toes parallelPush gently through your feet, working your legs and feelthat your spine lengthens as the feet connect with the floorImagine the pelvis is a bowl full of water; rock the pelvicbones backward to tip the “water” out the back rim of thebowl.Now tilt your pelvis forwards to tip the water out the frontof the bowl. Notice this changes the shape of your spineFinding the “neutral pelvis” is the position where the imaginarywater in the pelvic bowl is level, midway between the tiltedback and tilted forward position.

The Movement

Place your hands on your hips. First practice tilting yourpelvis backwards (water falling out the back rim of the bowl). Then move gently into the opposite position (water tippingout the front of the pelvis).Do this very slowly, 10 times and come to rest in the levelpelvis or “neutral pelvis” position.Practice holding the neutral sitting position and try to graduallybuild up your tolerance very slowly.Start at 30 seconds hold. See if you can build up yourtolerance by another 30 seconds each day until you can situnsupported (using your core strength) for 10 minutes.You might feel your inner tummy and low back musclesworking as you practice this new type of “active” sittingalignment

Hot Tips

Notice how your work chair and other chairsinfluence whether you are sitting in the forwardtilted pelvic position or the backward tiltedposition

Take special note of how you sit on the couch

What happens to the pelvis position when youput your feet up on the coffee table?

Assess your posture and adjust your chair,being conscious of how you sit throughout theday

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9 Level 1

Step 1: Alignment and PostureStanding with Good Alignment

Starting Position

Stand on your mat or beside it with your feet hip width apartUnlock your kneesPlace your hands on your hip bones to check your alignmentFind the pelvic neutral position by thinking again about theimaginary bowl of water in your pelvis.Rock from the backward to forward pelvic position a coupleof times and come to rest in the level pelvis position

The Movement

Balance your body weight through your feet firmly and evenly,spreading it between the heel and the inner and outer frontfootSpread your toes and gently pull up your inner arch on bothfeetKeep knees unlocked but “grow tall” in the spine, lifting yourribs up out of the side waist and lengthen the neckSlowly straighten the knees but don’t push back or lockthem, rather pull the skin on your front thighs and innerthighs upwards towards the hip bones

Hot Tips

To “grow tall” in the spine try thinking of gentlylengthening down through the tailbone whilelifting up the breastbone

Working your legs will give you a feeling oflength and freedom in your back when youstand up

When you pull up the inner arches of the feet,don’t lift the big toes

Try these ideas in standing everyday.Start with 30 seconds and see if you canincrease the time by 30 seconds each day.

You could start doing it twice per day whenyou clean your teeth

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Level 1 10

Step 1: Alignment and PostureFinding neutral pelvis lying down

Starting Position

Lie on your back on your mat with your knees bent upPlace your hands on your front hip bones

The Movement

Imagine the pelvis is a bowl full of water; rock the pelvicbones backward to tip the “water” out the back rim of thebowl onto the matNow tilt your pelvis forwards to tip the water out the frontof the bowl. Notice this changes the shape of your spineFinding the “neutral pelvis” is the position where the imaginarywater in the pelvic bowl is level, midway between the tiltedback and tilted forward position

Why worry about pelvis alignment?

The spine has 3 natural curves. Your pelvissits below your spine and is the foundation forall of your back bones. The back bones arestacked one on top of the other, all the way upto your neck bones. Your skull balances ontop of the upper neck bones.

Aligning your pelvis into a neutral positionensures that all 3 natural curves of the spineare maintained. The individual bones of thepelvis “lock in” when the pelvis is in the neutralposition, and provide a strong supportingfoundation for your whole spine.

When the 3 curves of the spine are maintained,there is less stress on your back and you areless likely to injure yourself.

All the exercises in the Fix Program are donewith a neutral pelvis alignment

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11 Level 1

Step 2: Deep core trunk muscles

12

Step 2: Deep core trunk musclesThe Basic Relaxed Position

Starting Position

Lie on your back on a mat. Use a small towel under your head(folded approx. 8 thicknesses) if you feel like you need itBend your knees and stand your feet on the mat. The feetshould be placed hip width apart and parallelPlace your hands on your hipbones to check the alignmentof your pelvis is neutral

The Movement

Notice any tension in the feet, imagine it running out of yourtoesNow do the same for any tension in the legsGradually work up through the body towards the neck andhead, letting any tension melt awayDon’t forget the area around the front throat and jawLet go of any tensionThis relaxed exercise position is the starting position for manyof the mat exercises

Hot Tips

End the exercise by checking your pelvic alignment is neutralUse the same pelvic awareness skills you learned when positioning yourself in active sitting and in standingYou can think of your imaginary pelvic bowl of water

Try this

Focus on the feet, tense the foot muscles for 5 seconds, then let go of any tension.Move your focus to your legs, tense the leg muscles for 5 seconds then let it go.Continue this tensing/ relaxing sequence upwards through the body with all the muscle groups.This is known as progressive muscular relaxation and can really help relieve pain.

Making a diamond shape with your hands and placing hands, palms down on your lower abdomen so that your thumbs are inyour navel, and your fingers point downwards to the pelvis can help you check pelvic alignment in lying down.Simply make sure that your thumbs are not higher or lower than your finger tips.

