Core Strength Workout

Introduction

Hey there! Are you wondering why some exercises seem to be really hard for you? Mainly full body exercises like deadlifts and squats. You bet!

Well, the answer might be hiding somewhere else and not within the muscle groups you’re trying to target with those exercises- Back, legs…etc.

The truth is, our CORE is responsible for the balance during most exercises and it is a very powerful muscle group to utilize, as it supports your proper posture. So, needless to say, if you want to be well-developed overall, it is of prime importance to develop a solid, functional and strong core.

If you still think that it’s all about having six-packs, then you are still in a delusion. Yes, abs are part of the core, but the core is so much more. Make sure to check out our article where we cover the difference between abs and core.

Workout Priorities

This workout prioritizes overall core development, starting from the abs and moving on to the obliques, after which we have exercises that target the whole mid-section.

One very important exercise we have here is the barbell bench roll-out, as it will tremendously help us improve balance and control of our core musculature.

Exercises

Exercise Map

¾ sit-up

Execution

• Lie down on the ground/yoga mat and pull your heels closer to your hips
• Grab your hands together and keep them at forehead level
• Crunch all the way up, contracting the abs
• Hold the contraction briefly, then return to the initial position
• Repeat

Note
If you have spinal problems, avoid crunching all the way up, but rather just keep your lower back on the ground and contract the abs.

45-degree side bend

Execution

• Get on the hyperextension bench, placing the side of your hip on the pads and both your feet under the pad
• Place your hands behind your head
• Bend to the side, stretching the outer oblique
• Bend back to the original position, contracting the outer oblique
• Repeat on the opposite side, once you finish off the first one

Alternate lying floor leg raise

Execution

• Lie down on the floor and place your arms by your sides
• Keep your head on the ground and legs straight
• Raise your legs and hips up, contracting the abs
• Hold briefly then release slowly and return to the original position
• Repeat

Barbell bench roll-out

Execution

• Load the barbell with 5 kg weights and place it in front of the bench
• Kneel down on the bench and bend over to grab the barbell at shoulder width
• Roll out slowly, in a controlled manner, stretching the abdominal
• Return to the initial position, keeping tension on the abs

Bottoms-Up

Execution

• Lie down flat on the ground, placing your arms by your sides and keeping your legs straight
• Slightly crunch up, just so that you can tense the abs
• Lift your legs up slightly
• Bring your knees closer to the body, bending the legs and very slightly lifting the hips off of the floor, all the while contracting the abs
• Hold the contraction briefly and return the legs to the initial position, keeping tension on the abs

Workout Tips

Warm Up

A mandatory mention within pretty much all of our workouts is the warm up! Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced, this is a MUST, before jumping into the harder parts of every workout.

Imagine starting your car in the morning and redlining it immediately… Guess what would happen?

So, make sure to get the blood pumping through your body by doing 3-5 minutes of light cardio like jogging or rope jumping, then move on to a proper joint & muscle warm up and only then, transition to the workout itself.

Even after the whole warm up, you can take it easy on the first couple of exercises and warm up additionally. Rest assured, a warm up won’t really take away strength or endurance, but will rather prepare you for OPTIMAL workout.

Control

Another important mention is having exercise execution control- Going through the full range of motion, breathing correctly, contracting optimally.

All of this will further boost the development, as putting your mind into the exercises is a crucial part of each workout. Instead of going all-out inertially, you will feel how each muscle fiber is WORKING.

Workout Frequency

We generally recommend to train each muscle group once every 72-96 hours. However, the core plays a role in most exercises, which means you can do this workout even once a week and still achieve substantial results.

However, if core development is your main priority, go for twice a week.

Give Your Body What It Needs

It is not just working out and doing crunches. Your body needs other things as well, to properly recover and adapt to the stress it was exposed to. Those things are- food, water and sleep. Make sure to have a good ratio of all, depending on your daily physical activities and the rest of your exercise output.

If you have trouble understanding nutrition principles and how to structure a regimen suitable for your goals, don’t hesitate to contact us, as our personal trainers will take care of you and bring you from A to B in a straight line!

Conclusion

This workout, designed for intermediate and advanced athletes, is built out of a variety of exercises that help strengthen up the core, which is essentially what keeps us balanced during most exercises.

For starters, you can do the workout once a week and when it gets easy, transition to doing it twice a week, especially if your main goal is improving core strength.

Experiment with the given sets and rep ranges and adjust as needed. Some people may experience an inability to complete them, while for others, it might even be too easy, since everyone has different levels of development.