NO RESOLUTIONS, ONLY SOLUTIONS!

With many of us trying to shed a few pounds and tone up for the New Year it is no doubt that we all want a leaner midsection. We are dieting hardcore and working extra hard on cardio to burn the fat off our bellies but how do we shape up the muscle underneath? (And I promise it is under there somewhere.) This is where strength training takes over, but building a strong core has many other benefits aside from getting those six-pack abs in the motivational magazine cutout you’ve had hanging up on your bathroom mirror for months now. 

The core is responsible for keeping the body upright, therefore can be a key factor in all postural issues. Low back pain can also be caused by a weak core. A strong core provides weight bearing support to the lower back (which was not designed to be load bearing) allowing your spinal vertebras, joints, and muscles to do what they were designed to do; move around freely. Training your core properly can also improve balance, breathing, strength in other exercises, and overall enjoyment in any movement based activity. Often times we get caught up in just “workin’ abs” and neglect to hit the core from all angles leaving it under developed and imbalanced. This can also really slow your gains or keep you from ever having that defined look we all want. When choosing exercises to hit the entire core we want to look at more than just crunches as they predominately hit only the upper abs. Follow this routine to increase functionality and jump start that six-pack!

            Stability Ball Crunch- 2 x 15-25

            Side Plank Raises- 2 x 10-15

            Leg Raises- 2 x 10-15

            Plank- 2 x 30-90 seconds

            Single Leg Glute Bridges- 2 x 10-20

            Supermans- 2 x 12-15

This routine will have you hitting all sides of your core effectively. Keep in mind that these are just a few of the hundreds of core exercises or variations available so feel free to substitute for easier or harder versions. Just make sure to continue to blast it from all angles. I will post some links to other examples this week if you are having trouble finding substitutions for any of the more difficult movements. Start by performing this routine at least two times per week at the 2 sets and number of reps/seconds indicated then increase as needed. Remember that no matter how hard we train them it still won’t take the fat off! Diet and cardio are still #1 priority when talking abs we just want them to look good once we shed that off! Dig deep into those inner abs, improve your posture, erase that low back pain, get in the plank position and BRING IT!!!