In a previous post, I looked at what the often-discussed but seldom-understood "core" actually is, focusing on functionality, performance, and health. I concluded that, despite common wisdom, the core's primary function is not to attract babes at the beach or to act as a washboard in the event of a malfunctioning washing machine. Rather, the core's functionality lies in its ability to position and stabilize the trunk and hip/shoulder joints and to transfer and/or generate force. In other words, if you'd like to be a good athlete or even just an adequately strong human being, you need a strong core.
So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite training methods/exercises for working towards a stronger, healthier core.
#1 - Odd object exercises
Odd object training is a no-frills, no-strings-attached, simple and effective way to get strong as heck. If someone were to come to me and ask, "hey coach, if I had to choose only one exercise to do for the rest of my life, what should it be?" I would first tell them to just do multiple exercises, because just doing one exercise is a dumb idea, and then I would tell them that if they insist on doing just one exercise, they should probably choose heavy, odd object exercises. Perhaps that way they could get wicked strong and lay the beat-down on their mysterious oppressor who is only allowing them to do one exercise.
Odd object exercises make for a great core exercise because the unevenly distributed weight of odd objects requires your core to work hard to stabilize, often in multiple planes throughout a movement, and the bulkiness of most odd object puts the center of mass farther away from your body, again requiring your core to do additional work to keep from being bent and contorted in every direction.
Odd object training is pretty intuitive, but some of my favorite odd object excercises/implements for strengthening the core are...
- Stones
Be it a nicely molded atlas stone or a big heavy rock you found in your backyard, stones should be a go-to in odd object training. Perform stone loads, stone carries, or a barbell exercise such as a deadlift or clean & press with a stone.
- Sandbags
The nice thing about sandbags is they are a lot softer than stones, so it's easier to toss them around without some of the discomfort a heavy stone may cause. Sandbags are also particularly good for core strengthening because the load itself is dynamic--the sand tends to shift around in the bag and therefore weight distribution changes throughout the exercise. Good sandbag exercises that'll strengthen your core include sandbag shouldering, sandbag runs/carries (zercher/hugged or unilateral shouldered), sandbag getups, sandbag around-the-worlds, and countless variations of sandbag rotational exercises. As with any exercise where you have the a unilateral load or unilateral motion (i.e. load/motion on one side of your body), be sure to perform the exercise for both sides.
- Kegs
Kegs can be filled with water, sand, rocks, etc., but filling with water will yield the most challenging implement, as the sloshing water will constantly change the center of mass and require your core and other stabilizing muscles to work like hell. Regardless of what it's filled with, the bulkiness of the keg and the changing center of mass will make it a great tool for training the core. (Note that how you intend to use you keg may require different sizes and weights). Good core-strengthening keg exercises include keg carries, keg clean & press, and keg shouldering.
#2 - Medicine ball/Slam ball throws
Medicine balls/slam balls (I'll just call them med balls for the sake of brevity) are great tools to have in the gym, and lend themselves well to a number of core-strengthening exercises, particularly of the rotational and accelerative/decelerative variety. A huge number of sports movements involve high-force throwing or swinging of some kind--think about swinging a baseball bat, throwing a football, throwing a punch, grappling--and all of these movements require the body to accelerate and decelerate quickly, often under load. Med balls are a great tool for training this element of core strength.
Some of my favorite core exercises include: med ball rotational throws (front/parallel, side/perpendicular, and backwards) (all can be performed with partner or against wall), med ball slams, med ball rotational slam, and med ball roll back and throw. With all of these med ball exercises, explosiveness and speed should be priority.
(Note: when performing med ball throws against a wall, the bouncier, rubber med ball will bounce back faster and will require your core to work harder to decelerate, whereas the larger leather balls will absorb most of the force--choose your med ball according to the stimulus you are seeking; also, perform throws closer to the wall to focus on speed and quick reps, further from the wall to focus on power development and harder throws)
#3 - Plank and plank variations
Very little introduction or explanation needed here. Planks strengthen the core for stability, and that's one of the primary things we need our core to do. There are countless variations of the basic front plank, but some of my favorites are the side plank, the one-arm one-leg plank, the plank walk and the ab-wheel roll out (this can be performed from the knees or from your feet, and you can use a barbell or gymnasic rings if you don't have an ab-wheel).
