The 2 Most Effective Exercise’s For Your Core
There are many effective and fun different ways to work our core and variations we can do to spice up our workouts. However, when it comes down to the staples there are 2 exercise’s that stand out. Our core is essential when it comes to exercising and should be one of the main areas we focus on no matter what we are training for. Having a strong core will allow you to have a stronger everything else too. The major muscles of your core include your rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, multifidus, internal/external obliques, erector spinae, diaphragm, and pelvic floor muscles. Finding exercise’s that work these muscles as a whole is not easy, and sometimes the exercise’s themselves are not the easiest either.
Having a strong core is not only important for athletes, it also helps everyone in their daily lives do daily tasks. Having strong core muscles also helps prevent injury and reduce back pain. Many people suffer from lower back pain for unknown reasons, and strengthening the core is one of the best cures. Improved posture, balance, stability, and performance are just some of the other benefits to strengthening your core.
So how do we work the whole thing if we don’t have a lot of time? Here are your 2 best exercise’s to work the core as a whole and use all of the muscles listed above:
Plank:
The plank is one of if not the most effective exercise we can do to work our core. The position you are in not only works the core but works the entire body as a whole from the shoulders to the legs, in unison with the core. It mimics the posture we would like to have when we are standing or sitting and trains it to hold this position rather than just continuously contract and relax.
The first photo is the full exercise, the second being the modified version. In both you want to ensure you are keeping the belly button in tight to the spine and engaging the glutes. Shoulders should be in line with the elbows and down and back away from the ears. Try 3 sets of 20-30 seconds adding 5-10 seconds per set when feeling comfortable.
Dead Bug:
The dead bug is another exercise that requires us to use our core as a whole and stabilize with all of the listed muscles. This exercise involves doing repetitions though rather than an isometric hold. With the dead bug there is a decreased risk in injury as we have our back fully supported to the floor and you are not required to flex the spine. As you maintain this position with the back you want to draw opposite arm and leg away from each other, engaging the core to keep this stable position and bring your limbs back to centre. Try to alternate sides as you go, doing about 6-8 reps per side 3 times then adding 1-2 reps per side when feeling comfortable.
These exercises may be the best two but its to necessarily the only two! Since they are similar I would actually recommend doing them separate from each other if you have time to do more than 2 things. The russian twist and superman also being two mentionable exercise’s and the 4 in total make the perfect core workout!
Happy exercising :)
Robyn