Showing posts with label Core exercises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Core exercises. Show all posts

Best exercises for core strength

The best core exercises may surprise you. It's not enough to just do ab crunches and sit ups. To build a strong core you need to exercise a variety of muscles, from your hips to your shoulders.
Most people think of the core as a nice six-pack or toned abs. But the abs have very limited and specific action, and what experts refer to as the "core" actually consists of different muscles that run the entire length of the torso.
When these muscles contract, they stabilize the spine, pelvis, and shoulder girdle and create a solid base of support for powerful movements of your extremities. Core conditioning exercise programs need to target all these muscle groups to be effective.

What Are the Core Muscles?

Experts vary in which muscles they consider to be the core muscles. Some include the muscles of the pelvic floor. The following list includes the most commonly identified core muscles as well as the lesser-known groups:
  • Rectus abdominis: Located along the front of the abdomen, this is the most well-known abdominal muscle and is often referred to as the six-pack due to its appearance in fit and thin individuals.
  • Erector spinae: This group of three muscles runs along your neck to your lower back.
  • Multifidus: Located under the erector spinae along the vertebral column, these muscles extend and rotate the spine.
  • External obliques: Located on the side and front of the abdomen.
  • Internal obliques: Located under the external obliques, they run in the opposite direction.
  • Transverse abdominis (TVA): Located under the obliques, it is the deepest of the abdominal muscles (muscles of your waist) and wraps around your spine for protection and stability.
  • Hip flexors: Located in front of the pelvis and upper thigh, the muscles that make up the hip flexors include the psoas major, illiacus, rectus femoris, pectineus, and sartorius.

Benefits of Good Core Strength

Why do you want to improve your core strength? Here are the top reasons:
  • A Strong Core Reduces Back Pain: Abdominals get all the credit for protecting the back and the foundation of strength, but they are only a small part of what makes up the core. In fact, it is weak and unbalanced core muscles that are linked to low back pain. Weak core muscles result in a loss of the appropriate lumbar curve and a swayback posture. Stronger, balanced core muscles help maintain appropriate posture and reduce strain on the spine.
  • A Strong Core Improves Athletic Performance: Because the muscles of the trunk and torso stabilize the spine from the pelvis to the neck and shoulder, they allow the transfer of power to the arms and legs. All powerful movements originate from the center of the body out, and never from the limbs alone. Before any powerful, rapid muscle contractions can occur in the extremities, the spine must be solid and stable, and the more stable the core, the most powerful the extremities can contract.
  • A Strong Core Improves Postural Imbalances: Training the muscles of the core helps correct postural imbalances that can lead to injuries. The biggest benefit of core training is to develop functional fitness—the type of fitness that is essential to daily living and regular activities.

Effective Core Exercise

Rather than isolating the abs, core strengthening exercises are most effective when the torso works as a solid unit with both front and back muscles contracting at the same time. These exercises should be multi-joint movements and you should monitor the stabilization of your spine.
Abdominal bracing is a basic technique used during core exercise training.
To brace correctly, you should attempt to pull your navel back in toward your spine, recruiting the transverse abdominus (TVA) muscle. You should be able to breathe evenly while bracing and not hold your breath.
Many core strengthening exercises can be done at home with no equipment. Some, such as in functional training, can be done by adding stability balls and medicine balls to your regular workouts.

What Are the Best Core Exercises?

Core exercises are most effective when they engage multiple muscles throughout the torso that crosses several joints and works together to coordinate stability. Some of the best core exercises are simple bodyweight exercises, including the following workouts and individual exercises.
Core Workouts
  • Quick Core Workout: If you want a simple, effective core workout, this routine doesn't take much time or equipment but covers all the basic core muscles.
  • Standing Ab Workout: You don't need to get on the floor for this workout that uses many of the best core exercises.
  • Total Core Workout: These seven exercises use a resistance band and a stability ball.
  • Yoga and Pilates also challenge your balance, flexibility, and torso strength.​
Individual Core Exercises

Best Equipment for a Better Core

You can use equipment that will add an element of balance to your exercises, naturally engaging your core. The best core equipment includes:

A Word From Verywell

A strong, fit core helps your daily activities become easier to do and improves your performance in sports and exercise. You can incorporate core strengthening into your workouts by taking some of your ab exercises off the floor and doing them standing or on a stability ball. Don't settle for a six-pack when you can strengthen your entire core.
Source:
Brumitt J, Matheson JW, Meira EP. Core Stabilization Exercise Prescription, Part I. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach. 2013;5(6):504-509. doi:10.1177/1941738113502451.
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Core exercises






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Core workout

This routine is also a great warm-up and a solid foundation to build your full workout.

