DON’T FALL INTO the trap of neglecting your core and saving the last five minutes of your gym session to do 100 sit-ups.
Make a conscious effort to target the torso with a range of exercises, from crunches to rollouts to core stability routines.
If you sit at a desk for 40 hours a week your posture will be affected, but 3 x 20-minute session of specific core exercises a week will go a long way to correcting it.
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And here’s a suggested session to help you get started…
Exercise 1 Pendulum swings
Hang down from a pull-up bar. Bend at the waist to bring your legs up. Move your legs to the left, stopping just before they’re parallel to the floor, then move to the right. This exercise is incredibly difficult but really targets your oblique muscles.
Do 3 sets of 8 either at the end of a session or during rest periods for other body parts you’re training.
Exercise 2 Bird-dog
Get on all fours. Lift opposing arm and leg and hold in a straight line for 30 seconds, keeping your core and your entire body perfectly still. Repeat with the other opposing limbs. This is a great exercise for core stability.
Exercise 3 Side plank with a leg lift
Push your hips off the floor creating a straight line from the ankle to shoulder and keeping your head in line with your spine. Hold the position for a minute, lifting the upper leg for the last 15 seconds to add extra instability.
Do 3 sets of 8 either side.
Exercise 4 Mountain climbers
Assume a press-up position so your hands are directly under your chest at shoulder-width apart with straight arms. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders through to your ankles. Lift your right foot off the floor and slowly raise your knee as close to your chest as you can before returning to the starting position and repeating with your left leg. Continue alternating for 30 seconds. This is one set. Do three sets.
Exercise 5 Ab wheel rollout
Kneel on a towel or pad and grasp the ab wheel handles. Keeping your back straight, lean forward and roll the wheel forward until your arms are overhead and your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Roll the wheel back toward your knees to return to the starting position. This exercise puts a huge strain on the core muscles particularly as your arms near full extension. To help with this, it is important to keep you abs tensed and your arms locked throughout the movement.
The 5-ab exercise to transform your core
DON’T FALL INTO the trap of neglecting your core and saving the last five minutes of your gym session to do 100 sit-ups.
Make a conscious effort to target the torso with a range of exercises, from crunches to rollouts to core stability routines.
If you sit at a desk for 40 hours a week your posture will be affected, but 3 x 20-minute session of specific core exercises a week will go a long way to correcting it.
And here’s a suggested session to help you get started…
Exercise 1 Pendulum swings
Hang down from a pull-up bar. Bend at the waist to bring your legs up. Move your legs to the left, stopping just before they’re parallel to the floor, then move to the right. This exercise is incredibly difficult but really targets your oblique muscles.
Do 3 sets of 8 either at the end of a session or during rest periods for other body parts you’re training.
Exercise 2 Bird-dog
Get on all fours. Lift opposing arm and leg and hold in a straight line for 30 seconds, keeping your core and your entire body perfectly still. Repeat with the other opposing limbs. This is a great exercise for core stability.
Exercise 3 Side plank with a leg lift
Push your hips off the floor creating a straight line from the ankle to shoulder and keeping your head in line with your spine. Hold the position for a minute, lifting the upper leg for the last 15 seconds to add extra instability.
Do 3 sets of 8 either side.
Exercise 4 Mountain climbers
Assume a press-up position so your hands are directly under your chest at shoulder-width apart with straight arms. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders through to your ankles. Lift your right foot off the floor and slowly raise your knee as close to your chest as you can before returning to the starting position and repeating with your left leg. Continue alternating for 30 seconds. This is one set. Do three sets.
Exercise 5 Ab wheel rollout
Kneel on a towel or pad and grasp the ab wheel handles. Keeping your back straight, lean forward and roll the wheel forward until your arms are overhead and your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Roll the wheel back toward your knees to return to the starting position. This exercise puts a huge strain on the core muscles particularly as your arms near full extension. To help with this, it is important to keep you abs tensed and your arms locked throughout the movement.
Do 3 sets of 10 rollouts.
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bird-dog Exercise Fitness Pendulum swings