Gympa of the Week continues with some exercises to strengthen the middle of your body. It is always helpful to have strong back muscles, and muscles on your sides and stomach, especially if you have to go orienteer in a place like Texas where you will want to "run" bent over at least 90% of the course in order to get through the fight.

1. Strengthening your stomach isn't too hard. You can do situps! An alternative is to lie on your back and lift up your legs, your chest, or both while keeping your butt on the floor. These different excercises probably work your muscles slightly differently.
2. To strengthen my sides, what I do is stand up with my feet spread apart a bit on the floor. I put my hands on my hips (but they could go anywhere really). Then I rather rapidly bend over from one side to the other, back and forth, using the muscles on the side of my body to straighten back up each time and to control how far I am bending over.
3. Strengthening your back without certain equipment is somewhat awkward, but is possible to do. To work the muscles in your lower back, lie on your stomach with your hands clasped behind your head. Pick up your chest and as much of your legs as possible while keeping your stomach on the floor. Use the muscles in your back to do this, of course. If possible, you can try to find a bench (or an old bed?) to put your legs on, pinning them down. Then you can bend from your waist, dropping your head and torso below the level of your legs. That way you can work the same muscles with a larger range of motion.

-- The Orienteer Formerly Known as Mook (everett@psi.edu), January 04, 2001