♪ music ♪
KJELL: Hi, my name is Kjell. DOTTIE: And I'm Dottie.
KJELL: And we're NASA astronauts.
DOTTIE: As astronauts, we spend a lot of time in the gym
working out, and preparing to go into space.
KJELL: For each mission, astronauts spend 2 hours a day,
3 days a week in the gym and classroom
until they fly into space.
DOTTIE: The cool part is most of the training we do here in
the astronaut gym you can do too, wherever you are.
KJELL: For astronauts in space, having strong core muscles
keeps them safe from injuries and helps them
perform tasks well.
DOTTIE: Today we're going to share an activity that will
help you improve your abdominal and back muscle strength.
Get ready! Building an Astronaut Core
will help you Train Like an Astronaut!
YAMIL: For the Building an Astronaut Core activity,
all you'll need is a good flat surface and a stopwatch.
Let's begin with the Commander Crunch.
First, lie down on your back and make sure your feet
are flat on the floor. Your chin should be pointed to the
ceiling and your arms crossed over your chest
with your fingers touching your shoulders.
Using only your abdominal muscles, rise up enough
that your shoulder blades leave the ground.
Lower your shoulders back down to complete one crunch.
Complete as many crunches as you can in one minute.
Make sure to keep good body form to avoid injury.
Now, try the Pilot Plank. Lie down on your stomach,
make a fist with each hand, and push your body off the floor,
supporting your weight using only your forearms
and your toes. Your body should be as straight as a
board from your head to your feet.
Stabilize your body by tightening the muscles
in your abdomen and back. Try and hold this position
for at least 30 seconds.
Both exercises help you develop your core.
Maintaining a strong core will help you protect your spine
and transfer energy through your body
during difficult tasks. In space, muscles get smaller
and weaker over time. So, it is really important
for astronauts to strengthen their core before,
during and after space flight.
The Building an Astronaut Core activity will keep you in great
shape and help you Train Like an Astronaut.
♪ music ♪
.