There are numerous core exercises articles available on the Internet, and before writing another one, it’s not about making it different, but about making it work for you. There are many excellent core exercises available in Cyberspace, and it can be challenging to determine which ones will work.
But the ones that claim to help you burn more fat are the ones to steer clear of. In my opinion, all good core exercises aim to support better upper and lower body lifts and improve movement in and out of the gym, not get you shredded, but enhance your performance.
Performance here is relative. For some, it may mean supporting a 400-pound deadlift; for others, it may mean picking their child from the ground without pain. Both are different, but both are still performances, and these four exercises will improve both.
With that in mind, let’s dive in.
Core Function And Anatomy
The core’s most important function is resisting movement while you’re moving, think anti-spine extension, anti-rotation, and anti-spinal flexion. When your core works, it protects your spine from unnecessary stress.
Think of your core as a bridge between your lower and upper body. When the bridge cannot handle the weight on it, it begins to break, and bad things happen. It doesn’t matter how strong your legs or upper body is, because you’re only as strong as your bridge.
Here are the muscles that make that happen.
Rectus Abdominis: Most people know the rectus abdominis as the six-pack ab muscle. It runs vertically up the front of the torso and is responsible for spinal flexion and anti-extension.
Obliques: The obliques consist of two muscles: the internal oblique and the external oblique. They are located beside the rectus abdominis, running from the hips to the rib cage. The internal obliques are located under the external obliques, and the muscle fibers travel perpendicular to each other. The obliques are responsible for rotating and anti-rotating the torso.
Transverse Abdominis: The transversus abdominis (TA) is like the belt you use to tighten your loose pants. It sits under your rectus abdominis and wraps around your spine, maintaining tension and protecting your spine under heavy loads.
Hip Flexors: The hip flexor group of muscles runs from the anterior pelvis to the femur, the thigh bone, and is essential in aligning the pelvis. Strong and mobile hip flexors enable you to run, jump, and squat with greater efficiency.
Back Erectors: The back-erector muscles lie on each side of the spine and extend alongside the lower and upper back and neck sections. Erector muscles straighten the back and assist side-to-side rotation. These muscles also play a vital role in keeping a neutral spine under compressive and shearing forces.
4 Core Exercises For Better Performance
These four exercises are not flashy, but they will improve your performance in and out of the gym.
Bench Bird Dog
Bench Bird Dog involves narrowing your support base and instability on a padded weight bench. Here, you will receive instant feedback because any hip rotation or hyperextension of the lower back will result in losing balance. Here, you’re required to perform the Bird Dog slow, which results in more time under tension for the lower back, hamstrings, shoulders, and glutes.
How to Do It
Get on all fours on a weight bench, knees under your hips, and hands underneath your shoulders.
Slowly extend your left hand and right leg while maintaining your balance.
Return to the starting position, do all your reps on one side, and repeat on the other.
Sets & Reps: Perform one to three sets of 8 to 12 reps on both sides, either as part of your warm-up or as a superset after a strength exercise.
Hollow Hold
It looks like there is nothing to it, but as soon as you get into the hollow position, say hello to your little friend. You need more exercises that don’t crush your lower back while improving core strength, and Hollow Hold fits the bill. It will strengthen your abs, obliques, and back erectors while you’re having a good time on the floor. However, my definition of a good time differs from yours.
How to Do It
Lie face up on the floor and find a neutral spine.
Bring your feet together 4-6 inches off the ground.
Raise your arms overhead with your biceps by your ears, like a referee signaling a touchdown.
Press your lower back into the ground and feel the burn.
Sets and Reps: One set of 20-60 seconds as a part of your warm-up.
Kettlebell Tall-Kneeling Halos
The kettlebell tall-kneeling halo is an exercise, not a hamburger, with the lot because it improves your shoulder mobility, core stability, and hip mobility while strengthening your love handles. This excellent exercise strengthens and improves the mobility of your entire shoulder and upper back area. Performing it in a tall-kneeling position provides instant feedback on your form, while also giving your glutes some love.
How to Do It:
Begin in a tall kneeling position, with your knees underneath your hips, and engage your glutes.
Hold a light kettlebell by the horns in front of your chest.
Lift the left elbow over your head, rotate the kettlebell above the right shoulder, around the back of your head, and bring the right elbow up as you finish half of the rep.
This full circle will return the kettlebell to the starting position.
Switch directions to repeat the movement in reverse. That’s one rep.
Sets and Reps: Perform this for 8 to 12 reps as part of your warm-up, or superset it with a strength exercise that requires core strength. For example:
1A. Goblet Squat Variation
1B. Kettlebell Tall-Kneeling Halo 8 reps on each side
Band Twist
We rotate when reaching across our bodies, hitting a golf ball, or throwing a football or medicine ball. Rotating is something we do; when done right, the band twist trains the body to rotate well. It’s from the ground up, using the feet, hips, obliques, and shoulders in one coordinated action. The band twist will make you more aware of where the rotation comes from and improve your sporting prowess.
How to Do It:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the band to the outside of your hip
Rotate away from the anchor point by turning your feet inward, hips, and shoulders in a smooth, controlled motion.
Extend your arms slightly as you twist to emphasize the movement.
Return to the starting position with control, reset, and repeat.
Sets and Reps: One to three sets of 8 to 10 reps per side. You can do this during your warm-up or as part of your regular workout.
Wrapping Up
These four core exercises will not give you a six-pack, but will improve how your body operates. They’ll teach you about the true meaning of core stability and how it works in the gym and the real world. Whether you want to improve your strength, sports performance, or pick something up from the floor without pain, these exercises have got your back and front.
Leave a Reply