10 Core Workouts to Help You Strengthen Your Core

Introduction:

By now, you’ve probably heard of the importance of having a strong core in order to improve your balance and posture, as well as reducing your risk of injury. If you haven’t already started working on this area of your body, it’s time to start! While simple crunches can certainly be beneficial, they can also become boring after awhile and don’t necessarily target every muscle group at once. Instead, try one of these 10 core workouts that will help you work on both your inner and outer muscles while making each session fun and challenging at the same time.

1) The plank:

The plank is one of the best exercises for your core. It targets all four abdominal muscles, including the transverse abdominis and obliques. To perform a basic plank, start by lying on your stomach with your legs out behind you and hands shoulder-width apart on the ground in front of you. Press up into a push-up position, making sure not to bend your elbows, but lowering your hips as far as possible so that only your toes and forearms are touching the ground. Make sure not to let the butt or back sag at any point. Hold this position for as long as you can before returning back down into the starting position.

2) The side plank:

The side plank is a basic exercise that can be modified for multiple levels of difficulty. It strengthens the deep abdominal muscles and hip stabilizers in one fluid movement, providing a balance of strength and mobility. Variations of this exercise include the upside-down plank, which targets the front abdominal muscles, or lifting a leg off the ground while maintaining tension on your core to work your obliques. The focus is on holding your body at a 45 degree angle with correct posture and alignment in order to achieve maximum benefit. This should be performed as many times as you can for 30 seconds each set. Try performing sets three times per day, twice on non-consecutive days and rest on consecutive days when possible!

3) Supine bridge:

In this core workout, you'll strengthen your back, abs and glutes with the supine bridge. Lie down on your back and push up until you're at a 45-degree angle. Next, keep your arms extended, pressing them against the ground. Maintain that position for 10 seconds before you release it and return to the start position on your back. Do three sets of this exercise before moving on to the next one in the series.

4) Russian twists:

One way to keep your core engaged during the workout is with a move called Russian twists. This moves helps you build strength in your lower back, abs and obliques, while also twisting the spine. To perform this exercise on the floor, lie down on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place hands behind head or cross at chest, as shown in Fig. 4A-1b. Lift right arm off floor slightly and turn head to right side of body. Keep torso level with hips as you pivot left elbow and right knee into a 90-degree angle (Fig. 4A-2a). Hold position briefly before returning to start position (Fig. 4A-2b). Perform 10 reps of exercise then switch sides for another 10 reps (Fig.

5) V sit ups:

While laying on your back, extend your arms and legs to form a V. Squeeze your abs tight and sit up, while still holding onto the ground with your toes. Hold this position for 10 seconds before lowering back down. Repeat 2-3 times. This exercise will help you target the rectus abdominis muscle in your stomach and pelvic floor muscles if done correctly.

6) Bicycle crunches:

Bicycle crunches are one of the best ways to target the abdominal muscles while still providing a good range of motion. To do bicycle crunches, lie flat on your back with your hands behind your head. Bring one knee in towards the chest, then stretch it out and bring it back in for one rep. As you start getting fatigued, work both legs simultaneously for maximum results.

7) Reverse crunch:

Begin by lying flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Pull your belly button in towards your spine as you tighten your lower abs and buttocks muscles, which should push your hips off the ground. Make sure not to rock too much from side-to-side or let your butt touch the ground during this movement. Keep going up until you feel a good stretch at the front of the hip area, and then slowly begin bringing yourself back down without letting either part touch the ground again. Repeat for 10 reps on each side.

8) Windshield wipers:

Windshield wipers exercise is one of the best abs exercises that can be done at home. All you need is a wall and a chair. The next time your car's windshield wipers come on, pretend they're your legs and do the following while they're on:

-Start with your legs straight and heels touching. Slowly spread them as far as you can go. -Contract or tighten both of your abs so that you can bring them back together into a plank position in front of you. -Lift your toes up toward the ceiling without arching your back, then slowly put them down back to where they were before.

-Repeat for about 30 seconds, taking breaks in between if necessary!

9) Seated medicine ball twist toss:

This is one of the easier exercises, but also very challenging. There are a few variations on this workout. One version is to stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart, your toes pointing out and hands at your hips. Raise the rope as high as you can without letting it drop. Keep the rope taut while you bring it down again so that it alternates between being raised and lowered. Another variation is to cross one end of the rope under your feet then over your head with both ends held in each hand, keeping them crossed the whole time, then switch the crossover arm so that they alternate being in front of and behind you - see image below for illustration.

10) Rope Tugger:

Rope Tugger is one of the more challenging and popular workouts. In order to do this workout you will need a rope (preferably thick but any type will work), a chair, and a stability ball. Rope tugger is an excellent exercise for training your core muscles because it really puts them under pressure. By sitting on the stability ball while you grip the ends of the rope, you give your body leverage as well as a tool with which to build power in your core muscles. Holding on to both ends of the rope, start pulling your arms apart slowly and then back together quickly.