Core muscles are some of the most important muscles in our bodies, but sometimes they can be overlooked in a regular exercise routine. They can be thought of as the muscles the upper and lower muscles in your body and allow everything to move together in harmony.
Strong core muscles promote balance, good posture, and flexibility and they can also increase the efficiency of working out your other muscles. Overall, strong core muscles can improve strength and performance throughout your entire body from head to toe.
In contrast, having weak core muscles can lead to a lot of problems in your body. Lower back pain is a common problem that can be caused by weak core muscles. This is because weak abdominal muscles promote a forward leaning posture which causes problems when moving or flexing your spine in activities such as bending or twisting.
To prevent these types of problems and strengthen your core muscles, there are many core exercises that can be done to target these three muscle areas. Most of them don’t require any equipment or expensive gym membership because they are body weight exercises, meaning that the resistance comes from your own body weight. A list of ten of the most popular core muscle exercises are below.
1. Dragon Flag Advanced Core Exercise
The Dragon Flag is a martial arts inspired core move that was made popular by martial arts master Bruce Lee. Because of the difficulty level, it should only be attempted by experienced exercisers that already have a good amount of strength. If you are looking for a body weight exercise that can target every single one of the muscles in your torso at one time, the Dragon Flag is right for you. It works out all the core stabilizers, helps to build incredible strength, and creates amazing, well-defined six-pack abs.
The dragon flag is done by lying on a bench and grabbing the back of the bench. Tense your body from your arms, through your core, and all the way down through your legs. Begin lifting your legs and continue lifting until the only part of your body that is touching the bench is your upper back between your shoulder blades. Hold, lower your body slowly, and repeat.
Building core muscles (especially building them all at once) creates more rigidity in the core. This gives added strength for other exercises such as squats or bench presses. The extra rigidity is also great to boost the performance of athletes, power lifters, and more.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]2. Plank
Plank is a fairly simple but intense and effective isometric move that works your abdominal and back muscles. No equipment is needed for this exercise although a mat can be used for comfort. Using only bodyweight, planks can be a simple way to get a great core workout.
Since planking engages more abdominal muscles than sit ups and crunches, it is more effective at building them. Having stronger abdominal muscles and more lean muscle mass increases metabolism and burns more fat. Other benefits besides building strong abdominal muscles that planking can improve are posture, balance, bone health, and flexibility.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]3. Side Plank
A side plank is basically what it sounds like–a plank that you do while turned to the side. While it still engages and builds the core muscles, it is much more intense than the traditional plank. If you do it correctly, being sure not to let your hips sag towards the floor, you will have very strong obliques.
The side plank also builds the triceps and deltoid muscles (arms and shoulders) because you have to balance your entire body with one arm. Your legs get a great work out also because they are supporting your body through poses that seem to defy gravity.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]4. Push Ups
Push ups are a simple, classic, and very effective workout that has been around since working out was a thing. Its very popular and one of the most widely performed basic exercises among people who want to build lean muscle and lose weight. Doing a push up can be thought of as mobilizing a traditional plank. By adding the movement, you engage the same muscles as in a plank, but you also get a great workout for your pectoral (chest) and serratus anterior (below your armpits) muscles. Another benefit of pushups is that they can burn more calories than a lot of other strength training exercises since it targets so many muscle groups at once.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]5. V-Sits
A v-sit is an isometric move that works many core muscles at once. This exercise targets your rectus abdominus, hip flexors, and inner and outer obliques. V-sits are done by sitting on the floor and lifting your legs and arms up until your body makes a v-shape. The only part of your body that shoyld touch the floor is your rear end. V-sits can be modified to vary the intensity. For example, as you get stronger you can hold yourself up off the ground by your hands and lift your legs into a v-shape. V-sits can help to enhance abdominal flexion and correct postural issues.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]6. Squats
Squats are a great move for a total lower body workout. When doing squats, you effectively target all the major muscle groups of the butt, thighs, and hips. You also have the added benefit of working out your core muscles at the same time. Squats can be modified by adding weights so that you achieve a good upper body workout as well. Squats are a very effective exercise at building muscle all over your body because squats naturally encourage your body to release testosterone and growth hormone. Squats also help with flexibility, a more toned and lifted butt, and achieving a better jump height.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]7. Bridge
The bridge is also known as a hip raise or a hip lift. It is a great isometric exercise that mainly targets the erector spinae and the posterior chain (back, hips, butt, and thighs). You also get a great core workout if it is done correctly. It is a very simplistic exercise that doesn’t require anything except a mat for comfort. The bridge exercise is great for people with back problems. It can help with back problems by improving stabilization and strength which can reduce back pain. The bridge exercise also helps improve posture and improve athletic performance.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]8. Hip Thrust
The hip thrust is a fairly intense exercise that can help you to improve your performance in other exercises. Not only does it work out your core muscles, but it also strengthens glutes, increases power, and increases speed. It is great for improving hip extension which is invaluable for athletes. In short, this is an exercise that can make you an all-around more explosive person.
Another added benefit of the hip thrust that is attractive, especially to women, is that it makes the glutes firmer and gives it a better shape and size. The hip thrust can also improve posture and strengthen the lower back.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]9. Oblique Twist
The oblique muscles and abdominal muscles are the main support muscles of your body, so keeping them strong is key to preventing problems such as back pain and weak arm muscles. Oblique twists are a great exercise to improve flexion, extension, and bending in these areas. This exercise targets the inner and outer obliques, rectus abdominus, and transverse abdominus. It can also work out stabilizer muscles such as glutes, adductors, abductors, and more. Adding weights while doing oblique twists can intensify the workout and workout other muscles as well. Doing oblique twists can also improve your balance and posture, and give you a toned, framed abdominal which can boost self-confidence.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]10. Plank on a Balance Ball
The benefits of planking is described above, but like side planking, planking on a balance ball makes the workout more intense and allows you to strengthen muscles in other areas besides the abdominal muscles. When you plank on a balance ball, you are also practicing the improvement of balance and coordination since you must keep yourself balanced on the ball using just your forearms or your hands. You can also plank with your feet on the balance ball. When you plank on a balance ball, you are also working out your triceps, biceps, and pectoral muscles, as well as your glutes.
