The Best Core Exercises for a Strong Back and Core!
When most people think about core workouts, they immediately picture endless crunches and sit-ups. While these exercises are great and have their place, they only scratch the surface of true core training. Your core is more than just your abs—it includes your obliques, lower back, and deep stabilizing muscles that support your spine and improve overall strength. If you want a rock-solid core that enhances performance, prevents injury, and improves posture, it’s time to add some underrated but highly effective core exercises to your routine.
1. Hollow Body Hold
Why It Works: This exercise engages the entire core, especially the deep stabilizers, helping to build a rock-solid midsection and improve endurance.
How to Do It:
2. Hanging Leg Lifts
Why It Works: This move targets the lower abs while also engaging the grip and hip flexors. It’s an advanced exercise that builds serious core strength. Also a great shoulder stretch!
How to Do It:
3. Dead Bug
Why It Works: The dead bug is a fantastic anti-rotational exercise that improves core stability without straining the lower back. It helps strengthen the deep core muscles, which are essential for balance and functional movement.
How to Do It:
4. Bear Crawl
Why It Works: This full-body movement builds core stability, coordination, and endurance while also improving mobility.
How to Do It:
5. Power Wheel Crawl (next level bear crawl)
Why It Works: This advanced crawling exercise takes core activation to another level by adding instability, requiring maximum engagement from the abdominals and hip flexors.
How to Do It:
6. Sit and Reach with a Weight
Why It Works: This exercise improves flexibility while engaging the core, particularly the lower abdominals and hip flexors. Adding a weight increases resistance, making it more challenging and effective.
How to Do It:
Final Thoughts
A strong core is about more than just aesthetics—it’s the foundation for strength, balance, and injury prevention. Adding these exercises to your routine will improve your functional fitness, making everyday movements and workouts more efficient. Next time you train, ditch the endless crunches and give these underrated core exercises a try!
Dixon Troyer is the President of Operations at 3 Elements Lifestyle, LLC., a Fitness and Weight Loss company that specializes in YOU! With more than 15 years of gym and club experience, owning, operating and managing clubs of all sizes, Dixon lectures, delivers seminars and workshops on the practical skills required to successfully help you with your health and fitness goals. Dixon also helps you build the teamwork, management, and training necessary to open your own fitness center.
Visit his Web site at: www.3elementslifestyle.com, email at Dixon@3elementslifestyle.com or call 805.499.3030.
Phone:
(805) 499-3030
Address:
1620 Newbury Rd #6
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320