Doing core strengthening exercises is an important part of any daily fitness routine. These exercises are not overly hard to do and they don’t even take up much time. They are important because they strengthen the core of your body, which improves posture, how you look and feel and can keep your back strong and healthy.
Core Strengthening Exercises
Core Strengthening Exercises are used to strengthen the core of your body. The core is the abdomen muscles, pelvis, hips, lower back, and sciatic nerve. By strengthening the core muscles, you will become more balanced and have more stability. Being balanced improves everything you do and prevents injuries. When you strengthen your core muscles, you can feel it when you stand, walk, sit and bend.
Pushups
Pushups are one of the best core strengthening exercises for fitness. Pushups work more muscles than any other exercise and you will notice an improvement in how you look and feel. Pushups work the following areas:
- Hands, forearms, biceps, and triceps
- Chest
- Shoulders, upper back, lower back and neck muscles
- Abdominal muscles
- Gluteus maximus (buttocks)
- Hamstring, calf and the feet muscles
- The heart or cardiovascular muscles
If you are having a hard time doing regular pushups, you can start by doing modified pushups.
The Glute Bridge
The glute bridge is another great core-strengthening exercise that will elevate your fitness level and are easy to do. The glute bridge exercise strengthens the following areas of your body:
- Buttocks
- Hamstring
- Abdomen
- Lower back
- The front and back of your thighs
Start by lying on your back with your feet flat on the floor and knees bent. Slowly lift your hips and buttocks off the ground for a count of two, lower and repeat.
Glute Bridge from Kayla Itsines
Abdominal crunches
In addition to strengthening the abdominal and oblique muscles, they also stabilize and strengthen the lower back. Start by lying on your back with feet flat on the floor and knees bent. Put your hands on the side of your head or across your chest.
Do not put your hands behind your head and use them to pull your head forward. Use your abdominal muscles and lift your head and neck off of the mat. You just want your shoulder blades off the floor for a count. Lower and repeat. This is not a race, do them slowly and purposefully.
Abdominal Crunch from Howcast
Reverse Crunches
Abdominal crunches strengthen the upper abdominal muscles while reverse crunches strengthen the lower abdominal muscles. Start by lying on your back with feet flat and knees bent. Lift your knees towards your chest and lower your feet back to the ground and repeat.
Reverse crunch from Livestrong
Single Leg Glute Bridge
This exercise is excellent to strengthen your buttocks, thighs, and will lengthen your hip flexors. Lay on your back, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Lift your left leg off the floor so only your right foot is on the ground. Lift up using your right leg, back down, and repeat.
Single Leg Glute Bridge from Orillia Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation
The Bird Dog
The bird dog will build the paraspinal muscles that run down your back.These muscles are also important for preventing back problems in the future. Explaining the bird dog is not easy, the following video will show you how to do this core building exercise.
The Bird Dog from Tone and Tighten
Conclusion
I have found that strengthening your upper leg muscles also helps stabilize your core muscles. Also do squats and lunges as these will build muscles in your thighs and buttocks.
Doing just a couple of reps of each exercise is better than doing none. When doing core strengthening exercises, it is important to do them properly so that you don’t hurt yourself. And especially important so you do not aggravate injuries like sciatica. It is better to do a few core strengthening reps properly than to do many reps the wrong way.
When many people first start out, they might experience pain in the joints. Along with starting out an exercise program, you can start a healthy eating plan. When I first started, I couldn't get off of the floor without pain in my knees. I started eating a healthy whole food plant-based diet, and within a month, I no longer had pain in my knees. And I could get on and off the floor easily.
About the Author
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Copyright © 2014-2019 Sam Montana
