Monday, October 14, 2013

5 Core Exercises for Beginners

Sometimes people want to workout, but don't know where to begin. I ran across this article today from Runners World and thought I would pass it on. It gives beginners 5 good core workouts. You can read the article if you would like, but it basically says this: 

  1. The Basic Plank- Hold for 30 seconds, relax and repeat. Gradually increase the number of repetitions and the length of time you hold the pose.
  2. The Side Plank- Hold for 30 seconds, relax and repeat. Gradually increase repetitions and time.
  3. The Superman Pose- Lie face down. Raise one arm off the ground and hold for 20-30 seconds. Release and raise the other arm. Then move to your legs; hold one leg at a time off the ground. Then, try holding an alternate leg and arm off the ground at the same time. Then, try both arms up at one time and then both legs at one time. The most advanced version is holding both arms and legs off the ground at one time; hence the name Superman Pose. Hold each of these poses for 20 to 30 seconds, relax, and repeat.
  4. Abdominal Crunches- Lie on your back, knees bent and bring your chest towards your knees. Keep your shoulders back and chin up. Repeat.
  5. Abdominal Crunches with a Twist and/or Bicycle Legs- Do the abdominal crunches as stated above but include a Twist to work the oblique muscles. Keep knees bent, feet on the ground. Bring shoulder to opposite knee for a twisting motion. Another version is the bicycle, which is knees bent, feet off the ground and bring opposite should to knee at the same time, alternating legs to elbows.

Challenge: Start out by doing this every other day and work up to do it daily. 

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