Your core is made up of your abdominal muscles, oblique muscles, and low back. These muscles provide support for the spine, pelvis, and lower back. The core also helps in many important movements for everyday tasks such as bending down to pick something up, picking things up off the floor, or climbing stairs. Here are some Preferred Core Workout tips.
1. Focus on your torso and try to avoid using your arms during everyday tasks.
When you carry grocery bags, don’t lean to the side. Keep your torso strong and hold the bags close to your body. Try not to use your arms as much when you can use your core instead (for example, try picking up a box close to the box with your legs and torso, and don’t use your arms).
2. Do leg raises at home or at school using something heavy like a textbook or an open bookbag.
Another option is to use weight belts. For example, you can hang a weight belt around your waist and do leg raises (use both arms) while going down a set of stairs.
3. Use the “butterfly” exercise in order to strengthen your core without doing crunches or crunches with an exercise ball.
Lie on your back and bend one knee up so that the foot is flat on the floor, the thigh parallel to the floor, and the hip pressed up toward the ceiling. You might have to move your head and shoulders up and down in order to get your torso using the correct muscles. For example, when you turn your waist to the right, your left leg will lift up higher.
As you can see, your core is very important. Many athletes have reinforced their core muscles because it not only keeps them from getting injured but it also helps them perform better in physical activities.
