Best Core Exercises
Exercises targeting the core muscles are important for athletes of all sports, from football to hockey to baseball, to improve their strength, balance and core stability. Strengthened and well-built core muscles are not just critical for strenuous sport activities, but also give a heroic physical appearance. According to recent statistics, more than 65% people aim to get six-packs due to cosmetic reasons.
To carve out abs, a majority of them need to work their belly to exhaustion.
Regardless of reason and where you fit on the fitness spectrum, you have to work on three planes of motion – frontal, transverse and sagittal to achieve your fitness goals. Doing core exercises in a circuit help to keep the intensity high, prevent trapping into a plateau, boost metabolism and will likely to shed more belly fat. Following are some of the best core exercises you will ever need to get a sculpted shape.
1. Ab Wheel Rollout
- Hold on an ab wheel rollout beneath your shoulders by kneeling on the floor.
- Tighten your abs and apply force to roll the wheel forward until you feel your hips are about to sag or you are about to lose tension in your core muscles.
- Roll the ab wheel back to the starting position.
- Aim to do 10-12 reps initially and increase the intensity when you think you might need to pump yourself a little more.
2. Arms-High Partial Situp
- Lie in the supine position (on your back).
- Raise your arms straight overhead and bend your knees at 90 degrees.
- Keep the arms pointing up throughout the workout.
- Sit up partially until you feel pressure on your abs and then gradually return to the floor.
- Aim to do 10-15 reps.
3. Barbell Rollout
- Add 10-pound plates to the barbell and kneel on the floor behind it.
- Bend your elbows so that your shoulders should be over the bar.
- Tighten your abs and roll the bar forward (similar to the ab wheel) until the sagging of your hips.
- Roll yourself back to the starting position and complete 10-15 reps.
4. Barbell Russian Twist
- Stand with feet at shoulder width apart and grasp the barbell near the very end – using both hands.
- Using the ball of your foot as a pivoting point, swing the bar to your extreme and then to your extreme right.
- Complete 10-15 reps.
5. Dip/Leg Raise Combo
Want to build a magazine-worthy six-pack? This exercise is known to give your abs the desired look.
- Suspend yourself over the parallel bars.
- Now bend your knees slightly and tighten the abs by raising your legs forward until they are parallel to the ground.
- Release and bring your legs to starting position.
- Complete 10-15 reps.
6. Front Squat
- Stand tall and grasp the bar with hands and feet at shoulder width apart.
- Bend your elbows until your arms are at 90 degrees to the floor.
- Now squat as low as you can while keeping your back straight.
- Return to the starting position and complete 2-3 sets.