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Core Workout Exercise 1: The Plank

Man performing a plank
Justin Lambert/Taxi/Getty Images
This quick core routine begins with the plank exercise, which provides a great warm-up. The plank engages all the muscles of the core: the rectus abdominis, the internal and external obliques, transversus abdominis, the hip flexors, the erector spinae, and multifidus.
Begin in the pictured position. Keep your torso straight and rigid and your body in a straight line from ears to toes with no sagging or bending. Hold the position 15 to 60 seconds while maintaining control.
To increase the difficulty and intensity of this movement, alternate lifting one arm out in front of you while maintaining your posture for 10 seconds and repeating on the other side. You can do the same with each leg. Simply lift your foot up and hold that position for 10 seconds, repeating on the opposite leg.

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Core Workout Exercise 2: The Side Plank

Side Plank
Getty Images
The side plank engages the often-overlooked muscles that help support your core—the lateral stabilizers from the ankle to the shoulder. This is one simple and effective exercise to help increase lateral hip strength and stability. It will also keep your obliques and transverse abdominis strong.
Begin in the pictured position and keep your body stiff from head to toe. Hold the position 15 to 60 seconds while maintaining control. Repeat on the other side.
To increase the difficulty and intensity of this movement, alternate lifting your top leg up a few inches. Hold it for 10 seconds while maintaining your balance.

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Core Workout Exercise 3: The V-Sit Abdominal Exercise

V-Sit Abdominal Exercise
photo (c) Stuart Gregory / Getty Images
The V-sit is an effective abdominal and core exercise that works the rectus abdominis, external obliques, and internal obliques. This exercise also engages the hip flexors.
To do the V-sit, start in a seated position on the floor. Contract your abdominal muscles and core, and lift your legs up to a 45-degree angle as pictured.
Reach your arms straight forward or reach up toward your shins as you are able. Maintain good core posture and a strong spine while you hold the position for several seconds. Rest and repeat several times.
As you get stronger, hold the position longer.

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Core Workout Exercise 4: The Bicycle Crunch

Bicycle Crunch Exercise
Eri Morita
The bicycle crunch exercise is a classic and it works the core in all the right places. According to an abdominal exercise study done at San Diego State University, this is one of the best exercises for the rectus abdominus and obliques, 
To do the exercise, lay flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Rest your hands behind your head without pulling on your neck. Bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle and slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion.
First, touch your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Perform the exercise in a slow, controlled motion. Do 10 to 25 repetitions on each side, adding more as you build strength and endurance.

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Core Workout Exercise 5: The Bridge Exercise

Woman doing a bridge exercise.
Dmyrt_1
The hip bridge exercise isolates and strengthen your gluteus (butt) muscles and hamstrings (back of the upper leg). This, along with the single leg bridge exercise, are good core strengtheners that target both the abs and the low back muscles. The bridge exercise is also a basic rehab exercise to improve core and spinal stabilization.
Start flat on your back with your knees bent, feet flat, and hands laying flat along your slides. Tighten your ab and butt muscles as you raise your hips to create a straight line between your knees and shoulders. Hold the position for 15 to 60 seconds while maintaining control.
To increase the difficulty and intensity of this movement, alternate lifting up on your toes so your heels come off the ground. Then reverse it with the toes off the ground and your weight on your heels.

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Core Workout Exercise 6: The Single Leg Bridge Exercise

Single Leg Bridge Exercise
kristian sekulic/E+/Gett Images
After you've mastered the bridge exercise, the single leg bridge exercise is the next step. This move is a great way to isolate and strengthen the glutes and hamstrings. When you do this exercise correctly, you will also find that it is a very powerful core strengthener.
Start on your back, hands by your sides, knees bent, and feet flat on the ground, directly under your knees. Lift up into a bridge position, and tighten your core. Slowly raise and extend one leg. Keep your pelvis raised and level, try not to let one side dip down.
Work up to a point where you can hold this position 20 to 30 seconds while maintaining control. Be sure to do both sides.

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Core Workout Exercise 7: Push Up Lat Row

Pushups with lat row
Getty Images
This exercise combines two upper body and core exercises into a single move. It's a variation of the push up that adds a dumbbell row to the movement to form a solid back exercise. Not only does the weight increase the intensity of the exercise, it also it activates the core stabilizers and engages the latissimus dorsi (back) muscles.
Start in a push up position with each hand on a dumbbell (begin with a light weight to learn the movement). Complete a full push up. Once you return to the start position, add a dumbbell row: raise one dumbbell while stabilizing your body with the other arm and lower the dumbbell gently to the ground. Repeat another push up.

