The core is one of the parts of our body that can be more important. And, when we talk about core, we are not just talking about abs. This area refers to the entire abdominal area (transverse abdominal, oblique and rectus abdominis), but also to the pelvic floor, diaphragm, multifidus, lower back, and hip muscles.
This body zone not only protects our organs, but help us to have a better body posture, more stability and to have more strength and more adequately perform movements of other body areas – reducing the risk of injury. So training the core is especially important. If we are beginners we can start with these exercises.
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Three exercises to train the core
Abdominal iron or plank
The iron seems like a very simple exercise and is therefore one of the most used when we start training our core. In any case, requires a certain technique that is important for us to know. To perform this exercise, we put ourselves in a flexed position, but with our elbows and forearm resting on the ground.
But for exercise to be effective we have to be very aware of our posture. The back should be straight, without raising or lowering the hip too much. The elbows should be positioned just below the shoulders in a straight line and the core should be very active – one trick used is to imagine that one thread pulls the head forward and another pulls your tailbone back.
Alternate leg raises
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It is another simple exercise with which we can start in core training. To do this we will have to lie on the floor face up, keeping both the neck, the head and the shoulders well supported on the ground and relaxed.
To raise the legs we have several options: both legs at the same time, each leg alternately or both, but in suspension. The hands are kept flat on the floor at the sides of the body. The legs are lowered slowly, contracting the abdomen. If we are beginners we can only go down until half a journey and as we go further down.
Mountain climbers o escaladores
Climbers are also a widely used exercise and, if we are beginners, it is excellent to start and work the core and the middle area of our body – although we also work legs, arms and glutes. There are different variations, but we can start with the classics.
We stand in a flexed position, with our hands flat on the ground and our arms stretched out. We keep the head towards the front and back straight. We start the exercise with one leg fully stretched and the other bent with the knee towards the chest. From here we are alternating legs, so that the one that was bent becomes straight and the other bent and so on.
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Images | iStock
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