Best Core Exercises

The best core exercises will strengthen the center of action and motion for your entire body. Many people think first of their arms, legs, back, hips, and shoulders when they begin a fitness program. But the truth is that all of these body parts depend on your core to produce force or movement as well as to stabilize your body for the particular exercise.

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Before you start trying to strengthen your core you need to lose excess belly fat. That means avoiding some little known facts about eating and exercising. Most people go about losing belly fat and getting flat abs entirely backwards. Eating the wrong food and doing hundreds of crunches WILL NOT help you reach your goals.

When we say core we are really talking about a very complex part of your body that includes more than 25 muscles. Your overall health is very much affected by the strength and conditioning of your core. Before we talk specifically about the best core exercises let’s look at some important functions of your core:

• Spine stabilization
• Facilitates balance
• Enhanced neuromuscular control
• Maintenance of postural alignment
• Enhanced postural equilibrium
• Protects and supports internal organs
• Supports major artery (abdominal aorta) and largest vein (inferior vena cava)

With the recent emphasis on functional exercises which enable you to perform everyday activities more efficiently and safely, the core has gained more attention in the fitness industry. There are now many exercises that will strengthen your core. For the more serious exercisers, a side benefit will be getting flat abs or even 6-pack abs.

The abdominal, back, and pelvic muscles that make up the core will all be strengthened as you work your core. This will allow you to perform tasks such as carrying groceries or small children with less risk of injury. You will also have more strength and energy to perform more athletic activities such as golf and tennis.

Since there is such a wide variety, you will need to choose the best core exercises for your current physical condition. For example, if you have a weak or sore shoulder you should avoid the plank exercises.

You will also want to start slowly. Do not perform the best core exercises every day. In fact you might want to begin with just doing your core workout once each week. You will always want to give muscles at least 48 hours to recover before training them again. One option is to perform core exercises on the days between your regular workouts. Always stop performing an exercise immediately if you experience pain.

There are four essentials to any good fitness program and these also apply to your core exercise program. These four will help you prevent injury and get the most from your exercise session: adequate hydration, regular breathing, warming-up, and cooling down. Don’t overlook these even though you are only working the small muscles of the core.

Here are some of the best core exercises you can perform without and equipment:

• Lie on the floor with your lower back firmly pressed into the floor.
• You can either bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor, or place your feet flat against a wall with your knees and hips bent at a 90 degree angle to the wall
• Cross your arms across your chest. (You may place your hands passively behind your ears but do not pull your head up with your arms.)
• Keeping your neck neutral, raise your shoulders until your shoulder blades just come off the floor.
• Concentrate on lifting your shoulders to the ceiling, not toward your feet.
• Hold this position for 1-3 seconds.

• Lie on the floor with your lower back firmly pressed into the floor.
• Raise your legs with your knees bent at 90degrees.
• Place your hands lightly behind your ears with your elbows out to the side.
• Extend your left leg as you simultaneously move your right leg and left elbow toward one another.
• Then extend your right leg and repeat this movement for the left leg.
• Keep alternating this bicycle movement being sure to keep your lower back pressed into the floor and rotating your torso from side to side.

• Lie on your stomach.
• Raise your body as if doing a pushup except rest your bodyweight on your elbows.
• Your body should be in a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles with your weight resting on your toes and elbow.
• Keep your midsection braced and tight.
• Hold this position for 10-20 seconds when beginning. Gradually try to build to 60 seconds.
• There are two variations: one is to rest on your palms with arms perpendicular to the floor. The other is to perform this exercise in the kneeling position. This gives you less weight to support.

• Lie on your side.
• Place your elbow on the floor directly beneath your shoulder. Your other arm should rest along side your body.
• Rest your weight on your elbow and knees.
• Raise your body so that your weight is now resting on your elbow and the outside of your foot closer to the floor.
• Keep your midsection braced and tight.
• Hold this position for 10-20 seconds when beginning.
• Repeat for other side.

• Kneel on all fours.
• Keep your spine neutral.
• Keep your midsection braced and tight.
• Raise your right arm and extend your hand straight ahead. At the same time, extend your left leg off the floor and point your foot straight back.
• The spine should be neutral throughout this exercise.
• Hold for 3-5 seconds and repeat with the other side.

The Best Core Exercises For People With Limited Time To Exercise

But you might be like me and have limited time to exercise. It is more efficient to work your core muscles at the same time you work muscles such as your chest, back, biceps, triceps, and legs.