Core

It is a common exercise misconception that a core workout focuses solely on your abdominal muscles.  While of course a solid core routine incorporates a lot of ab work, it should also focus on the lower back so that you don’t end up with any muscular imbalances.  It should also focus on the pelvic muscles that lie between your rib cage and hips.  Some will even argue that a true “core” workout will target all muscles that hit your body’s “trunk” — shoulders, chest, upper back, lower back, abs, and glutes.

Core conditioning is an essential part to any training program, and it has countless benefits including improved posture, improved balance, trimmer appearance, more effective workouts, decreased injury risk, decreased lower back pain, and a stabilized spin/firmer base of support for all movement.  Below is a collection of my favorite core strength workouts. Please modify each of my workouts to your own fitness levels, listen to your bodies, and of course ask any questions if need be!

Ten Minute Workouts

• 10 Minute Ab Attack
• 10 Minute Ab & Glute Floor Routine
• 10 Minutes on the Stability Ball
• 10 Minute Weekend Ab Burner

Twenty Minute Workouts

• 20 Minute Abs for Tuesday
• 20 Minute Core Blast
• 20 Minute Core Strength
• 20 Minute Stability Ball Core Workout
• Tabata Focused Twenty Minute Core Workout

Pyramid Style

• Core Pyramid
• Core Strength Pyramid
• Post Run Pyramid

Random

• 5-4-3-2-1 Ab Challenge
• 500 Ab Challenge
• 5 Minute Ab Challenge (with a partner)
• Abs and Row Cardio Sandwich
• Core Galore?  Sore Galore
• Core Strength Stability Ball Circuit
• Killer Ab Combo
• One Minute On, Twenty Seconds Off
• Weight Room Ab Circuit

My absolute favorite exercise for core strength is a plank.  I LOVE planks of all kinds.  In fact, I wrote a whole post once on my favorite bodyweight planks.  If you are looking for some new plank variations, check out this post.

More on planking:

• 5 Minute Plank Series
• Beginner Plank Workout

I also once held an “Abs” challenge after New Year’s.  I called it the 31 Day Abs Challenge, and there are a ton of “mini” core workouts per week.  For anyone interesting in repeating the challenge or doing it now, here are the links that explain the different moves:

• 31 Day Abs Challenge – Week 1 Exercises
• 31 Day Abs Challenge – Week 2 Exercises
• 31 Day Abs Challenge – Week 3 Exercises
• 31 Day Abs Challenge – Week 4 Exercises
• 31 Day Abs Challenge – Week 5 Exercises

Do you have a go to core strength workout?  If so, leave it in the comments!