Whats in your Core?

So Whats in YOUR CORE?

I was asked to do a blog on core exercises. Now I could just rattle off a bunch of exercises and simply say "I hope this helps". But I won't. WHY? Because simply giving you a list of exercises without educating you would make this useless.

First thing that has to be said is.......(drumroll please). If your diet isn't in check you will have a difficult time trimming your waist line. We all know those people who proudly say they do 100 crunches a day, 5 days a week and its not working. This same person is probably eating fried chicken wings right now and drinking a can of  Beer. So in my previous blogs I talked about knowing what your Calorie intake should be, so that is a good starting point.

Second thing that has to be said is........ You can not just work your abs. There is NO such thing as targeted weight loss. Your body determines where you will lose the weight. So those 100 crunches a day will not help you shed weight just in your mid section. A total body workout is needed to truly benefit and see results in how your clothes fit and what you see in the mirror.

Third thing that has to be said is..... Your Core is not just one muscle. You core is actually made up of several muscles. Without boring you with an anatomy lesson. Just take a look at this picture below.

Your Core also includes muscles in your back and hips etc.

Now its very important that you have a strong core. A weak core can cause various problems, the most common being Low Back Pain. 

A weak abdominal area tends to pull the back forward  or causes the lower back to arch.  So many of  you know people who have larger midsections and they tend to have constant lower back pain, knee pain, foot pain and are prone to injury on a regular basis. 

These injuries are a result of a weak core

So the first thing you should do aside from taking the time to clean up your diet by tracking your calories is to work on your stabilizer muscles. These muscles are the ones working behind the scenes. 

A good  starting exercise for working on your core is a Two Legged Floor Bridge. 

You will lay on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. You will then engage your abs and glutes and lift your buttocks off of the floor keeping hips, knees and shoulders in line. This exercise should be done for 3 sets of 12 reps and work your way up to 20 reps.

#2 Core stabilizer exercise is the Plank. Now many people think they have to get all the way down on the floor for a plank. Actually there are modified ways to do a plank.

 The First way is a plank with your knees on the floor. You want to make sure your shoulders, back and hips are flat.  Try holding this position for 30-60 seconds for 3 sets. If this position is too difficult you can always place your arms on a bench and have your knees or feet on the floor.

The second way is the traditional way to do a plank. This can be held for 30-60 seconds for 3 sets. 

So now that you have worked on stabilizing your core you can add in strengthening exercises

1. For my Upper Abs I like to use the Stability Ball for Crunches. You can do these for 3 sets of 12 Reps and over time you can increase the intensity by adding resistance  by holding dumbbells or a medicine ball in front of you. Keep the weight close to your body.

2.  For my Obliques or the SPARE TIRE. The Second exercise I like doing are Trunk rotations, Russin Twist or Torso Twist. You sit on the floor with your knees bent holding a medicine ball or dumbbell rotating from left to right. This can be done standing as well. 3 sets of 12 reps on both sides.

3. And Lastly for the Lower Abs I like doing reverse crunches. Lying on the floor with your knees bent. Lift your hips off of the floor while bringing your knees towards your chest. This can be done 3 sets for 12 reps.

So  I hope you learned a lot from this post. Please let me know what you think and feel free to Share!

Ebony Pearson, NASM-CPT,LWMS