warm up/

activation series
by dr. aaron pierson
DPT, CFMT
warm up/
activation series

Copyright © 2019 by Move Your Bump

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be repro-
duced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written
permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a
book review.
 WARM-UP WITH
PURPOSE

Look, let’s be straight, you have limited time. The

intense workout you’ve grown to know and love
before baby now feels awkward and not...the...same.
In the window of time you carve out for your exercise,
you want to be as efficient as possible so you can
tone up, get your strength and mobility back, and
for-heaven’s-sake avoid back pain while taking care
of your child.

Everyone knows the body that they eventually want

to have, the strength they eventually want to own,
and the mobility they would like to enjoy. Here is the
truth: a training program must begin using the body
you currently live in, not the body you want to have!
 learn to listen
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO DEMO
As if normal day-to-day life wasn’t
hard enough on us, imagine the
changes that your body has gone
through with pregnancy, childbirth,
and the demands of caring for an in-
fant!
There is a huge benefit in taking in-
ventory of your body and learning
what you have available for use. Be-
come aware of the state of your body
and learn to listen to what it tells you
before, during, and after exercise. If
you learn to listen, your body will tell
you when something is not in balance
or when something is not firing (con-
tracting) correctly.
Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 4
Applying this learn to listen concept
will allow you to:
// Adjust exercise intensity and fre-
quency correctly. (How much is
too much? Am I using the right
muscles? Am I going to pay for this
exercise tomorrow by having back
pain?)
// Start now retraining your core safe-
ly, instead of waiting/hoping that
things fall into place naturally.
// Train the muscles you are intend-
ing on training, developing better
muscle tone where you want it.
// Avoid feeding into a movement
compensation that results in poor
posture and movement. (Even if
you don’t move correctly, you will
still move in order to live life, yes?)
This “learn to listen” strategy and war-
mup plan is to help you introduce you
to...your body. You certainly knew your
body at one point in your life, but do
you know your body today?
 core education
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO DEMO

Look, here’s the truth. You have enough muscle strength to start this thing.
Promise. The fatigue and awkwardness that you may feel during this warm
up is not because you are weak. It is because you are not accustomed to
using your body correctly. Let’s get started.

how do we ensure this system is

Question: How do you know that
you are using your core during a
core exercise?
I don’t mean, “Are you in the correct
position or executing the correct tech-
nique?”, as these are elements that can
be easily fixed by mimicking a picture
or following directions.
That’s right. You could be lying in the
correct position, moving your leg/arm/
etc. in the correct direction, and still
not be using the right muscles to do
so. The fancy term is central inhibition,
but let’s just say that the core is turned
off, the muscles are not firing, and the
switch needs to be turned back on.
The core is needed to stabilize our
spine, we know this to be true. But,
active? Think about this: in preparation
to open a door, push a shopping cart,
lift a child, take a walking step, do you
need the core? YES. Did you pause a
second before each of these activities
and think about firing the core? NO.
So follow me for a second here. If we
need the core to fire almost constantly
to protect us during the day, how could
the end-all-be-all solution be only to
strengthen the muscles of the core?
How could the solution be to learn
how to “fire the core”? You must be
able to use it AUTOMATICALLY. As in…a
fraction of a second before you push
the door open, the core fires. When
you kneel to lift the child, the core is
already engaged to prepare for the lift.
A subtle core engagement constantly
while you run, WITHOUT YOUR
DECISION TO DO SO.

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 5

 Your low spine core is made up of 7 different muscles, but works as a single
unit. The role of each separate muscle is only a contribution to the func-
tion of the whole. That unit can be turned off, delayed, or contracting in
the wrong timing. You could be attempting to tighten the muscles of your
stomach or back, and not firing the true core stabilizers at all!

