4 Essential Core Exercises For Beginners
Why is training the core important ? What kind of exercises should I include in my routine ?
The "Core"
This word may be the most overused and misunderstood term in all of the fitness industry. For many trainers and individuals, the core is just represented by the abdominal muscles (abs), although it is incorrect, we see that this idea is widely accepted and shared between individuals in the gym.
What is core exactly?
We consider the core to be comprised of the muscles that act on the pelvis, the lumbar spine and the rib cage. These muscles are not limited to, but include the following:
- Diaphragm
- Rectus Abdominus
- Erector Spinae
- External and Internal Obliques
- Transverse Abdominus
- Pelvic Floor
- Quadratus Lumborum (QL)
- Glutes, Hamstrings and Hip Rotators
- Latissimus Dorsi (Lats)
Why Is Training The Core Important ?
One truth that has never changed, is that the core of the body is the anchor to almost all success. This success could be developing stable and power movements for athletes, posture correction for employees, full recovery following back surgery etc….
Without going into too much details the following will give a brief idea on the importance of the core
- Stability of Movement
- Transfer of Power
- Efficiency of Action
- Body Alignment
Categorizing Core Training
As mentioned earlier in the post, there is a misunderstanding for the word “core” when it comes to training. Notice that many trainers overload their clients with sit-ups, crunches, leg raises etc…. failing to realize that this could a negative effect on the long run. This core pattern is called “Hip Flexion” which represents any movement that brings your knee close to your chest. I want to point out that in the modern lifestyle we tend to spend long hours in a sitting position (hips are flexed) whether at work or while driving resulting in tight hip flexors in majority of the cases. I believe that overloading clients with more hip flexion exercises without balancing out that volume, is just adding to the problem.
There are 4 categories when it comes to core training:
- Antiextension: Resisting excessive extension of the lumbar spine.
- Antirotation: Resisting rotation of the lumbar spine. It also involves some antiextension characteristics by nature.
- Antilateral Flexion: Resisting lateral flexion of the lumbar spine.
- Hip Flexion: Flexion of the hip joint with a stable lumbar spine.
My Top 4 Core Exercises For Beginners
For the reasons mentioned above, I haven’t included any hip flexion exercises in this list. Additionally, these exercises have much higher benefits to building core strength than doing sit-ups, crunches and other abs exercises.
1. Elbow Plank (Antiextension)
- Lie face down on the floor in a prone position with feet together.
- Place upper-body weight on the forearms and flex the feet with toes towards the shins.
- Lock the knees, tighten the glutes and brace the core.
- Lift the body so the only contact points are the balls of the feet, toes, elbows and forearms on the floor.
- Maintain a completely straight line in the body with the ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles in alignment.
- Hold the position for the determined time.
Exercise Parameters:
- Time: 30-45 seconds
- Sets and Rest: 3 sets with 1 min rest between the sets
2. Deadbug (Antiextension)
- Lie on the back and bring the legs up into a triple flexion position (Hip-Knee-Ankle) flexed at 90 degree.
- Position the arms at chest level with the wrist straight and arms fully extended.
- Brace your core by bringing the ribs down and slightly press the lower back into the floor.
- Maintain the tension, extend one leg that it hovers slightly off the ground.
- Simultaneously extend the opposite (contralateral) arm that it hovers slightly off the floor.
- Fully exhale at this extended position while maintaining a braced core.
- Return to starting position and repeat on the other side.
Exercise Parameters:
- Reps: 8 repetitions on each side
- Tempo: Controlled movement throughout the exercise
- Sets and Rest: 3 sets with 45-60 sec rest
3. Plank Bird-Dog (Antirotation)
- Position the hands on the floor directly under the shoulders with the arms straight and perpendicular to the floor.
- Position the knees about shoulder width apart and directly under the hip touching the floor.
- Brace the core, maintain a straight spine, engage the glutes and extend one leg bringing that hip into extension while maintaining a braced core.
- Simultaneously, lift the opposite (contralateral) hand off the floor and extend that arm (shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers) overhead.
- In the full extension position both the extended leg and the raised arm should be in alignment and parallel to the floor.
- Return to starting position. Either repeat on the same side or alternate sides
Exercise Parameters:
- Reps: 8 repetitions on each side
- Tempo: Controlled movement throughout the exercise
- Sets and Rest: 3 sets with 45-60 sec rest between the sets
4. Side Plank (Antilateral Flexion)
- Lie on one side with the legs straight and one leg and foot on top of the other.
- Place the bottom elbow and forearm on a soft surface if needed (mat, towel etc.) The upper arm is perpendicular to the floor and the bottom arm is perpendicular to the body.
- The bulk of the upper-body weight is supported by the bottom arm.
- Lock the knees, flex the feet and ankles, tighten the glutes and brace the core.
- While maintaining a lateral alignment, lift the body into a straight line, neutral position (ear, shoulder, hip, knee and ankle in a straight line).
- maintain a completely straight-line position for the determined time and then repeat on the other side.
Exercise Parameters:
- Time: 20-30 seconds each side
- Sets and Rest: 3 sets with 1 min rest between sets
