Your core refers to a group of muscles found in your stomach, lower back, hips and backside. Your abs and glutes are some of the most well known muscles in your core, but there are many others too within this area. On top of helping you to obtain a slimmer waist and perkier butt, exercising your core is key to improving your sense of balance and overall strength.
Just what are some great ways to exercise your core? Below are just a few key forms of core exercise.
Floor exercises
Many floor exercises focus on the core. These include crunches, v-sits, Russian twists and the plank. Such exercises can be practised pretty much anywhere without any equipment, making them suitable for anyone. Yoga and pilates incorporate many of these exercises.
Balance training
Balance training is another great way to exercise your core muscles. This includes various exercises performed on one leg including standing leg raises, leg curls and kicks. Barre and pilates workouts incorporate many of these exercises and could be worth trying if you want to improve your core and sense of balance.
Dancing
From ballet to street dancing, many forms of dance heavily engage the core muscles. If you love music and dancing, this could be a great way to work out your core. Dancing has many other health benefits from exercising your heart to improving your memory (in the case of choreographed dances). You can join a dance class at a studio or try virtual classes from home.
Martial arts
Many martial arts are also a great core workout. This is particularly the case with kick-focused martial arts like Taekwondo, kickboxing, karate and Muay Thai. Such martial arts could be great if you’ve always wanted to learn some self-defence and are also looking for a workout.
Swimming
Swimming primarily targets the core and arm muscles. In fact, it’s your core muscles that keep you floating in the water. Consider going to your local pool a couple days per week and practising some lengths - it could be the perfect core exercise. Swimming has many health benefits and is one of the best exercises for a longer life.
Hiking
Hiking is primarily a leg workout - but it can also be a great core workout (especially when climbing uphill or tackling rugged terrain that requires balance). There are so many other health benefits to hiking from exercising your heart to helping you get fresh air and vitamin D. You could practise hiking by going on local walks or by challenging yourself to hill walks and mountain climbs. Exercises like step-ups can meanwhile provide many of the same benefits from home or the gym.
When to avoid core exercises…
Core exercises should be avoided if you are pregnant or if you have just given birth (they may aggravate birth injuries). People who have had operations (particularly stomach operations) should also avoid core exercises to prevent scars from opening up. Otherwise, most people should regularly engage in core exercises. With so many different types of core exercise to choose from, you should be able to find one that you enjoy.