Exercise my core with me

[Cunt]

My favourite exercises now are core exercises. I do a group of them every morning with my sweetheart, and it is the best thing I have done for myself, exercise-wise. I think this is saying a lot.

No-one sees my core, or it's effect except me. But I believe it has contributed to greatly increased capacity in all physical activities. From running to pullups to reaching across the table for a coffee, it helps EVERYWHERE!

So what am I doing?

Basically, laying on the floor and rolling around for ten minutes. DAMN is it ever worth it!

Supermans, side planks, crunches and front planks. 1 minute holds each, twice. Ten minutes each morning, and I am ready to wrestle alligators.

So, what I would hope for help with is increasing intensity on these exercises to improve their effect. I have already ramped it up a few ways, which I will try to describe.

For supermans, I hold a few pounds of weight in my hands, and reach as far as I can. I am very reluctant to add any more weight here, so will have to find another way to increase intensity.

Side planks, I was doing them off my hand, and swinging a dumbell up and down while doing it. This was headed for danger with the need to increase the weight or speed, so I found another way. I use a small ball, which I rest my feet on (stacked). This has brought my side plank back down to my elbow - it is SO hard. After a week or two doing it this way, I only today managed to do the whole workout without falling off. WOW it's tough.

For crunches, I keep a firm tempo (1 second up, 1 second down). Since I just increased the tempo from 2up 2down, this should suffice for awhile. I had added weight, but would rather not.

For front planks, I tried a few things, but placing my toes on that ball for support makes it super tough again.

I welcome suggestions for increasing difficulty, but will keep injury avoidance as my primary focus. I believe that a workout should risk nothing, injury-wise. I don't mind risking a bit for performance, but I don't want to risk getting hurt in the training room. Seems silly to me. That is supposed to be improvement time.

So, anyone work their core? Care to share your tips and tricks?

[piscator]

Hindu squats are also good for your core. But your quads and glutes will hurt so much you won't notice.
L-sits and flutter kicks don't do much for movement, but will build muscle faster than most any other bodyweight training, if you can handle them.

[Cunt]

Hindu squats are also good for your core. But your quads and glutes will hurt so much you won't notice.
L-sits and flutter kicks don't do much for movement, but will build muscle faster than most any other bodyweight training, if you can handle them.

The video didn't load for some reason, but I was able to look these up pretty easily.
Thanks, piscator. I definitely feel the hindu squats much more in my legs and glutes than my core. I am quite cautious about any fast movements, though, so I will use them for squats for awhile, slowly, until I feel more confident in the movement.
As to the L-sits - holy CRAP there is a lot of room for me to grow there lol I looked up a progression, and I think I will need more shoulders and arms to even get my butt up off the floor for a full minute.
If that gets too easy, it looks like pointing my toes up toward the heavens could add enough difficulty to keep me busy awhile
At the moment, I do a 'low boat' sometimes instead of crunches, and have little trouble holding it for a full minute, twice during the quick morning workout.
Flutter kicks can likely be a substitute for crunches/low boat too. At least I hope so. I'll let you know if they are harder than my current minute.
The current arrangement has my whole core covered (or at least it seems so) so while these are good, I will have to make sure I use them in the proper place, so I still get the all-around core exercise I want.

Thanks very much for these suggestions. These are cool!

[piscator]

See if this works...

"...

Today we'll be focusing on our Core Circuit, which combines four different exercises to target every aspect of your core from your obliques to your low back. Do 10 reps of each exercise with 3-4 rounds.

Hollow rock: Balance on your butt with your feet held in the air and your arms above your head. Rotate back until your back is touching the ground, then roll back forward and hold without letting your feet touch the ground.

Low back extension: Lay on your stomach with your arms folded in front of you and legs extended. With a tight core, arch your back and lift your shoulders and arms off the ground along with your legs down to your waist.

Weighted sit up: Hold a plate weight or barbells above your head that are anywhere between 10 and 35 pounds in weight with your back on the ground. Tighten your core and push up until your back is straight in line with your shoulders and the weight is directly overhead. Keep your feet on the ground and lower back down slowly.

Up With a Twist: This is a great rotational exercise in which you sit up and rotate to one side or the other, leading with your arms and hands. If you have tight hip flexors you'll likely be keeping your feet on the ground but if not, keep your feet in the air. Be sure to look where you rotate with this one.

Do 3-4 rounds of 10 reps of each exercise to get you ready for the season, and be sure to check out the entire TGR Training Camp series for more preseason workrut videos.[/quote]

[JimC]

So ROFL is actually exercise!

[Cunt]

So ROFL is actually exercise!

Fuck ya, JimC!

In fact, back when I committed to this set of exercises, I decided that I would do it every day. If I was too sick, injured or something, I planned to lay on the floor for the allotted time, thinking about how to improve my body.

I haven't ever missed it, but I have done it gently a few times, rather than the usual intensity.

Someone just reminded my that the bridge pose, or wheel pose, will serve as well as the supermans, for improving my spinal whatchamacallits. I am going to have to start adding that. When I can hold it well for a minute, I'll tuck it into the rotation.

[NineBerry]

Play music by Justin Bieber in the background. Will make the exercises at least three times as hard compared to without.

[Cunt]

No, couldn't do it. In fact, if something makes me laugh even a little, I fall out of my exercise.

[Cunt]

I did a bunch of pullups the other day, and it burned (like DOMS) in my abs a couple days after. That's the first time I have felt it THERE.

I guess my core isn't the strongest link in that chain.

Yet.

[Cunt]

So my current exercise regime, with core my second priority (cardio is first) looks like this:

• 2 rounds of side and front planks, with supermans and crunches, a minute of each, daily.
  At least one set of 10 single-leg squat-twists.
  Three times a week full body workout with declined pushups, pullups and goblet squats
  Four to five times a week running, keeping it below 20 miles per week overall

I don't change easily, but would anyone like to run together? Virtually, we sort of can. I can program a route into my treadmill, and run your running path, viewing it via google earth by god street view.

I called out meekychuppet, hoping he would race me or something (I would be proud to be beaten by him) but he might be busy. Or not a runner.