A strong core is the foundation for a strong body, yet so many people neglect training their core because it’s “boring”, or it doesn’t give them results as obvious as their bicep curls do.
Not only is strength improved with strong core muscles, but so is balance and stability, making the tasks of daily life more manageable and easier to do without pain. Which, speaking of pain, and more specifically back pain, if you haven’t checked out my “Core Exercises For Those With Back Pain” – go do that now! I go into much more detail on the anatomy of the core, and exercises that are doable with discomfort.
I’m a huge fan of core workouts that can be done right from my living room as I feel as though it’s a waste of time and gas to go to the gym to just train core, which is why I tend to stick to exercises that require little/no equipment (but still work just as effectively).
Hollow Hold w/ Leg Drop
This is not their real name… I’m actually not sure whether they have a name. I made this one up because I am currently not strong enough to hold a hollow hold for more than 30 seconds.
The key to this exercise is the “hollow” part. While laying on the ground, the entire length of your spine should be touching the ground (see below) – this way, your entire core is engaged, which means that your lower back is also protected. To do this, simply tilt the bottom of your pelvis forward, as if you’re tucking your tailbone between your legs – there should be no gap between your back and the floor.
From this position now, you’re going to raise your head and upper shoulders off the ground, along with your arms. Your arms should be stretched out above your head in line with your ears.
Depending on your strength, there are a few ways in which this exercise can be performed. I’ll go easy to hardest:
Easy: Bring both legs up (bent), with calves parallel to the floor. Slowly lower one leg down (outstretched) towards the ground (like you would a dead bug) – don’t let your lower back come off of the ground! Bring back to meet the other leg, then switch legs.
Medium: Once you have mastered the easy one, you can start bringing both legs at a time down towards the ground, again, making sure that you don’t let your lower back come off the ground.
Hard: Bring both legs towards the ground like you did in the medium difficulty… and hold them there. This one is rough guys I can only go about 20-30 seconds before my core gives up and my low back pings off the ground.
Side Plank Twists
These have been a favourite of mine for a while now as they’re simple, yet effective, and also I feel like I can justify not doing planks because these are more tough (or so I keep telling myself). Planks are boring and they hurt, these aren’t quite as mind numbing but still burn just as good.
To start, you’re going to want to get yourself into a low plank position (on your elbows). Then, pivoting on your toes, your going to drop one hip down towards the ground. Bring your hips back up to centre, and then drop to the other side. This should be one fluid motion, try not to make it stoppy-starty, and take it SLOW. This should be a controlled movement, don’t just throw your body to the left and right with reckless abandon to finish your reps quicker.
Please don’t try these if your core strength is lacking as you will cause yourself injury. When you drop your hip to the ground, you don’t want to over rotate your spine – by this I mean, don’t drop your hip all the way to the ground. Your core should be engaged throughout the entire movement, as should your entire body to keep you stable and to prevent injury.
To make it easier, you can prop your elbows up on a bench or box!
Reverse Crunch Butt Lifts
I’m actually quite surprised at myself because this is a new addition to my regular core exercises, but I’ve been LOVING this one (also hating it bc ouch but it’s good fire).
Basically it’s a reverse crunch but an angry reverse crunch. Usually in a reverse crunch your hands are placed on the ground, just outside of your butt, and your legs only curl up towards your face and then back down.
In this one however, arms are placed up into the air (perpendicular with the ground) – your hands should be in line with your face. I would advice holding a water bottle or something so that you can see that your hands are staying in place a little easier. Then, like your would a reverse crunch, your legs are going to start out straight and hovering above the ground. You’re going to contract your abdominals to bring your legs up towards your stomach. Now, this is where the big difference lies between the reverse crunch and this angry version; instead of continuing to bring your knees up towards your head, you’re going to bring everything but your shoulders and head off the ground, as if you’re shooting your feet towards the sky. Then in a controlled manner, bring your back and butt back down towards the ground, followed by your legs which will stretch out towards the ground again.
This exercise actually becomes easier if you ADD weight to it (ya… easier WITH weight). By placing a weight in your hands instead of a water bottle, your shoulders will be “pinned down” more to the ground, meaning that you won’t have to focus so much on balance and keeping the weight there while you’re legs are in the air. So, if you’re new to this exercise, feel free to add a weight to it while you get the strength and technique down!
Windmills
You will require a lot of space for this exercise as legs are arms are going to be splayed all over the place!
I like this one because it incorporates so many different core exercises into one movement: reverse crunches, straight leg lifts, and twisting movements.
Lay on your back with your arms stretched out to your sides, so that your body makes a “T” shape. Bring your straight legs up off the ground so that they’re perpendicular to the ground. Keeping your core tight, and your arms pressed into the ground, drop your legs to the right (don’t let them hit the ground – brace your core!!). Squeeze your core to bring them back up to centre and around to drop to the left.
Much like the Plank twists, these should not be taken lightly. If your core is not strong enough yet, start out by training the straight leg lift, reverse crunches, and oblique strengthening exercises to ensure that you have enough strength to avoid injury to your spine.
Froggies
This is another variation of a plank. I love this exercise because it also works balance and all the stabilizing muscles that are required to be strong so you don’t fall over. This has also been a staple in my core routine for quite some time. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a big fan of sticking to the basics, and once I find something that works for me, I rarely switch it up.
In a low plank position you’re going to bring your left knee up towards your left arm. To do so you’re going to bring your leg up towards the side of your body as opposed to coming underneath your torso; this will require more balance as your leg will be coming away from centre, but also work more of your obliques. Then you’ll bring your foot back down to meet your right foot, and repeat the movement with your right leg.
The way you structure the reps and sets of these movements is completely up to you. You can do them all in one big monster circuit, or you can complete one exercises sets and reps before moving onto the next exercise. Or just tack a couple onto the end of your workout a few times a week to make training core seem a little less daunting. I personally like to train core on an active rest day, or when I’m short on workout time.
Let me know if you give these a try and tell me what you think!
Until next time
xx