A lot of people who come into the gym are often looking for one thing: a tighter core. Who doesn’t want washboard abs?
Surely if you do enough crunches, you’ll have a six-pack, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Here’s everything you need to know about working your core:
What is the core?
Your core is made up of a bunch of different muscles, including your abdominals, obliques, and your lower back. They’re vital for keeping the rest of your body stable.
Everyone has the potential to see their abs. As they say though, abs are built in the kitchen. You have to be below a certain body fat percentage to see them.
However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t train your core. In fact, you probably already are when you do certain things.
Crunches, Russian twists, dead bugs, and other exercises all work different parts of your core in different ways. There are a million different core workouts out there.
Here are a few different ways your core is trained that you probably didn’t expect.
Compound Movements
Believe it or not, your core is actually a major part of any exercise you do. Squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and everything in between rely on your core to stabilize your body. When you do these movements with correct form, you work your core.
When you perform these movements, it’s incredibly important to make sure you keep your core engaged. Try not to bend your back in either direction while you flex your core.
Weightlifting belts are designed to help you keep your core stable while you lift heavy. If you find yourself going for a PR, you may want to consider using one.
Cardio
Like compound movements, you need your core to move at your maximum potential. Running, rowing, swimming, and most other cardio movements work your core muscles.
Next time you’re out doing cardio, try to consciously feel your core working. Flex your abs and see if you can intentionally connect with the muscles.
Over time, you may start to notice your posture improves, you’re less sore after workouts, and your midsection feels tighter.
Planks
Planks are the ultimate core-specific exercise. Some exercises (like crunches and Russian twists – more on those later) only work specific muscles in your core. The plank works all of them.
There are a million different ways to modify the plank to target different core muscles. You can use them to work your obliques, shoulders, back and more.
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