Core Exercises should always form a significant portion of your fitness routine, although it has not been able to always get the attention that it deserves, except when individuals may take up a few of these exercises on a few occasions. But, you would be in a position to benefit immensely, if you have been working out well enough, in order to keep your core muscles in proper shape. By adding core exercises to your daily routine, your body is able to maintain a proper balance, apart from improving its stability, especially when you are performing your routine activities every day. For those who are engaged with a lot of sports activities, it is extremely important to keep their core muscles stable.
Some of the core exercises that can be performed by individuals are mentioned below:
1. Exercise Ball Crunch:
Exercise Ball can be a great workout if you would use it to perform crunches, including a few ab exercises. This is one of the famous core exercises that target your abdominal muscles and helps to strengthen both your upper and lower abs. The range of motion can be increased, apart from stretching and contracting your abs at each rep with the help of a ball. This exercise targets your rectus abdominis that is also referred to as “six-pack” muscles. Besides, there is an improved range of motion as compared to the floor or in the case of a bench. The idea behind doing this exercise is that as and when you do the crunches as well as the other exercises on the ball, there would be a disruption caused to the inertia of the ball, which tries to move. The core and abs muscles are engaged as you put in your efforts to prevent the ball from moving.
Equipment Required:
• Exercise Ball
How to do this exercise?
• Start by lying flat and placing your back on the exercise ball. Place your hands at the back of your neck to obtain some support.
• Keep your focus straight up on to the ceiling during the whole period of this exercise, rather than looking down, since you may face any strain in the neck unnecessarily by looking downwards.
• Now, crunch up and hold the contraction for some time.
• You can do about 10-12 reps comprising of 3 sets.
2. Reverse Crunch:
This is one of the well-known exercises that target your abdominal muscles, especially the lower part of the abdominals. You can do this exercise either on the floor or by using a flat bench. In a way, it is considered by lifters to be a companion of the crunch. This exercise targets more of your upper abdominal muscles rather than the lower abdominal muscles. You have to only use your bodyweight to perform this exercise. Try to do this exercise slowly, so that you can maintain complete control throughout the entire range of motion.
Equipment Required:
• No equipment is required for doing this exercise.
How to do this exercise?
• Start by lying down on your back on the floor and keep your hands to your sides. Your legs must be kept extended. Now, try and engage the abdominal muscles by drawing the belly button inwards onto your spine.
• Now, do some breathing in and out and start bending the knees. Further, by using the abdominals, start bringing them inwards on to your chest. Further, get your lower back to lift off the mat in order to allow for complete contraction of the abdominals.
• Breathe in a bit and start lowering the back gradually on to the mat while keeping your legs extended in order to come back to the starting position. Make sure that you do not lower your feet on to the floor.
You can do about 10 reps each and a maximum of 3 sets. As and when you complete a set, you can rest for a minute and start doing the reps again. As you slowly strengthen our core over time by doing this exercise, you could even increase the number of reps as you desire.
3. Seated Bar Twist:
This is one of the core exercises that help in strengthening the obliques. This exercise is many times performed by doing higher number of reps using relatively light weights, which could be a fixed-weight bar that is light in weight or an empty barbell. You can even try doing this exercise outside of a gym. Your core is strengthened by doing this exercise, in addition to helping build body resilience. It also helps to strengthen your obliques and contribute to your core aesthetics better.
Equipment Required:
• Barbell
How to do this exercise?
• Hold on to a barbell that is lighter in weight and rest it on your muscle present behind your neck. The weight must not be rested on the neck.
• Seat yourself onto a flat bench by keeping your feet firm on to the floor and a bit wider than the shoulder width distance.
• Your back must be now kept firm and straight. Your torso is to be twisted slowly towards the right side and subsequently to your left side.
• You should continue to twist as much as you can. While doing the twist, make sure not to move your head. However, you should keep facing to your front.
• Your head should continue to face forward and avoid looking to your side. Moreover, you should always keep the abs tight all through the entire set. You can do about 10-12 reps comprising of 3 sets each.
4. Flat Bench Lying Leg Raise:
Flat Bench Lying Leg Raise is one of the bodyweight exercises that targets your abdominal muscles, especially your “six-pack” muscles that is also known as the rectus abdominis muscles. By doing this exercise, the core muscles are contracted enough. This is one of the core exercises that would be great for those individuals who may be having a lower back pain, as it would be able to help them lower their back pain or sometimes even get rid of it by performing this exercise. It is always beneficial for individuals to have a strong core, since it would help them increase the weight that they lift, while doing compound movements such as the deadlift. Moreover, there are very little chances of individuals being affected by any injury in the lower back, as and when they perform these exercises.
Equipment Required:
• Bench
How to do this exercise?
• Begin by lying down on a bench, by keeping your back flat on the bench. Keep your legs extended before you and at the end.
• Start placing your palms down and beneath your glutes.
• Your legs must be kept extended and also in a straight position as far as possible.
• Now, you can breathe out and lift your feet, till the legs get into a 90-degree angle position on to the floor. As and when the leg reaches 90 degrees, you can start squeezing your core and also continue to hold on to this position for a few seconds.
• Start breathing in and lower your feet gradually back downwards by returning to the position where you started.
You can try and do about 2-3 sets of 15 reps each.
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Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