In this situation, any strenuous exercise
that ensues will likely create too much
pressure in the abdominal cavity, and
result in compression of the spine and
surrounding structures.
This can result in....
// challenging the integrity of the soft
tissue (especially if diastasis recti is
present).
// joint pain, especially in the low
back. (Many moms struggle with
the effects of ligamentous laxity,
which results in joints moving more
than they should.)
// using the big muscles of the low
back instead of the deep core. (Any-
body ever had low back pain after
leg lifts or a set of deadlifts?)
// attempting to improve muscle tone
and muscle bulk, but taking too long
to notice changes or causing injury!
Timing is everything! You chew food
before you swallow. One action pre-
pares for the next. In the same way,
you need to contract the core before
you move. Now the important part
(as if this wasn’t hard enough already),
it should be automatic! As in...you
shouldn’t have to make this core con-
traction happen during exercise. You
shouldn’t have to think about it. This
is great news right? One less thing to
think worry about during your exercise
set.
So, let’s look at how we can learn if your
body is working from the core or from
something else entirely. Let’s find the
position that allows your body to be
stable, setting up the core to fire when
it should, in the right timing. The first
step to getting your “self” back!
The core is more likely to be engaged
when you have a posture in balance.
Oh, the irony of finding more stability
in your spine when you stop forcing a
contraction. Here is an activity to be
able to identify this posture in balance,
looking first at the pelvis.

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 6

 listening to the body
neutral position

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO DEMO

Prepare the “neutral position” // Now, with as little effort as possible,

do a pelvis tilt to gently flatten your
// Lie down on your back, knees bent
back to the floor. Use your fingers
and feet flat. Arms by your side.
on your abdomen to make sure
// Pretend you have white paint on that the “six pack muscles” don’t
your back and you are on a dark tighten at all as you do so. We will
hardwood floor. What would your call this neutral position.
painted imprint look like? Is your
// Was it difficult to keep the abdo-
left shoulder blade pressing in the
men calm and soft as the pelvis
ground more than your right? Are
tilted to flatten your back? If your
there areas of your mid back or rib
body wanted to contract and tight-
cage that are touching on one side
en your abdomen during a simple
but as not much the other? Is your
movement like this, how much
low back even close to touching
more likely would it be to contract
the floor!?
too much during a lunge, squat, or
when running? (We’d better give
the body a better option, if so!)

***Note: if you have trouble feeling if your belly is relaxed or not, feel your
stomach rise and fall with your breath. At the end of the exhale, where
your stomach falls back to the floor, this is what the stomach should feel
like in neutral position.

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 7

 listening to the body
what does it feel like to use your core?

Experiment 1: Experiment 2:

// Lie down on your back, bend
your hips and knees to a 90 de-
gree position (with your feet off of
the ground, the legs make an “L”
shape).
// Get in neutral position of the low
back and pelvis.
// Feel what changed? Much more
challenging after putting low back
in neutral. There is much more fa-
tigue with this position, as your ner-
vous system likely is not used to it.
// Straighten your knees so your legs
are straight and high up in the
air. While maintaining a flat back
against the ground, slowly low-
er your legs towards the ground,
maintaining locked out knees. In
the efficient state, the back can
maintain neutral position until the
heels are just off of the ground.
(Yes, your abdomen will become
contracted, but recognize that this
was after the core was engaged. It
is important to ensure all aspects of
your core is engaging properly, this
is covered in the next section.)

**Note: Confidence moment. If you feel tired during this, or other body
weight exercises, please believe me that you have enough muscle strength
to lift your legs. The fatigue is likely from the nervous system, which you are
not used to working in this way.

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 8

 the test
is my core firing automatically?

Now, it’s time to evaluate your core function.

READ THIS: This is going to seem like a lot to go through, but I promise once
you get this test down, it will be second nature. The first part is the test, and it
flows right into the correction. The test and correction should take no longer
than 5 or 6 minutes.