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Core Workout Exercise 8: Skip with Twist

The skip with a twist exercise.
Dan Mullan/Getty Images
If you are using this core workout before sports, you may want to add this final exercise before hitting the court, field, or pavement. There are many ways to warm-up, but this simple skip with a twist engages the muscles of the core as well as the upper and lower body in a gentle and rhythmic movement.
  1. Find a level place with enough room for about 10 full forward strides.
  2. Begin by slowly skipping forward 10 strides (5 per side), stop and turn around.
  3. For each return skip, gradually add more intensity and a larger twist to your strides.
  4. Continue to add a full arm swing and drive your knees a bit higher.
  5. Finally, add the torso twist. Take full skipping strides, driving your knees upward and your arms across your body to a full range of motion.
Keep your movements smooth and controlled, not sloppy. Focus on your core and abdominal muscles to get the most from this warm-up exercise.

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7 Core Exercises

When you think of ab exercises, you probably think of twisting and flexing exercises such as crunches, oblique twists, and maybe even wood chops. There's nothing inherently wrong with these moves—they target and strengthen the muscles of the abdomen, particularly the obliques, and rectus abdominis. But these movements are less effective for improving spinal stability and total core strength, two factors that are particularly important for protecting the low back from injury.
Think for a second about the last time you got knocked off-balance and had to right yourself before falling down. Your torso probably twisted or jerked to one side, forcing your core to engage to work against the off-kilter movement of your spine. In other words, your deep, core-stabilizing muscles were put to work to prevent you from falling.
Of course, you can understand the importance of these muscles in the context of a potentially-hazardous fall, but the reality is that these muscles are constantly at work. Every time you take a step, your body is shifted off-balance, and your core stabilizers work to keep you upright. Every time you pick something up off the floor, or you reach one arm high overhead to pull something off a shelf, your core stabilizers are helping to keep you steady and prevent unwanted movement of the spine. 
The stronger your deep, core-stabilizing muscles, the less prone you'll be to lower-back pain or injury, and the more coordinated you'll be during athletic movements. The good news is, it's not hard to incorporate core-strengthening, anti-rotation exercises into your fitness routine.
Pretty much any exercise where your body is unevenly weighted or is forced to work against its natural inclination to rotate the spine or shift the pelvis is considered an anti-rotation exercise. So, a shoulder press exercise performed while standing on one leg would be considered anti-rotational because you have to engage your core to keep your torso and spine from twisting or shifting off-center. 
The next time you head to the gym, try incorporating a few of the following anti-rotational core exercises into your routine.

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Bird Dog Extensions

bird dog extension
Eva-Katalin / Getty Images
Bird dog extensions help strengthen the posterior chain, or the back side of your body, particularly the stabilizing muscles of the spine. While the exercise looks simple, it requires balance and coordination that depends on a strongly-stabilized core.
  1. Start on all fours on a mat with your palms under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
  2. Engage your core and make sure your spine is in a neutral position—your body should form a straight line from your hips to the top of your head. Make sure you aren't collapsing your chest between your shoulders or allowing your hips and glutes to point toward the ceiling.
  3. Keeping your core tight and your torso and hips parallel to the floor, slowly lift your left arm and right leg as a single unit, pointing them to opposite sides of the room. Hold the position for a count when your body forms a straight line from fingers to toes.
  4. Slowly lower them back to the floor.
  5. Repeat on the opposite side.
  6. Perform at least two sets of 12 to 15 repetitions per side.

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Anti-Rotational Single-Arm Planks

franckreporter / Getty Images
Standard plank exercises are great for building static core stability, but they don't develop anti-rotational strength. To transition the focus, all you need to do is perform plank variations that rely on instability between limbs. The most basic option is the single-arm plank.
  1. To perform this move, start in a high plank position with your palms under your shoulders and your legs fully extended so your body forms a straight line from heels to head.
  2. Engage your core, then without allowing your hips or shoulders to rotate, shift your weight to one arm, lifting your opposite hand from the floor.
  3. Hold the position as long as you can with perfect form before resetting and switching sides.
For a slight variation to this move, you can practice lifting one leg from the ground at a time, or you can transition between a forearm plank and a high plank, working to keep your hips and spine stable throughout the transition.

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Farmer's Carry

farmers walk
Westend61 / Getty Images
The farmer's carry is a straightforward exercise that requires total-body engagement to lift, hold, and carry weight over a predetermined distance.
The kicker is that every time you take a step and shift your body forward, the weight you're holding on the same side of your body will try to pull you out of spinal alignment. To maintain a stable and upright torso, you have to engage your entire core musculature from your shoulders to your hips.
  1. Lift a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells of equal weight, holding one in each hand. Choose a weight that's challenging, but manageable.
  2. Engage your core and walk forward at a comfortable pace, maintaining perfect posture with each step you take.
  3. Walk forward roughly 20 to 40 yards, or take between 20 and 40 steps.
  4. Rest, then repeat two to four more times.
To make the exercise more difficult, carry just one dumbbell or kettlebell on one side of your body, creating an uneven distribution of weight. Switch which side you're carrying the weight with each set.

