Let's face it - six-pack abs are reserved for athletes with good genes and a very low body fat percentage. I'm not here to promise you that you will look like this lovely lady (sorry), but rather give you all the good reasons to work your stabilising core muscles, to ensure it is functional and becomes a strong foundation for pretty much any activity. Because the core is perhaps the most important building block in our body.
I have written a post on the anatomy of the core, which includes beginner exercises that are safe for newbies and postnatal women. Hop over to that post if this sounds like you! If you have a weak core, struggle with low back pain or have pelvic floor issues, all of which can be improved with strengthening your core, you need stabilisation exercises in your life. These will give you an all-round functional core system that serves you well.
Core stabiliser muscles
Isn't stabilisers for kids bikes? Well, yes - but they also keep us humans standing up! Our core's main job is to maintain stability of the pelvis and spine to prevent injury. The core stabiliser muscles consist of your diaphragm (the 'breathing muscle'), your pelvic floor (of importance to everyone, not just new mums), multifudus (which runs along your whole spine to keep in in place) and transverse abdominis (the 'corset' holding everything in place).
...and breathe!
To make the most out of the core exercises you do, make sure you bring your breath and pelvic floor into the equation. A deep inhale followed by a big exhale as you do the work helps activate the deep abdominal muscles we are targeting. If you engage the pelvic floor at the same time (a 'pulling up' sensation on exhale), you are creating stability and working that entire core system the way it should work. I can't say this enough - it's quality over quantity! Be mindful and really think about how it all works together to make progress.
Core stabilising exercises
Plank: The plank has got plenty of modifications to make it harder/easier and keep things interesting! Start on your knees and progress (avoid full planks if you have got diastasis recti).
Engage the main muscles worked (all core muscles, glutes, hamstrings) and push floor away with your forearms to activate upper back. Don't forget to breathe whilst holding!
Side plank: As with the plank, plenty of modifications available, starting with your lower knee on the floor and progress. This is great for strengthening obliques, glutes, QL and shoulders.
Unilateral bird dog: A slightly more challenging version of the bird dog, in that you stay on one side and focus on activating deep core and pelvic floor on exhale as you come in to centre. This is an excellent back strengthening exercise that you can make more challenging by holding a light dumbbell in or kicking back with a resistance band.
Hip raise: But that's a glute exercise, I hear you say. Yes - and we need strong glutes to have a strong core system. The hip raise also helps strengthen the lower back and pelvic floor, by breathing out and activating both core and pelvic floor on the way up to bridge. You can make this more challenging by holding a dumbbell/kettlebell on your pubic bone.
Slow mountain climbers: This is a full-body exercise that can turn into a full-on sweat if you want a cardio output. However, we are going slooow with this one. As you are in a plank position, the same muscles are are work, and by bringing knee to chest you create instability, which means the core needs to work harder. It's great for strengthening glutes, shoulders, both lower and upper back and hip flexors. By slowing down, we can focus more on fully engaging the deeper core muscles and pelvic floor. You can make this move more challenging by putting a loop-band around your feet and pull the band up with your foot.
Further reading:
Core stability for injury prevention: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3806175/
Be better than the crunch: https://drjohnrusin.com/complete-core-training-be-better-than-the-crunch/
Love my Gaiam yoga mat? Get yours here: https://amzn.to/3U2DypT
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