Let’s recap where we have come from with Parts I and II of this
series before we look more closely at gaining better lower body control
and strength. In Part I (April 2003), we looked closely at the part of
your body known as the ‘core’. We explained that your core
is made up of deep postural muscles that need to be worked differently
than the larger, global muscles of the body. We also discussed how your
posture and movement habits off the horse affect your position when you
are on the horse. We gave you exercises to do to wake up your core, and
talked about how improving the stabilisation of your core will allow you
to use your arms and legs more freely and effectively. In Part II (May
2003), we looked more closely at the Lower Body. We discussed how postural
imbalances and lack of core stability result in gripping and other lower
body problems and then discussed the three stages of improving lower body
positioning; stretching, improving control, and strengthening. Part II
focussed on the stretching exercises, while here, in Part III, we look
closely at improving the Control and Strength of your lower body. Remember:
None of these stretches or exercises should be painful. You should feel
a muscular stretching feeling, or a slight overload in the muscle, without
pain. If you feel any pain or if you are uncertain if these exercises
are appropriate for you, consult your local physiotherapist or general
practitioner.
All of the exercises shown here were developed by Anna Louise Bouvier,
creator of the Physiocise Exercise program.
Larissa and I had identified that I had difficulty moving my leg as a
unit and that to compensate, I gripped and contracted my hamstring muscles
(in the back of the leg) to put the leg aids on. I understood the concept
of leg movement originating from the hip, and it had been reinforced
many times in classic riding texts and videos and even by Ulla Salzgeber
in her Brisbane masterclass last year. Again, the ‘head knowledge’
was there, but when I was sitting in the saddle, it seemed almost impossible
to move my leg from the hip joint even when standing still – let
alone when moving! I took this problem to Anna Louise and, yet again,
she had some great insights. We started working on the leg rotators.
The first thing Anna Louise taught me was to identify the smaller, deep
gluteal muscles that are responsible for rotating the whole leg. In Photo
1 (jpg 96) you can see posture dots on my backside in the approximate
area that these muscles are located.
One of the most important things for any sportsperson to understand is
that before you start to strengthen a muscle you first need to understand
how to control it. The biggest mistake she sees in her clients is that
they tend to want to leap straight towards a strengthening program without
first having their brain involved!
To identify your leg rotators, follow these steps:
• Place one foot in front of the other and your hands on your buttocks,
fingertips pushing into the dot area (Photo 1). Then, without moving the
foot, try and rotate the forward leg inwards and outwards while feeling
this muscle activate. Imagine your knee cap is rotating inwards (Photo
2) and then outwards very slowly. The movement is very subtle and may
take a little time to perfect.
• Because these muscles are strongly linked with your
pelvic floor muscles, it really helps to time the exercise with your breathing.
Breath deeply into your diaphragm and back as you move your leg inwards.
As you exhale, imagine the ‘pea in the straw’ feeling that
we discussed in Part I, while rotating your leg outwards. Your first reaction
will be to initiate this movement by simply moving the knee – which
is what we tend to do when riding. Concentrate on having the movement
initiate from the gluteals (deep in the hip) and have it linked with your
breathing and pelvic floor muscles. Repeat this movement 15-20 times on
each leg. This exercise really wakes up the muscles needed to initiate
riding movements from the hip! By using the breathing activation it also
links your core control with your hip control, a vital part of good riding.
To tackle the issue of strengthening the deep internal rotators that are
needed to put the lower leg on without bending the knee, Anna Louise developed
a set of exercises using Thera-Band* for resistance. (*Thera-Band is elasticised
band widely available through physiotherapists and also in some fitness
centres.)
The first strengthening exercise is simply the control exercise with resistance.
Once you are sure that you have mastered the control of your leg rotators,
try tying a piece of Thera-Band around your calves. Perform the exercise
in exactly the same way as above, ensuring rhythmic breathing and the
activation of the pelvic floor on each outward movement.
Next, Anna Louise tied the Thera-Band to a table leg and had me lay down
on the floor with my leg partially extended. The idea was to move my leg
from the hip against the resistance. It was amazing how difficult this
was!
To correctly perform the exercise:
• Start by holding the leg still and ensuring that your hip, knee
and toe are aligned. Take a deep breath in.
• As the leg moves inward exhale while thinking of the pea in the
straw. This really grounds your core stability and allows the leg to work
without any compensating movement.
• Try to make sure that your breathing is correct - breathe in as
the leg moves outward and breathe out as the leg moves inward. (As a rule,
you should always breathe OUT with the exertion or more difficult part
of any exercise. )
• In Photo 4 you can see the posture dots placed on the hip, knee
and toe to ensure good alignment.
Whenever the body finds something difficult to control it often uses completely
unrelated muscles to try and help out. Imagine, for example, you are trying
to open a jar which has a lid that is stuck. You know how you clench your
teeth, tighten your shoulders and tense every part of your body? None
of these muscles actually make it easier to open the lid; it’s just
your body’s way of over compensating. My initial reaction was to
lift my shoulder (Photo 5) to compensate for the work in my hip. My body
awareness told me that this was most likely also happening on the horse!
I had to really concentrate, work in a very small range of motion and
time the exercise with my breathing and core stability to allow the leg
movement to happen without a compensatory movement in my upper body.
After practice in the lying position, this exercise can
be done in a seated position, using a bar stool or saddle type seat. (Photo
6).
Once you get upright like this, you may notice new ways
that your body wants to compensate. I wanted to rotate the hip by pushing
my knee and my toe inwards (Photo 7) I am sure this is how my knee ends
up gripping when I ride! If you stay aware of your breathing and activate
your core, you will be able to do the exercise with integrity and good
alignment which will then transfer to better use of your whole leg when
riding.
Bottom Walking for your Buttocks
Anna Louise calls the final exercise in our lower body series 
‘bottom
walking.’ This is a strengthening exercise for your large gluteal
muscles and luckily can be done all day long! The idea is to turn on your
gluteal muscles that have probably been on a partial holiday for a long
time. As you take a step, imagine that the buttock of your back leg is
going to propel you forward. (Photo 8) Alternate between firing one buttock,
then the next, as you walk. All lateral riding movements require the skill
of being able to turn on one side of the body while leaving the other
side relaxed. Bottom walking is a good introduction to this skill while
off the horse!
The Complete Physiocise Lower Body Program
Step Physiocise Exercise How Often
1. Stretching - Sitting Hip /Buttock Stretch*
Lancelot Stretch* / Psoas Stretch*, Hamstring/Back Reliever Stretch* Found
in the May issue Hold each stretch for a minimum of 30-60 seconds on each
side (longer if you have the time) repeat to stiff side if applicable
2. Learning Control Standing Activation of Leg Rotators Repeat 15-20 reps
each leg
3. Strengthening Standing Activation of the Leg Rotators with Resistance.
The Leg Rotator Strengthening Exercise (Lying first, then progress to
sitting) Bottom Walking Repeat 15-20 reps each leg All the time!
The secret to your success in riding is how well your brain connects with
your muscles. For a small percentage of natural riders, this never needs
to become a conscious issue. For the vast majority of us, it is a long
slow struggle to help our bodies achieve what our minds know so well.
The hardest thing is waiting for our bodies to catch up to our minds!
The combination of these lower body exercises with the core stability
exercises that we recommended in the April issue is sure to set you on
your way to better riding. Next month, we take a closer look at the upper
body.