Pole gal started this discussion ·
whats the best excercises for strengthening your core? i dont have veena's lessons yet so any help/advice would be really appreciated. xx
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Planks.
kasanya ·
Here's a whole bunch of core exercises you can work on with no equipment: http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/8295750/abdominal-strengthening-exercises-core-exercises.htm I also highly recommend KTCoates's "Sahrmann Exercise" videos on YouTube.
Pole gal ·
thanx huni 🙂 xxx
I pole and also Crossfit and I will say the ones that have helped me the most are butterfly sit-ups, v-up, jack knife situps, and knees to elbows if you have a bar....
Px90 has an app for $5. You can get the ab ripper workout free right now. You can also find google video of it which I think is better than the app. The app does make a sound during the workout and you have to know how to do the moves.
Planks are awesome.... but only with proper form..... you show work on holding it for 30s to 1min I like planks best because it is a full core workout I don't personally like sit-ups.. they only work the abs not the whole core... they aren't very good for your back and once you raise your body past 45 degrees you aren't working anymore If planks are pretty easy... put your feet on a physio ball or your hands on bosu.. or both On the physio ball you can also roll your feet in on do leg lifts........... you can raise opposite arm and leg There's so many core exercises.... you can do so much with a plank so that's my fav!! A couple others would be..... Supermans Prone hip extensions Side plank... add leg lift V-ups
SkylerWither- could you explain some of those exercies for me? Or even better, put up a video? I also have issues with core strength, and I would love to have more variations of core exercies to keep things interesting! This thread is awesome ;)
http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/get-tight-toned-belly-10-minutes Has some video of ab exercises from pilates.
There is a whole section of abs if you go down the page. http://www.shape.com/videos/fitness
Kyrsten ·
A few of my favorites... -Pole crunches (tucking the knees into the chest while holding onto the pole). You can intensify those in a few ways -- not touching the feet to the floor between sets, or lifting with the legs straight out or in a straddle V, or both! You also get some upper body with those -- make sure the arms are engaged. You can do them on a pull-up bar at home or the gym as well. -Floor shoulder mount/plow exercise... you can imitate this without a pole too. Lay with the pole to one side of your head, grab on, and lift the legs straight up over the head to one side of the pole, then back center, then to the other side. Also do it in a straddle with one leg on each side of the pole, making sure to control the descent. -Side crunches on the pole, good for obliques. Step to the side of your pole, hook the inside leg up high, reach the arms out to the sides/on the hips or overhead (more advanced) and tilt your torso toward the floor, keeping your hips facing forward, then come back up. I also like to do these just as a hold -- keep the arms overhead, lean out to the side as far as you can, and hold til failure. Like a side plank on the pole :P Students always hate this one lol -Head/forearm/handstands!! Great for both core and balance. If you can't control your entry into these yet, work on balancing in them and controlling the descent. Play with leg positioning and try to straddle the legs down. They are fun and a great strengthener.
amy ·
A lot of times people forget its not necessarily the exercise but the way it's done that makes it effective. A general rule when you do core work is that you should try to pull your belly button into your stomach as though someone's tied a string in it and it pulling it out your back... And then also pull your abs up and under your ribs. Hold that incredibly engaged position even in a regular v-sit or a sit-up and it will instantly become harder. I learned this through taking Pilates-- they will have you do 6 perfect reps of an exercise and quickly exhaust you! It's not quantity it's quality.
amy ·
A lot of times people forget its not necessarily the exercise but the way it's done that makes it effective. A general rule when you do core work is that you should try to pull your belly button into your stomach as though someone's tied a string in it and it pulling it out your back... And then also pull your abs up and under your ribs. Hold that incredibly engaged position even in a regular v-sit or a sit-up and it will instantly become harder. I learned this through taking Pilates-- they will have you do 6 perfect reps of an exercise and quickly exhaust you! It's not quantity it's quality.
Lol, my students for tonight's classes are going to hate that I read this thread today! Muahaha.... ;)
Amy's absolutely right about holding your bellybutton in towards your spine- that's how you engage the deepest core muscles. Planks and various kinds of sit-ups are great, but if you're looking for something a bit more difficult I recommend the conditioning excercises in this book: https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/store/ ; The guy walks you through how to get each exercise in stages, so you don't have to be super ripped to start it.
zoeyxxxx ·
Amy could you explain more on the sucking the belly button in. I may sound stupid but realy dnt understand how to except like suckinng all the stomach in is this right :/ xxx
Veena ·
Zoey, take a look at this video, it should help you understand how to engaged and hold the abs while working out. Its an OLD vid I did after having baby #4. https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/d650d310-c3b4-11df-bc90-001b21721e0c
Veena ·
*engage*
zoeyxxxx ·
Thankyou. I will check it out. Whenn people say engage muscles I really dnt understand what engage means. I could possibly be doing it but because I dnt really no what it means I dnt no if I engage my muscles lol,feel really stupid some times. But I supose if u dnt ask you will never no xxx
Try thinking of it as pulling your belly button to your spine, its not really a "sucking in" so much as a tensing motion. Just think about your belly button, you can even put your hand there if you need to feel it, and then pretend like you need to pull your belly button towards your spine, you should feel your whole ab section "engage" or tighten up. Its pretty much the same for any muscle you need to "engage", its just focusing on that particular muscle and kepping the tension there so that it does the work. Lots of people have issues with the word "engage" and putting the focus on certain muscles, eventually it just becomes second nature.
zoeyxxxx ·
I think its the way people say engage. But then dnt explain engage. So basiccly its keeping the muscles you need to use tense xxx
Yes, to engage the muscle is to keep it tense. If you're trying the "pull your bellybutton toward your spine" and you're not sure if you're sucking in or engaging, try tapping yourself on the belly moderately hard with the tips of your fingers. You should feel it tense up if it isn't already.
My aerial coach always has torturous core work for me! 1.) Hollow hold-lay on your back, lift legs up about a foot and a half, then lift shoulders and hold arms over head....hold! 2.) Balance on an exercise ball at your knees and with elbows on the ground. Now round your back and push your butt down....hold! (Ow!!) 3.) Tuck ups-lay on back with arms over head and lift your upper body at the same time you tuck your knees toward you, balance at the top for a second, then lower and repeat as many times as you can in 30-60 seconds. Hope this helps! And the P90x ab ripper is great too!
