The belly, pelvis, lower back, and hips make up your core, which is the middle part of your body. Core strength is important for keeping your body stable, moving without pain, and avoiding injuries.
Core movements work the muscles in your stomach, lower back, and hips to help you do everyday things and get better at sports.
1. Side plank
You work out the muscles on the sides of your body with the side plank. It also loads half of your spine. When you train your obliques, they help you move your spine in ways like turning, bending, and spinning.
Make sure your feet, hips, and pelvis are all in line with each other as you do this exercise. Also, focus on feeling the side of your body where your obliques are. To do a side plank, follow these steps:
Place the mat down and use your arm to help you stand up straight. Your feet, shoulders, and hips should all stay straight. To protect your shoulder, line it up above your elbow so that it makes a right angle with your rib cage.
Make sure your hips stay a few inches off the floor and don’t sag while you hold the pose.
As soon as you feel like your form is breaking, switch sides. Hold the side plank for as long as you can.
Lift the top leg and top arm (the ones that are closer to the sky) to make this exercise harder. This will make your body look like a star.
2. Single-Arm Farmer’s Carry
You should be able to feel your core work when you do a single-arm carry. Keep your stomach tight and hold the weight in your hand. To do a single-arm farmer’s carry, follow these steps:
Pick up a weight that is a little hard to move but not too heavy for you to hold in one arm for 30 to 60 seconds.
Do not slouch forward or arch your back. Instead, keep your spine tall, your shoulders back and straight, and your core tight. Hold the weight for the same amount of time on each side. Pick up the weight with one hand and keep your grip tight and your wrist straight. Do not let your body or stance lean to one side of the weight.
Change sides and use the other hand to hold the weight. Hold on tight and move the weight a little away from your side. As you hold the weight, remember to breathe.
3. Cable Wood Chops
Cable wood chops work your obliques, rectus abdominis (the top layer of your ab muscles, also called your “six-pack”), hip flexors, and glutes. They make your core stronger as a whole. This exercise works out your whole body and can help you twist or rotate your back, which can help you in tennis or many other activities in everyday life.
When you twist during this exercise, let out a breath so your core closes more strongly. For this exercise to work, you need to use the right form and breathe properly. Let me show you how to do cable wood chops:
Set the stiffness on the cable machine so that it’s about a 6 out of 10 for your exercise level.
To make the wire tighter, move the handle to about chest height and take a few steps to the side.
Use both hands to hold on to the handle, and spread your feet shoulder-width apart. As you load, take a deep breath in, and as you let out a breath, spin your body across your midline in a “chopping” action against the resistance.
There should be a small counter-rotation when you get back to the starting position before you do another rep.
Once you’ve done the number of reps you want, switch sides and do the same number of reps on the other side.
4. Leg Raises
Leg raises are a tough workout for the core. To safely do a full-range repeat, they need to be strong enough. Leg raises work the muscles in your lower abs and hip flexors.
If you have lower back pain, you should be careful with this activity. Your back might try to support other muscles, which can put stress on them. To keep your lower back from arching too far, keep your pelvis tilted so that your lower back is pushed into the ground and your shoulders are flat on the floor.
For extra support, you can keep your hands under your buttocks in a diamond form as you do each rep.
To do a leg raise, follow these steps:
Lay on the floor or a mat with your hands in a diamond shape under your buttocks to start.
To begin, keep your core tight. Then, bend your feet and pull your legs off the ground as far as you can, or until they hit 90 degrees. Make sure your legs stay straight.
Lower your back down slowly until it’s almost hitting the floor. Then let out a breath and do one more rep.
5. Static Bird Dog
The rectus abdominis (six-pack), obliques, transverse abdominis (deep ab muscle), and spinal erectors (vertebral back muscles that run down the spine and support stance and movement) are all worked hard in this version of the bird dog.
The static bird dog is like the regular bird dog, but you don’t move. Instead, you keep your hips stable and your core tight. How to do it:
Sit on the floor on all fours with your back flat and your hands and shoulders straight under you. Make sure your knees are under your hips.
Make sure your core is tight, and extend and lift your right arm and left leg back at the same time. Don’t let your hips drop to either side.
Hold the pose for as long as you can (up to 30 seconds), and don’t forget to breathe. Turn around and stretch out your left arm and right leg.
Switch between the two sides. One set is made when you finish a round on each side.
6. Dead Bug
The dead bug is a basic stability practice that keeps your back straight while working your core muscles. It works for people with back pain and people who are flexion sensitive, which means that staying in a bent position hurts them.
As you stretch your arms and legs out, make sure your lower back doesn’t lift off the floor. So here’s how to do a dead bug trick:
Put your back on the floor and lie on your back. Lift your legs and arms up in the air and bend your knees 90 degrees. Press your lower back into the floor and keep your core tight.
Let out a breath and stretch your left leg and right arm at the same time. Don’t step down until you’re done. Go back to the middle.
Now switch sides and stretch your left arm and right leg at the same time.
Holding bars in each hand will make this workout harder.