Something to keep in mind with planks: prioritize quality of time. A 3 minute plank during which you're hanging your weight on your spine, arching your back, and rounding your shoulders is not making you stronger. A 20 second plank in which you maintain a neutral spine and stay as stiff as a steel beam is.
#4 - Basic gymnastic movements
Gymnasts are required to demonstrate a huge amount of core stability and positional stiffness, so it should go without saying that incorporating some basic gymnastic movements into your training can be a huge asset. A few of my favorites that should be easy to learn and perform with basic equipment are hollow rocks, v-ups, l-hangs and l-sits, and strict toes to bar. First priority with these exercises is positioning, not time or reps.
#5 - Back extensions and holds
Perhaps the most oft-forgotten part of the core is the back. The prevalence of back pain and back injury in both athletes and the general population is enough to tell us that far too many people are walking around with weak backs and crappy positioning. Some of the best exercises to strengthen the back and reinforce good positioning are back extensions and holds. My favorites are supermans, back extensions, and back extension iso holds (both can also be performed using a large exercise ball, or on a bench with a friend holding your ankles down).
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| By InfoGibraltar (Flickr: STRONGMEN 201373) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons It takes a lot more than crunches to build a strong core. |
I'm going to leave you with a few things to keep in mind.
First and foremost, as with any exercise, proper form and resistance is the difference between getting stronger and getting injured. If you're unsure on form, seek the help of a knowledgeable trainer, and focus on form before you start throwing around big weights or doing tons of reps.
Second, most any multi-joint athletic movement is going to train your core to some extent (insofar as your core will be involved in most any multi-joint athletic movement). I've heard countless times that performing the basic barbell movements will train your core, and I agree--squat, bench, press, and deadlift and your core will get stronger. However, sometimes this is not enough. Sometimes your core is the weak link in your lifting and you need some additional core-focused work. Sometimes the demands of your sport go beyond the general bracing and isometric core strength that you can train with basic barbell lifts. And sometimes the core strength you get from the basic barbell lifts is just not strong enough. The exercises I have listed here (along with many that I did not list) help to strengthen the core to a degree or in a particular way that goes beyond what the basic barbell lifts can do. For the same reasons that you may train your triceps to increase your bench, that you may strengthen your hamstrings to help deter low back pain, or that you may perform glute exercises to improve your sprinting, you should strengthen your core.
Third, when should you include these exercises in your routine? Good question. Short answer: whenever. Just do them. I generally implement core work after the main lifts, often between sets of other accessory work, though sometimes I like to include some core in warm-ups. Other times, core work can work well as part of a conditioning workout (especially with something like sandbag work). It's up to you, and what matters most is that you actually do the work. Just be aware of the demands you're putting on your body. If your main exercise is a maximal set of heavy deadlifts and you precede that with 10 minutes of plank and 400 meters of heavy keg carries, realize that your deadlift may suffer a bit.
Finally, most of the exercises I have listed here will not give you a "burn" in your rectus abdominis or your external obliques. What is this fool's gold?! A core exercise with no burn? Yep. I don't know when or why, but at some point in the history of strength training somebody decided that core exercises must involve a "burn" if they are to be deemed sufficient and effective, and somehow that idea caught on and has stuck. I'm sure there are still top level D1 strength & conditioning coaches and six-figure personal trainers out there training top-tier athletes under the erroneous premise that core training needs to involve a "good burn." Think of it this way: when you perform a heavy set of 5 in the back squat, do your hamstrings get all burn-y? Probably not. Then do you mean to tell me that doing heavy sets of 5 in the back squat won't strengthen your hamstrings?
If you still think that you're not getting a good core workout unless your abs are on fire, then you need to change the way you think about strengthening your core.
Stay swole.
