Ray Bass is the associate movement and wellness editor at mindbodygreen and a NASM-Certified Personal Trainer.
She holds a degree in creative writing from the University of Pennsylvania, with honors in nonfiction.
There’s no getting around it: Training your core can be a pain in the ass.
Simply put, it controls everything we do.
You’ll spend less time doing this circuit than you would standing in line for the bathroom.
(The women’s bathroom.
Not the men’s.
Don’t even get me started.)
But firstfor those who need more of a reason to work on their corea brief overview.
Why having a strong core is important.
These muscles are called our “core” because they’re at the center of every movement we make.
The quality of our core determines ourstability,posture, and our ability to safely move our bodies.
“Our core stabilizes our axial skeletal, or our spine and pelvis,” saysSarah Kostyukovsky, DPT.
Now that we’ve covered the logic, here’s the (expert-approved!)
workout:
This workout has five movements total, each done for 60 seconds with minimal rest in between.
You want to maintain a straight line from head to heel.
Focus on your breath, and hold for 60 seconds.
Your body should be facing the side, and yourchest should be open.
Then stack your feet on top of each other and hold.
If you feel unstable with stacked feet, you’re able to modify by staggering your feet.
Hold for 30 seconds on each side.
Static Boat Pose
Next, lie down on your back to begin static boat pose.
This is an isometric hold, meaning there’s no repeated movement involved.
Ensure that yourlower backis flat against the ground and you aren’t tensing your neck or shoulders.
To modify, bring your legs to tabletop position.
Hold for 60 seconds or two sets of 30 seconds with a pause in between.
Crunches
Fromstatic boat pose, bring your legs to tabletop and put your hands behind your head.
Intention is more important than speed, and you don’t want to strain your neck.
So, is it safe to train your core every day?
Like any other muscle, building a strong core takes time.
“It isn’t a good idea to train any body part repeatedly without recovery,” Schehr says.
“Doing so can increase your risk of injury.
Pelvic floor, diaphragmatic breathing, and deep abdominal muscle exercises can be done daily.”
Taking a day or two off won’t set you back, and pain is no one’s friend.