Be aware that... 3. We need to check multiple planes

of motion to make sure the core is
1. The core works as one unit, many
firing with each (it is possible for
muscles working together for the
it to fire well with one and not the
same goal for spine stability.
other!)
2. This unit must contract before limb
4. For this activity, we are going to
movement to allow for efficient
check the flexors (muscles that
motion.
move the leg forward) and the
extensors (muscles that kick the leg
back).

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 9

Test A: Core firing with // Relax everything, but keep your fin-
flexors (option 1) - leg lift gers where they are.

// Lie down on your back, legs // Raise your right leg 6 inches or so
straight and arms by your side off of the ground.

// Using your index finger, find the
bony bump/ridge on the front of
your pelvis on either side (ASIS). It
is right near belt line, if going from
outward to inward it is the last
bony structure you feel before get-
ting to your ab muscles.
// What happened to the right side of
your pelvis? Did it stay still or drop
towards the floor? Repeat on the left.
// If one side dropped, that is a sign
that the core on that side is not fir-
ing automatically.

**Note: If you have trouble noticing if one side dropped more than the oth-
er, try this: lying still in the same position, feel your belly rise and fall with
your breath. When you lift your right leg, Can you maintain a relaxed feeling
in your belly? When you relaxed your belly and lifted your leg, did it drop?
Now try the other. Note the results. If unsure or you want confirmation, com-
plete Test A, option 2 listed on the next page.

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 10

Test A: Core firing with // Gently position the palm of your

flexors (option 2) - thigh right hand on the front aspect of

press
// Lie down on back, left right leg,
knee and hip bent to about a 90
degree angle
// Assume neutral position of the low
back and pelvis
// Keep your upper body relaxed, the
chin slightly tucked (head still on the
table), shoulder blade down on the
table
your left thigh. The left leg should
not move, as the hand gently be-
gins to press the thigh. The pres-
sure is not even enough to go
through the muscle to the bone.
// Now, get ready, here’s the hard
part. You need to get a sense of
what is coming back at your hand.
How “available” is the strength in
your leg? Does the core feel like it
contracts with the leg? Or does it
feel like it’s just the thigh muscle
contracting alone?

// Repeat on the left side

**Note: Core engagement can be likened to two separate parts becom-

ing one. Your leg and spine should feel like two magnets that have spun
around gradually until they suddenly click together. This is the feeling you
are looking for.

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 11

Test B: Core firing with Test B: Core firing with
extensors: (option 1) - extensors, (option 2) -
prone leg lift hands and knees
READ THIS: Option 1 requires lying on // Go on your hands and knees. Make
your belly. If due to pregnancy you your spine as flat as possible from
are unable to comfortably lie on belly, tailbone to head. Relax your belly,
choose option 2! feeling the contents of the abdo-
men rest towards the ground with-
// Lie down on your stomach. Arms
out moving your back.
by your side. Legs straight.
// Kick your left leg off of the table,
// Lift your right leg about 6 inches off
lifting it only to the height you can
of the floor. Return to the starting
go without arching low back or
position. Lift your left leg off of the
spilling the cup of coffee balanced
floor. Return to the starting posi-
on the small of your back. Then try
tion.
on your right.
// Did one leg feel heavier, or slight-
// Did one feel heavier than the oth-
ly hard to lift than the other? Did
er? Did one raise off of the table
the low back on the side you were
with greater ease of motion? Was
lifting cave in (extend)? If you had a
it harder to keep your low back flat
cup of coffee filled to the top in the
with one side than the other?
small of your back, did it spill to the
side you were lifting?

// Repeat, this time drawing your at-

tention to the questions above.

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 12

Test B: Core engaging // Keep a relaxed belly, neutral posi-

with extensors, (option 3) - tion of spine, as you lift one foot off
of the table about 6 inches. Then
bridging
repeat on the other side.
// Lying down on your back, knees
// Was one side heavier than the oth-
bent, neutral position of low back
er? Did the hip drop down towards
and pelvis
the table on the side you lifted?
// As if reaching up and away with Did the stomach want to tense
your knees, lengthen out the more when you lifted one side than
front of your body as you go into a the other?
bridge position, lifting your hips off
of the table. Maintain neutral po-
sition of spine. Bridge up until your
knee, hip, and shoulder are in line
with each other.