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13 Level 1

Step 2: Deep core trunk musclesBreathing Wide and Deep

Starting Position

Lie on your back on a mat. Wrap a yoga strap or scarf aroundthe lower ribs and cross it over at the front. Keep hold of thescarf and gently tighten it in around the ribs

The Movement

Breathe in through the nose feeling your ribs widening intothe scarf. Feel that you widen across your mid back. Get asense of how much your lower ribs widenBreathe out, letting the air fall out of your mouth very softlygently pulling the scarf inYour sternum should sink as the air falls softly outDo 5 breath cycles

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Level 1 14

Step 2: Deep core trunk musclesBreathing + Pelvic Floor lift + deep tummy action

Starting Position

Lie on your back on a matGet into the basic relaxed position and check the alignmentof your pelvis is neutral, placing your hands on your fronthipbones.The hipbones are facing directly up to the ceiling. Your tailboneis firmly down on the matKeep your hands on your hip bones during the exercise tofeel for any pelvic movement

The Movement

Breathe in to prepare, breathing deeply, widening through themid back and lower ribsAs you breathe out draw the Pelvic Floor muscles together,and gently lift the Pelvic Floor upwardsBreathe in and relaxBreathe out and repeat the Pelvic Floor action trying to co-ordinate the breastbone sinking down with the lift up of thepelvic floor musclesBreathe in againAs you breathe out see if you can turn on your pelvic floor andgently draw your navel area towards the spineDo 5 breath cycles activating your core muscles each timeyou breathe out

Progression

Try and hold the muscles on throughout both the in and outbreath for 5 cycles

Hot Tips

The Pelvic Floor muscles are like a slingreaching from the pubic bone in front, to thetail bone behind

At first it is good to think of “sliding doors” asyou try and close the muscles around the urethra(and vagina in women) , imagining that youneed to stop urinating

Once “the doors” are closed it is useful toimagine lifting the pelvic floor gently upwardsLocating the pelvic floor can help to activatethe deep tummy and back muscles that becomelazy when you have back pain

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15 Level 1

Step 2: Deep core trunk musclesBreathing exercises can help to activate your core muscles

It’s not always clear to people why you need to practicebreathing exercises to fix your back pain. It’s because themuscles in your trunk have two interlinked functions: supportingyour back and helping you to take breaths in and out.

The diaphragm muscle and the intercostal muscles help youto breathe. Using these muscles can also trigger activity inyour deep abdominal muscle layers.

So just breathing deeply, especially breathing all the way out,will wake up your core muscles and help you to get themworking again.

It’s even better if you practice co-coordinating Breathing plusPelvic Floor activation. This can result in the lower abdomenreally “drawing in”, helping the deep core tummy muscle,Transversus Abdominus(TA) to switch back on and stay on!

Check your Transversus muscle by putting your hands overthe lower abdomen, and feel some tension 1cm in from yourfront hip bones.

The deepest abdominal muscle, Transversus Abdominusforms a girdle of strength and support for your spine. It wrapsaround the trunk and protects your spine.

When using your Transversus muscle correctly the lowerabdomen hollows in.

Sitting on top of the Transvsersus are the Oblique AbdominalMuscle layers and the Rectus Abdominus or “six pack” muscle,which is the most superficial muscle layer in the abdomen.

Hot Tips

If you think you have a problem with your PelvicFloor buy the great book “womenswaterworks”by Dr Pauline Chiarelli from Fix.

One in three women may be affected byincontinence and it can be helped, bystrengthening your Pelvic Floor muscles. Alsoavailable online at www.womenswaterworks.com

Level 1 16

Step 2: Deep core trunk musclesStanding Core Activation

Starting Position

To find correct standing alignment:Stand on your mat or beside it with your feet hip width apartUnlock your kneesPlace your hands on your hip bones to check your alignmentFind the pelvic neutral position by thinking again about theimaginary bowl of water in your pelvis.Rock from the backward to forward pelvic position a couple oftimes and come to rest in the level pelvis position

The Movement

Breathe in deep and wideBreathe out and imagine drawing your pubic bone up towardsthe navel and your navel towards the spineTry and contract and lift the pelvic floorTry and hold this abdominal wall “hollowing” for five slow breathcycles, throughout the in breaths as well as the out breaths

Hot Tips

Try placing a rolled up towel or yoga blockbetween your upper thighs. Squeeze in on thisblock working your inner thigh muscles tooThis can help increase the pelvic floorcontraction

Remember to keep a neutral spineCheck back to the “standing alignment” exerciseon page 10 to remind yourself about neutralpelvis and working the leg musclesIt’s easier to activate your core as you breatheout. Its hard at first to hold the core on andbreathe in but keep practicing

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17 Level 1

Step 2: Deep core trunk musclesBalancing Challenge

Starting Position

To find correct standing alignment:Stand on your mat or beside it with your feet hip width apartUnlock your kneesPlace your hands on your hip bones to check your alignmentFind the pelvic neutral position by thinking again about theimaginary bowl of water in your pelvis.Rock from the backward to forward pelvic position a couple oftimes and come to rest in the level pelvis position

The Movement

Breathe in deep and wideBreathe out and activate the core in standing as described inthe previous exerciseBend your right knee up, transferring your weight onto the leftlegKeep your pelvis and front hip bones levelTry and balance there for 10 counts breathing in and out slowlyRepeat on the other side

Progression

Try and keep balanced while you close your eyes for 5 counts

Hot Tips

Try not to drop your hip on your standing leg

Try not to crunch down in your waist, keep theside waist long

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Level 1 18

The Fix Program has freed many hundreds of peoplefrom back and neck pain.

We can free you too.

We sincerely hope you get something out of this book.For more personalised exercises and the remainingchapters of the book in printed form:

Contact us www.fixprogram.com

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