Four Moves for Complete Core Strength

Can I let you in on a little secret? Doing nothing but sit-ups is not going to help you shed layers of fat around your belly.

 

So many people come to CXWorx (the 30-minute core class by Les Mills), point to their stomach and say, “Oh good, I need to lose some weight right here.”

 

Spot-training (as in losing weight in just one particular area of your body) isn’t possible.

 

Now – before you get all discouraged and leave me here – CORE EXERCISES are SUPER important!  You NEED to be doing them! The better conditioned your core is, the stronger the rest of your body can become. Simply because you NEED a strong core in order to do EVERY OTHER EXERCISE!

 

Plus, the functional moving you do on an everyday basis will be so much easier – picking up kids, hauling groceries, lifting furniture (you do that everyday, right?)
And, a stronger core means better balance as well. Icy sidewalks, wet pool decks, bucking horses (yes – that one really did happen to me a couple years ago! No joke – the only thing I was thinking was “squeeze your core. squeeze your core. squeeze your core”. And I didn’t fall off – most impressively according to the witnesses.)

 

There’s not just one muscle there either – so you do need a variety of exercises to make sure you get a complete core workout. Here you’ll find four moves for core strength from every angle.

 

While you likely won’t find six-pack abs from doing ONLY these four exercises (that would require full-body strength training and a tightly maintained clean eating regimen), you will start to find the rest of your workouts to be a little easier!

 

Up/Down Plank/Hovers

Start in Hover Position: Knees or toes. Elbows directly under shoulders, resting on your forearms. Hips level with shoulders (no mountaintops!). Tighten thighs, roll shoulders away from ears, and SQUEEZE YOUR CORE! One at a time, hands replace elbows, pushing up to plank position. Return to hover. Change lead hands halfway.

 

 

Cement Mixer

Side Hover: Elbow directly under shoulder, resting on your forearms. On bottom knee or legs in split stance. Top arm lifted with shoulders stacked and chest open to the front. Brace core, rotate entire body towards regular hover position, sliding top arm under body without touching ground if possible (thighs, hips, and shoulders, square to floor.) Slowly return with control. (I like to call this one Rotisserie Chicken, but Cement Mixer sounds a little tougher. 🙂 )

 

 

C-Crunch + Extension

Knees bent. Toes on the floor. Fingertips lightly touching temples. Elbows wide. Brace core and small tuck of the chin as you exhale and lift shoulder blades off the floor while also lifting knees over hips, maintaining 90 degree angle in legs. Inhale as you roll back down while extending arms overhead and legs out to 45 degrees, keeping low back towards mat at all times.

 

Flutter Kick Swim

Lying on front, arms (thumbs up) and legs long (toes pointed). Chin tucked so your eye gaze is directly down toward the ground. Squeeze glutes to lift arms and legs, flutter kicking while slightly lifting alternating arms just a couple inches off floor.
Images created at MakeaGif.com

 

Try these moves for complete core strength and let me know what you think!