‘I’m a Former WWE Diva, and Here’s How I Built a Rock-Solid Core To Stand My Ground’

WWE Divas are recognized for his or her badassery, physique slams, and drama. What powers the performances of those feminine wrestlers? First, in fact, there’s the perspective. However undergirding all these takedowns and locks is the WWE Divas’ core.

“Each single second of a match, your core power comes into play,” says former WWE Diva Erika Hammond, now a star coach and founding father of Equinox’s Knockout exercise. “There isn’t a millisecond it isn’t!”

As a reminder, your core is greater than your abs. Your core is absolutely your entire “trunk.” So sure, your stomach muscle groups, but additionally your again muscle groups and tiny stabilizer muscle groups surrounding your backbone. Your glutes and pelvic ground muscle groups additionally come into play, since they’re what retains your core steady and aligned.

“Your core muscle groups play an important position in stabilizing, shifting, and defending you in your on a regular basis life,” Hammond says. “So a robust core is crucial for general well being and health.”

It is also essential in wrestling and different fight sports activities for permitting you to land a blow and take a success.

“In wrestling it is advisable to have a robust core to brace towards resistance,” Hammond says. “Having the ability to successfully brace your core at completely different positions and velocity throughout a match is crucial to assist forestall damage.”

Hammond remembers how a lot core power got here into play when she needed to “take a bump,” which is when wrestlers land on their again on the mat. Opposite to fashionable perception, these mats really aren’t mushy; they’re principally metallic and wooden with simply an inch of froth padding.

“It positively hurts,” Hammond says. “So taking a bump [and] touchdown correctly positively must have the core engaged to securely brace the touchdown.”

In the present day, Hammond teaches shadowboxing in a brand new Equinox collection known as Knockout. The ideas of core power and stability she discovered as a WWE Diva carry over into her personal shadowboxing and in her instructing in constructing energy and endurance.

“In fight sports activities a lot of your energy and endurance is derived out of your higher and decrease physique however your core is what connects all of these actions,” Hammond says. “Shadowboxing is actually a full-body exercise. Practically each muscle group in your physique is ‘linked’ to every transfer you make so throughout Knockout you might be consistently participating your core.”

So how did Hammond construct the WWE diva’s core essential to “take a bump” as a wrestler and land a punch or kick as a shadowboxing teacher? A method is by doing power coaching workout routines that mimic the strikes she’s doing on the mat or within the ring. For instance, doing a row at chest peak with hand weights or cables works your again muscle groups equally to a punch, so it strengthens your core in a manner that’s natural to the motion.

Hammond’s favourite core-strengthening transfer is the lengthen sit-up twist. “It is a full-core motion, which works your higher and decrease ab muscle groups within the preliminary extension and the sit-up then fires up your obliques in the course of the twist,” Hammond says. “This strengthens rotational core motion and improves your skill to generate energy from the core—a lot of which mimics your actions in boxing.”

Right here’s how you can practice your core like a WWE Diva within the lengthen sit-up twist

1. Begin in your again along with your legs and arms absolutely prolonged.
2. Concurrently tuck your knees into your chest as you elevate your higher again off the ground to a ship maintain place.
3. Rotate your torso to the left and proper, then slowly decrease again all the way down to the ground whereas retaining your abs engaged and shoulders curled off the ground.