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Walking Lunge and Single-Arm Static Press

single-arm lunge press
Lucie Wicker / Getty Images
The walking lunge with a single-arm static press is like the graduated version of the farmer's walk.
Because lunges require a wide step and greater range of motion as you lower your back knee toward the ground, they also necessitate greater balance and core engagement. Then, when you add a single-arm static press to the mix, you off-set the weight distribution, pulling yourself off-balance. As a result, your core must engage to a greater degree to keep your torso stable and upright.
  1. Stand tall with your feet roughly hip-distance apart with a dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand.
  2. Press the weight straight overhead, palm facing forward, extending your elbow and keeping your upper arm close to your head. You can allow a slight bend at your elbow. This is the starting position, and you'll maintain your arm in this position throughout the set.
  3. Engage your core and take a wide step forward with your right foot, planting your right heel as you allow your left heel to lift slightly off the ground.
  4. Tuck your pelvis to keep your torso tall and bend both knees, lowering your back knee toward the ground.
  5. Just before it touches, press through your front heel and rise to standing as you take a wide step forward with your left foot.
  6. Repeat.
  7. Walk forward 10 to 20 steps before switching the arm holding the weight and continuing, making sure you're hitting both sides equally. Perform a total of two to three sets.

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Single-Leg Deadlift

Matthew Leete / Getty Images
Single-leg deadlifts unilaterally strengthen the hamstrings and glutes while offering a balance challenge. It's the balance challenge that creates the perfect opportunity to enhance anti-rotational core strength.
As with all the exercises mentioned here, the goal of the single-leg deadlift is to maintain a stable core throughout the exercise, not allowing your spine to rotate or your hips or shoulders to lift or sag during the movement. If you're not sure if you're maintaining perfect form, perform the exercise in front of a mirror, and reduce the weight lifted and the range of motion as needed. 
  1. Stand tall with your feet hip-distance apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged.
  2. Hold a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells in your hands at your thighs. If managing two weights is too challenging, hold a single weight between your hands, or skip the added weight altogether.
  3. Shift your weight to your right foot and extend your left leg behind you so your knee is straight and your toes are lightly touching the floor.
  4. Engage your core and tip forward from the hips as you simultaneously lift your left leg from the ground.
  5. As you lean forward, pull your shoulder blades toward your spine to prevent your shoulders from hunching forward, but allow the weight to hang straight down. Lean forward as far as you comfortably can with good form, using your hamstrings and glutes to control the motion.
  6. Your hips and shoulders should remain squared throughout the exercise, not twisting off balance. When you feel a light stretch through the back of your supporting hamstring, engage your hamstring and glutes, using them to pull you back to the standing position.
  7. Perform two to three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions per side.

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Renegade Rows

Tinpixels / Getty Images
The renegade row has similar mechanics to the single-arm plank in terms of its anti-rotational benefits. The difference is that the arm you're lifting and lowering from the floor is weighted, serving to create an imbalance you have to account for with greater core engagement. Also, the exercise targets and strengthens the muscles of your upper back.
  1. Set up in a high plank position, gripping the handle of a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand. Make sure your core is engaged and your body is aligned from heels to head.
  2. Shift your weight slightly to the left, making sure you keep your hips and shoulders steady and squared to the floor.
  3. Squeeze your right shoulder blade toward your spine and lift the weight, pulling it toward your chest as you bend your elbow up toward the ceiling. Again, your hips and shoulders should remain parallel to the ground, not rotating to the right as you lift the weight.
  4. Return the weight to the ground and repeat to the opposite side.
  5. Perform two to four sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. 

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Single-Arm Kettlebell Press

To work your chest, shoulders, and core, opt for a single-arm kettlebell or dumbbell press in place of the more traditional bench press. The unequally-weighted sides require substantial core engagement to keep your back affixed to the bench.
  1. Lie on a flat bench holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in your right hand, extended directly over your chest, your palm facing away from you.
  2. Place your left hand on your left hip and engage your core, making sure your lower back is flat on the bench, and your left hip and shoulder aren't rotating upward away from the bench. Keep your core engaged in this manner throughout the exercise.
  3. Bend your elbow and lower the weight toward your chest. At your chest, reverse the movement and press the weight back to the starting position.
  4. Perform two to three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions per side.
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