Build Strength And Shape With This Great Core Workout
There is no way around it: it can be a pain in the butt to train the
heart. Some people love it and base their workout on it, but it does not
have to be more often than not, which is very unfortunate. Maybe the most
important aspect of our bodies when it comes to movement is our heart,
which consists of our diaphragm, deep abdominal muscles, and pelvic floor.
Simply put, everything we do is regulated by it.
So if you're someone who tackles core work reluctantly to the end of your
workout, or you just do it when you "feel like it," this short circuit
might be your soul mate. You're going to spend less time doing this
circuit than you're going to have to wait in line for the toilet. (The
Bathroom of the Women. Not men's ones. Don't get me started either.)
Why having a strong core is important?
Since they are at the centre of every movement we make, these muscles are
called our "heart". Our core quality defines our composure, posture, and
our ability to move our bodies safely.
The 5-Minute Core-Strengthening Workout
1 minute upright plank
1 minute side plank (30 seconds each side)
1 minute static boat pose
1 minute crunches (or crunch hold)
1 minute dead bug
There are five total movements in this exercise, each performed for 60
seconds with little rest in between. That's totally cool if you need to
pause in between exercises; the workout will be only a few minutes longer.
You can split each exercise into two sets of 30 seconds if you can not
complete the full 60 seconds, or shorten the total exercise time to 45
seconds (and work your way up to a full minute!).
Upright Plank
Make sure your spine is neutral, your hips are not picked up (no butts in
the air), and your shoulders are stacked over your wrists. Assume a
push-up stance. You want a straight line to be maintained from head to
heel. Center and hold your breath for 60 seconds.
Side Plank
Rotate your body from your upright plank and re-center your weight while
raising one arm towards the sky. The side should be facing your body, and
the chest should be open. Make a deliberate effort to raise your hips up
(in this position, it is easy to let them sag) and create a straight line
from head to heel. Then pile your feet on top of each other and hold them
together. If stacked feet make you feel shaky, you can adapt by staggering
your feet. Keep it on either side for 30 seconds.
Static Boat Pose
First, lie down on your back to start posing as a static boat. This is an
isometric hold, which implies that no repetitive motion is involved. Lift
your legs to an angle of 45 degrees, put your arms on your side, then curl
up like you'd do in a crunch, and hang on. Ensure that your lower back is
flat against the ground and that your neck or shoulders are not stiff.
Bring your legs to the tabletop place to edit. With a break in between,
hold for 60 seconds or two sets of 30 seconds.
Crunches
Bring your legs to your tabletop from your static boat pose, and place
your hands behind your back. Curl your body up into a crunch and then drop
yourself back down, keeping your lower back pressed against the ground.
Without losing your form, do this as many times as you can in a minute,
aka err on the side of slow. Intention is more critical than speed, and
you don't want your neck to be strained.
Dead Bug
Terminate the exercise with a dead bug pose (yeah, strange name, we
know). Start by lying flat on your back and putting your legs in front of
you on the tabletop with your arms straight out. Get your neck relaxed.
Simultaneously lower the right arm and left leg (opposite arm and opposite
leg) so that they are a couple of inches off the ground. You have the
option of returning your arm and leg to the starting position from here,
switching which arm and leg you lower, and alternating continuously for a
minute, or you can keep and move statically on one side for 30
seconds.
This appears to be one of the main exercises that are more complicated,
although there are many ways to improve it. The first is to keep your arms
still in front of you and to lower each leg from the tabletop alternately.
Alternatively, you can put your legs on a tabletop, crunch up, keep your
arms straight, close to what you'd do in a boat pose, and lower one leg at
a time.
