Weight Gain

Supplementing

Muscle Building

Body Building

Weight Training


new articles

Maximize Your Strength by Training Your Core

 

The core of an object is the center, the inner place that holds everything together. If you are really serious about looking great, then you need to start focusing on working your core. Your abdominal and lower back muscles form the core of your body. Most of your strength comes from your core muscles. Simply put, if your core isn’t strong enough, you will struggle to reach your fitness goals. So how do you go about strengthening this important part of your physique?

There has been a lot of fitness literature and programs that focus on strengthening your core. Chances are that you have read some articles about core training already. Some gyms even have special classes for training your core. Some of these are great, but they might burn a hole in your pocket. Not to worry though, you can start strengthening your core with a few basic exercises that you can add to your workout routine.

 

Planks

Planks are one of the best exercises for strengthening your core. There are about a dozen variations on the plank, but the plain vanilla plank gets the job done just fine. To perform a plank, you must hold your body at the topmost position of a pushup and make sure your stomach and back are in a straight line with your feet. You should contract your abdominal muscles and maintain this position for a total of 60 seconds. If you aren’t able to hold the position for 60 seconds initially, break it up into smaller intervals till you build up enough strength to last the full 60 seconds. You shouldn’t feel too much pressure on your arms in this exercise. If you feel like your arms are getting fatigued, descend slightly and rest your elbows on the floor and try to perform the exercise. Once you are able to hold the contraction for the full 60 seconds, you may want to try increasing the time limit.

Sit-ups

Doing dozens of crunches does virtually nothing for your abdominal muscles. The traditional crunch recruits very little of the rectus abdominitis (it is also known as the six-pack muscle). Doing set after set of crunches can be very dangerous for your lower back and neck. The sit-up on the other hand puts your muscles through a much greater range of motion and provides greater benefits for your core muscles. Sit-ups are great for building up strength if they are performed correctly. Make sure your feet are secured to the floor by a weight so that your heels don’t come up off the ground.

Back extensions

Back extensions are another great exercise for working your core and should be an essential part of your training. A lot of people underestimate the importance of training your lower back muscles. Back extensions can either be performed on the floor or on an inclined bench. To perform a back extension, lay face-down on the ground and lock your hands behind your head. Now slowly try to bring up your chest and head as far as you can. Try to hold your chest in this upward position for a few seconds before returning to the ground. Make sure your movement is slow and controlled. This is a great exercise for increasing core strength.

 

You can add these simple exercises to your workout routine to strengthen your core. When your core muscles are strong, you will find that your strength increases greatly in your other lifts. Having strong abdominal and lower back muscles will also reduce the risk of injury while lifting heavy weights. So don’t just focus on those bicep curls at the gym, make sure you put in some time to work the muscles that really make a difference.

Read More about Weight Gain Guide

 



Related Articles


 

Featured