5 Core Strengthening Exercises

A strong core is vital for improving your bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints, and other connective tissue. If you suffer from weak core muscles, you put yourself at risk for several serious illnesses like chronic lower back pain. So work those abs and reap the benefits.

What you need to know:

• Core strengthening exercises
• Importance of core strengthening exercises
• Top 5 exercises to strengthen core

Core strengthening exercises

It doesn’t matter if you are carrying a heavy bag or just putting on your shoes. We use the core muscles in our body to do a lot of daily work. Our core strength also affects our balance, stability and overall body posture. Your core muscles include your abdominal muscles and the muscles surrounding the back and pelvis area.       

Our core muscles typically include the following: 

• Obliques: Our internal and external obliques can aid in rotating and bending your trunk.
• Erector spinae: This back muscle helps in extending your trunk. It enables you to stand up straight after a bending movement.  It also allows you to bend sideways and rotate your head.  
• Transverse abdominis: Transverse abdominis is situated around your front side and the side of your trunk and is responsible for stabilizing your pelvis.  
• Multifidus: This muscle is situated in your back and helps support your spinal system.

However, there are still other muscles in your core system, including the diaphragm, glutes, pelvic and surrounding muscles like hamstrings and hip adductors. Consider strengthening these muscles to enhance your stability and overall fitness. 

Importance of core strengthening exercises

Physical exercise that involves your stomach and back muscles can be called core-strengthening exercises. Your core is the central part of your system. It affects your pelvis, lower back, stomach and hips. Core strengthening exercises can help you make body abs and train your core muscles to work together. This improves your body’s mobility and balance significantly. Stable core muscles can make you efficient when playing a sport or performing regular chores. Most sports and physical exercises depend on stable and strong core muscles.   

Top 5 exercises to strengthen core

Here are the top 5 core strengthening exercises you can incorporate into your daily life: 

Stomach crunches

This exercise is the most effective way to make your thighs and abdominal core more muscular. 

One of the classic core strengthening exercises, stomach crunches, can help you enhance and tone your body abs.

Steps to do this exercise:

• Lie down on an exercise mat 
• Lift your legs in the air and fold them at a 90-degree angle
• Bring your upper body off the mat to meet your knees
• Go back to the initial position and repeat this exercise 10-20 times

If this is too intensive or you are just starting, do variations of this exercise by leaving your legs flat on the mat and lifting your upper body to where your knees would be. Consider talking with your doctor if you have lower back pain. Start slowly with a few reps. 

Bridge exercises

The bridge exercise is one of the most effective core strengthening exercises for enhancing your glutes and hamstrings. This will also help you to improve your core stability. 

Steps to do this exercise:

• Start by lying flat on your exercise mat
• Utilize the strength of your pelvic muscles to lift your back as far off the floor as possible
• Your arms should be positioned by your side and firmly on the floor while raising your midsection 
• Hold this position for 20-30 seconds
• Lower your hips and return to the original position

Bridge exercises are one of the best exercises to build core strength and stretch your posterior chains, hip adductors and hamstrings. Bridge exercises can also help you manage chronic back pain. 

Side plank exercises

The side plank exercise is one of the best exercises to strengthen core strength and oblique abdominal muscles, as these muscles are not worked at all during ab exercises like plank or stomach crunches.

Steps to do this exercise:

• Get on your side and support your body with one arm
• Hold this position for 10-15 seconds while inhaling and exhaling
• Come back to the starting position slowly
• Repeat the same process with your alternate hand

Practising side plank exercises will enhance the health of your abdominal muscles and contribute to muscle gain in your upper body.

Leg raise exercises

Leg raise exercises can help you enhance your outer thighs, muscles and hips. This will allow you to develop a better range of motion in your hips, resulting in better stability. 

Steps to do this exercise:

• Lie on your exercise mat 
• Keep your upper body flat on the floor
• Slowly lift your legs as far as possible and keep them close together
• You will feel the muscles in your core stretch and contract
• Be mindful of your breathing patterns. Make sure you breathe slowly
• Continue this as much as you are comfortable, then return to the original position

Leg raise exercises can be an excellent option for physical exercise to work inactive muscles due to sitting for long periods.  

Standing side stretch

Standing side stretch is one of the most effective and basic stretch exercises, which can help stretch your spine and the oblique.

Steps to do this exercise:

• Start by standing with your feet apart
• Bend at the waist to your right side while raising your left arm over your head
• Just bend as much to the side as your body naturally and comfortably allows
• Return to the initial position after performing some reps

This exercise is a must for you if you are a beginner. It will improve your body’s posture and support muscles around your spine. 

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You may also be interested in the following blogs: 

• 4 Exhilarating Exercises For Muscular Endurance You Just Can’t Miss
• Walk Tall: Unleash the Power Of These 4 Ankle Strengthening Exercises

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