Are you having a difficult time with balance or carrying out everyday lifting tasks? You may need to work on your core…
The latest trend sweeping gym and health clubs across the country may help you to improve your wellbeing and your body’s performance.
Core training is not a new phenomenon – the techniques behind it have been used by physiotherapists and athletic coaches for many years – but more people are now catching on to the benefits of strengthening their cores.
Core Exercises to Boost Balance and Strength
Why work on your core?
The “core” refers to the complex series of muscles that extend far beyond your abs; the exercises involved train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen.
It goes beyond just press-ups and sit-ups!
Strengthening your core muscles leads to better balance and stability, whether that’s in sporting situations or day-to-day activities.
Exercises
Here are a number of exercises you can do to help you boost your balance, strength and improve your fitness.
Single leg cross body punches
Hold two dumbbells and chest height and move yourself into a single-leg, quarter-squat position.
In a controlled manner, alternate punching the weights across the body while maintaining stability in your standing leg.
You can increase the intensity of the exercise by standing on a non-slip mat or foam pad, equally you can pare it down by performing the exercise without weights.
Plank with elbows on exercise ball
Place your elbows on an exercise ball and walk your feet backwards until you are in a planking position. Maintain a stable plank pose by engaging your abdominals, glutes and quadriceps while keeping shoulders and hips squared to the floor.
Amp it up by creating small circles with the ball in both directions using your elbows, or decrease the intensity by putting your knees on the floor and have hips tucked.
Alternative leg lowering
Begin by lying on the floor with your arms by your sides and legs pointed up towards the ceiling. Use your core muscles to press your lower back into the floor with as much pressure as possible.
Breathe out and take two to three seconds to lower your leg left to the floor, keeping your lower back in contact with the floor and your left leg rigid. Begin with five to seven repetitions per leg and increase the amount as your core strength improves.
Ramp it down a notch by holding a belt or resistance band around the foot of the leg which remains stable.
Dead bug
Begin in the same position as the leg lowering exercise above but bend your knees to 90 degrees and reach your arms to the ceiling – similar to a bug lying on its back.
Keep your lower back pressed to the floor then breathe out and slowly lower your right leg toward the floor as you reach overhead with your left arm. Breathe out fully and return to the start position before repeating on the opposite.
Begin with 10 total repetitions – five per side – working your way up to 10 per side, or 20 total repetitions.
Banded triplanar toe taps
Place a resistance band directly above the knees and move to a single-leg, quarter-squad. While balancing on your standing leg, tap the alternate leg forward, to the side and directly behind you.
The core and hip muscles will kick in to maintain single-leg balance against the band’s resistance in the three different directions.
Increase the intensity by dropping into a deeper squat with the standing leg or amp it down by performing the movement without a band, using just your body.
Conclusion
Core stability and strength is a key component of balance and your general wellbeing. The exercises here use a number of leg and arm movement patterns, unstable surfaces and movement across different planes to work the core and improve balance.
Use these core exercises to enhance your quality of movement, sporting performance and reduce injury.