Note: The key with your safely executed postpartum exercise program is to
maintain this neutral posture during your exercise set. This will contribute
to a safe amount of abdominal pressure, lower amount of compression in
the spine joints. If your planned amount of reps, sets, or amount of motion
in a movement (i.e. depth in a lunge, amount of leg lowering) does not al-
low for this, use extreme caution or avoid going to that limit.

WOW. That was a lot of testing. Now, gather your thoughts with which
side was stronger/more efficient with the flexors, and which side seemed
stronger/more efficient with extensors. It’s also possible each side needs
assistance with engagement.

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 13

 activity prep activities
how do i fix this?!

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO DEMO

Note: You need to “warm up” both the flexors and extensors, especially if
you had a difference on one side with the above tests.

Flexors (core not working well with
lying on back/leg lift):
Flexor Engagement Option 1:
A MUST beginning point for those
with diastasis recti, recent hernia or
hernia repair, or issues with low back
pain or instability.
// Lie down on back. Was it the right
side or the left side of the pelvis/hip
that was positive in the test above?
Put this leg up on a Swiss ball, or
some object that will hold your lot of focus, try not to get frustrat-
lower leg while your hip and knee
are at a 90 degree angle. For this
example, we will assume it’s the R
leg on the ball.
// Get in neutral position of the pel-
vis/low back. Put your left hand on
your belly to make sure that it is
relaxed and soft.
// Put your right hand on the front
of your right thigh. Be strong with
holding the position of your right
leg, as your right hand gently push-
es into the leg.
// Make sure your belly does not
tense and that the back stays flat
into the floor! (This usually takes a
ed! It is worth the time, for sure.)
// Keep holding at this pressure

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 14

// Next step...keep holding. This is very
much a “use your right brain” kind
of activity. You are attempting to
give a very light pressure, so that
the brain is told, “You must use the
small stabilizing muscles, because
this small amount of force cannot
be opposed by the larger muscles.”
As the core begins to take over the
responsibility of the contraction,
you will feel a connection (of sorts)
between the leg and the spine. This
should feel like a naturally increas-
ing amount of pressure applied
from hand to leg, and leg to hand.
// Stop at 90 seconds to 2 minutes
**Note: The truth is that you
should be to stop when the con-
nection occurs between the core
and the lower limb. This usually
happens within the 90 sec - 2
min window. As you do this more
often, you will recognize when the
core “kicks in”. You may need to do
the hold longer or slower, depend-
ing on this engagement.
// Recheck. Confirm with the straight
leg raise that the pelvis naturally
holds its position and does not “fall”
as much. You should also notice
that each leg feels about the same
when pushing into it with your op-
posite hand (option 2).
Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 15
Flexion Engagement
Option 2: Side lying
// Lying on side, bring your legs up
towards your chest to about a 90
degree angle of hips and knees.
Again, it is very important to main-
tain neutral position of low back
and pelvis throughout this activity.
// Attach a resistance band as shown
around foot, making sure that it
is over the toes (you want toes
to play also!). The tension in the
band should be such that when
you straighten your leg out, there
would be some only the beginning
of tension in the band. The length
and resistance of the band should
be such that when you bend your
knee up to 90 degrees it is only a
bit challenging.
// Suspend the top knee (the one
with the band) off of the lower leg,
but make sure your low back does
not arch and belly stays relaxed.
// Stay in this position, consistently
checking inventory of your body
and hold 90 seconds or until the
core feels that it has engaged or
connected with leg.
 extensors option 1
side lying leg lengthening
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO DEMO
Extensors: (core firing while the lifting
leg moves behind you)
Extensors Option 1: Side
lying leg lengthening
**We will assume for this example,
that during assessment B, the side
that felt heaviest and created most
arch in the low back was the R side
// Lie down on your left side, with the
right, the “involved side”, up.
// Keep the bottom leg bent to a
90 degree hip and knee angle.
Straighten the top leg, and put a
resistance band around the foot/
ankle as shown.
// Apply tension to the band by pull-
ing the loose end up over your
shoulder as shown.
Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 16
// Lengthen your side body by reach-
ing through the intention is to cre-
ate length in your side body. The
distance between the shoulder and
the heel should slightly increase
as you reach with your “sit bone”
down/away.
*Important note: you will very like-
ly be tempted to extend/arch your
low back. This is the most common
compensation with the core is
inhibited. You must prevent this
from happening! Think: maintain
neutral position of pelvis.
// Hold contraction for 75-90 seconds.
This is usually enough time to kick
in the core. The intention is to hold
the correct end range position until
the core figures out that it needs to
kick in, it usually feels fatiguing in
the outside of the hip/buttock area.
 extensors option 2
hands and knees

