The core muscles help you stand straight or sit without falling. These muscles are present in your belly region, back, pelvis, and glutes (yes, the core does not only mean abs). But with age and muscle disuse, the core muscles may become weak, leading to bad posture and injuries. That’s why it is important to practice 20 minutes of core strengthening exercises every alternate day.
This article lists 7 core strengthening exercises. Read on to know how to do these at home with proper technique.
01.Try these exercises today!
Regardless of the fact whether you like to live in the gym or are aiming to have a chiselled figure, having muscular strength, stamina and endurance are quite vital to living a fit and healthy life. However, there's no rule book that specifies picking up weights, running or doing intense workouts to achieve that. Isometric exercises, for example, are something you can give a try if you still want to build some muscular strength, but are hesitant to sweat it out with rigorous exercises.
02.Benefits of doing Isometric exercises
Isometric exercises are a certain kind of exercise that get your muscles working, without actually causing any tension, shortening or lengthening them. To simplify, it's a type of exercise that improves the strength of a specific muscle group, without adding any stress or does not require any sort of actual movement to do so. Since most of the movements are static, it leads to an isometric contraction when the muscles and their corresponding joints do not move excessively and hold the position for extended time periods.
Not only are they perfect to be added to your home workout regime (no equipment needed here), it is also an excellent time-saving move, which can be done in very little space and also reduces your chances of developing an injury. They also make for excellent exercises if you want to improve fitness levels, lose weight and see an overall difference in your health parameters!
Therefore, if you are looking to build on your strength without going for intense exercises, here are some of the best and most effective isometric exercises to try!
readmore03.Plank Hold
The plank hold is one exercise that not only strengthens core muscles but also activates major muscle groups in the body. There are several variations to the same, all offering a number of benefits and depending on your interest and the variation you go for, a plank can be a basic exercise or become an incredibly intense one- all without requiring any sort of a movement.
How to perform a standard plank:
-Support your body on your palms and on toes.
-Ensure that your back is straight and flat and your body forms a straight line from your head to your feet.
-Your palms should be pressed hard on the floor.
-Your stomach muscles should be squeezed in.
Beginners should try and hold the plank position for 30 seconds of time. Remember to contract your abdominal muscles and pause, if you experience discomfort.
readmore04.Wall-Sit
Wall-Sit is an exercise that targets your thigh muscles and focuses on improving strength. Also referred to as wall squats, they are a great exercise to build some endurance in your glutes, calves, quads as well as abdominal muscles, when you combine them with other core exercises. While there may be no actual movement involved in this kind of exercise, you tend to feel a burn whenever you put pressure on the body parts. The best part? It can be done almost anywhere, and variations of the same can be tried as well.
How to perform it:
-Start by leaning your back against a wall. Feet should be kept shoulder-width apart, neatly resting on the floor.
-Now, slowly step with feet forward and lower your upper body. Knees should be bending as you lower yourself.
-Stop lowering the body once your calves and hamstrings make a 90-degree angle as if you are sitting on a chair.
-Hold this position for a minimum of 30 seconds, and attempt repetitions.
readmore05.Glute Bridge Hold
The Glute bridge hold is an exercise that supports a healthy posture, reduces incidences of back pain and maintains a good posture. Besides, it strengthens and activates the core muscles in your lower body, making your exercise super effective. It is in fact, one of the best exercises to target your glute muscles.
How to perform it:
-Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet firmly placed on the floor. Your legs should be hip-width apart from each other and hands by your side.
-Inhale, squeeze your glutes and push your hips toward the ceiling. Lift your hips off until your knees, hips and shoulders come in a straight line
-Hold the position for 4-5 breaths and then bring your butt down in a relaxing position.
readmore06.Isometric shoulder press
A perfect shoulder strengthening exercise to try, the isometric shoulder press is a supremely beneficial exercise that works to target your deltoids, triceps and conditions muscles. It also reduces your chances of developing a shoulder injury. You can also make it more effective by using dumbbells or a barbell to perform this exercise.
How to perform it:
-Stand straight, holding dumbbells in both hands.
-Slowly raise the weights, keeping them stationary. Do so for 30 seconds and then get back to the original position.
-In the next repetition, follow the same steps, but take the dumbbells higher.
Note: To improve your endurance, start with lighter weights, before gradually increasing them.
readmore07.Superman
Performing the Superman is an excellent exercise that targets all of your posterior muscles, from the glutes to the shoulder muscles. It can also be done complementary to other core exercises and is great if you are aiming to lose a few kilos.
How to perform it:
-To start, lie with your face down and arms extended overhead. Legs should be kept straight.
-From this position, try and lift your head, chest, arms and legs up simultaneously.
-Keeping the head in line with your spine, hold this position for 30-40 seconds at a time.