To strengthen your core, you need to stop doing crunches. Crunches are bad for your back. So if you want to have a solid core, you need to focus on core stability. You must also be able to trigger the core muscles ideally during and throughout your day-to-day exercise.
Core strengthening and stability exercises are not typically the moves to keep you shaking or dripping sweat. However, they are critical to keeping you operating at your very best.
To achieve core strength and stability, you need to combine lateral, posterior, anterior, and rotational core stability exercises. The anterior exercise is useful in working the deep core muscles, such as the transversus abdominal. This helps keep your pelvis and lumbar spine (lower back) stable. You can engage in “a plank.” The moves are essential because they train you on how to stop excessive arching of the lumbar spine.
Posterior core stability is quite the opposite of anterior exercises, and this teaches you the methods of avoiding excessive rounding of your lumbar spine. Bird Dog and Deadlifts are excellent ways of strengthening the posterior core.
Just like a side plank, lateral exercise prevents tipping over and lateral flexion. Rotary exercise is the last exercise to add to your workout, and this exercise includes chops. This exercise will aid you in resisting too much rotation of the lumbar spine.
Doing the four core exercises will help you move efficiently, improve your core strength, and make you work your core. Continue reading to find a comprehensive list of recommended core exercises. This will improve your workouts for a strong core. You may not make all the moves at once; you can try one exercise at a time.
- Bear Hold
One of the best moves for core strength and stability is the bear hold. It seems easy but quite challenging, and you’ll have to hold the body up and maintain proper form. The exercise works your transversus abdominis muscles (the deep core muscles which stabilize the pelvis and spine) and the internal obliques (the obliques aid the side rotation and flexion). This exercise is good for lower-ab strength, and it will also help stabilize the lumbar spine (lower back), hips, and pelvis.
- Plank With Knee Tap
This anterior core stability exercise will help you prevent extreme arching of the lumbar spine. The inclusion of the knee drop to the plank exercise will help stabilize the core more. Begin by resting on your fours. With the palms flat, raise your knees to the toes and keep the hands below the shoulders.
Contract the and to keep your body up and prevent the bottom from pushing up. Do not forget to pull your belly button in.
- Stir the Pot
This anterior core stability exercise will help you prevent extreme arching of your lumbar spine. Start the elbow plank with the firearms resting on a ball top. Keep the core strong and the body still. Roll the ball with your hands in a clockwise circle.
- Pallof Press
Pallof Press is a lateral core stability exercise that helps you prevent lateral flexion. This stops you from falling over.
- Kneeling Ball Roll Out
This is quite an advanced anterior core stability exercise, and it helps prevent extreme arching of your lumbar spine.
Place the ball before you while kneeling, lean into the ball and place the firearms on the ball. You will feel the abs working perfectly here, so ensure you pull in the navel towards the spine.
- Elbow Plank
This anterior core stability exercise will help in preventing extreme arching of the lumbar spine.
Begin by facing the floor, resting on your knees and forearms.