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO DEMO

Extensors Option 2: Hands // Raise your leg (donkey kick mo-

and knees tion, towards the ceiling) without

// Assume hands and knees position
(like a dog)
// Make the back flat, focus on the
small of the back as if you were bal-
ancing a cup of coffee in the mid-
dle, avoiding spilling the contents
side to side or front to back.
// Lift leg in question (the one that
was heaviest, most difficult to lift,
or the side that created the biggest
arch in low back) to the maximum
height that does not spill your cof-
fee cup on your low back
changing spine position (keep neu-
tral posture), and without tensing
abdomen at all.
// Hold this range of motion for 90
sec to 2 min, mentally running in-
ventory every 5 seconds or so mak-
ing sure low back is flat and that
your hip is at your far end range of
motion. “Reset” the motion when
you need to, making sure that it is
not forced but held with balance.

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 17

Extensors Option 3: Bridge // If the pelvis starts to drop down, or
starts to rotate to one side or the
// Lying down on your back, knees
other (imagine a bowl of soup on
bent, neutral position of low back
your stomach, would it be likely to
and pelvis
spill to the right or left?), use some
// As if reaching up and away with assistance from the leg that you
your knees, lengthen out the lifted (right side). This way, the left
front of your body as you go into leg still has most of the demand
a bridge position, lifting your hips placed on it, but not to the point
off of the table. Maintain neutral that you sacrifice your starting pos-
position of spine. Bridge up until ture.
your knee, hip, and shoulder are in
// Hold this position 60-90 seconds,
line with each other.
or as long as you can before rest-
// Keep a relaxed belly, neutral posi- ing. If you had to rest before you
tion of spine, as you lift one foot off reached the time window, rest for a
of the table about 6 inches. You can breath or two, then start again.
do both sides, but especially focus
// After completion of core initiation
on the side that seemed harder.
warm up, confirm with your origi-
For this example we will assume
nal tests that a change was made.
it was harder with the left foot on
the table and the right leg lifted up.
Hold this position

Now, go work out...or get on with your day!

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 18

 frequently asked
questions:

Q: Do I need to always maintain a Q: This is the plan to engage the

neutral position of low back/pelvis core function, what causes it to shut
during my work out? off?

A: Certainly not. The human body is
meant to bend, rotate, side bend, etc.
However, the movement needs to
BEGIN with a neutral position which
allows for a better facilitated core,
then should progress off of that posi-
tion into bending, rotation, etc.
Q: How often do I need to do this?
A: Poor body mechanics during work-
outs can cause a latent or inefficient
core engagement. Sustained poor
postures between workouts can cause
compression and inflammation to
the spine, which can cause inhibition
(core shutting off). This is why it is im-
portant to engage the core imme

A: when you are about to train/exer-

cise, particularly when you have been
sitting or in compromising postures
(excessive forward bending or back-
ward bending) leading up to the
workout.

Warm Up / Activation Series Dr. Aaron Pierson DPT, CFMT 19