You core is the foundation of your body. The popular approach to strengthen your core is through abdominal crunches, sit ups and curl ups. But think about this: you rarely flex your rib cage to your pelvis in sport or in everyday activity; rather, you stiffen the walls of the abdominals and load the hips or shoulders. Thus, crunches, sit ups and curl ups are a poor choice of exercise for most situations. Keep in mind your spine discs only have so many numbers of bends before they damage. Keep these bends for essential tasks, rather than using them up in abdominal training.
The following exercises are far superior, they ensure significant spinal stability, spare the spine of many injury mechanisms and and are designed to to build muscular endurance.
5 Core exercises that don't flex your spine:
1. Front Planks - On your forearms and toes, establish a straight line from head to toe. Soften your knees, keep a neutral spine and breath down into your belly button. Hold 10-30 seconds.
To increase the difficulty, add in a stability ball and "stir the pot" with your elbows.
2. Side planks - On one arm, stack your feet and hips, extend both legs straight and align your body in a straight line from head to toe. Keep your chest open and shoulders away from your ears. You may stagger your feet for balance, as in the picture.
You can modify this by dropping down to one knee.
3. Table top - On all fours, knees under hips, wrists under shoulders, neutral spine. Alternate lifting your opposite arm and leg while maintaining square hips and a stable pelvis. Place a water bottle on your low back as you extend your opposite arm and leg, the water bottle should not fall off, if it is you are not keeping your hips level.
To increase the intensity and create more instability, add a stability ball.
4. Knee tucks - Start in the plank position from your hands, engage the core and pull your knees into your chest. You can use a variety of objects to make this exercise challenging.
Knee tucks on the stability ball:
Knee tucks on the sliders:
5. Back extensions - lie prone on the floor with your arms above your head. Engage your core, and lift your chest, shoulders and arms up off the floor. At the same time squeeze your glutes and lift your quads up off the floor, creating a U shape.
You can simplify this exercise by lifting just one arm and one leg at a time.
Bonus Tips: It is important to build endurance in the core, when performing these exercises think about doing more repetitions rather than holding for longer periods of time. You must keep impeccable form. Beginners start with 2 sets of 10-12 repetitions and 2 sets of holds at 10 sec each, continue to build up from there.
Until next time, keep fit and have fun....
Photography by Eric Poulin
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