What do people focus on when they hit the gym? Legs, back, chest, arms, shoulders, and cardio, which is often an afterthought. What shouldn’t feel like a chore or an afterthought is working on your core strength. Maintaining a strong core is essential for most of the movements you do with your body. Without a strong core, you become more prone to falls, back pain, and your range of motion decreases. And you have to work on all of your major back muscles, pelvic floor, glutes, and abs to strengthen your entire core. 

Your core accounts for a lot of muscles that you may not consider to be core muscles. The abdominal, hips, back, butt, and legs are all core muscle groups. Working all of these muscles will help strengthen your entire core. Your core can help stabilize your pelvis and spine, so a weak core makes you more prone to back injuries, general back pain, and pelvis misalignment issues. If you have difficulty doing core stability moves, including planks, glute bridges, or dead bugs, then you know your core is weak. Check out the following beginner-friendly exercises to strengthen your core muscles. 

Stir The Pot

This is a dynamic variation of the plank and it works more core muscles in a shorter amount of time. It activates the same core muscles as a plank, only it incorporates movement, so you pass the workload to various core muscle groups. You will need an exercise ball for this exercise. Begin in an elbow plank by placing your forearms on the ball and feet extended behind you. Keep your core strong and don’t let your hips sag. Use your arms to roll the ball in small, controlled circles. Do five clockwise and five counterclockwise to complete one set, rest, and then complete two more sets to fulfill three. 

Clamshell

The clamshell aims to strengthen your hip muscles and pelvic floor by engaging the inner and outer thighs. This is a great move for runners because a lot of ankle and knee alignment comes from a stabilized pelvis and hips. Lie on your left side, stacking your right leg on top of your left. Bend your knees so that they are at a 45-degree angle and keep your feet in line with your hips. Rest your head on your left hand, which you prop up by resting your left elbow on the ground. Engage your lower abdomen by drawing your belly button in toward your spine. Raise your right knee as high as you can, but don’t shift your hips or pelvis and keep your left leg on the ground. Hold for one second and then return to the starting position. Complete a total of 10 reps and then switch sides. Complete a total of three sets of 10 reps per leg. 

Dead Bug Crunch

This is a slow-paced core exercise that calls for your constant engagement throughout. It activates both the transverse abdominis and builds spinal stability. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle stacked right over your hips. Make sure your shins are parallel to the floor and extend your arms toward the ceiling. Reach your right arm next to your ear, hovering it above the floor, as you extend your left leg out and down toward the floor, stopping about six inches above the ground. Engage your lower abdomen and glue your lower back to the floor. Return to the starting position and then alternate. Continue alternating for 30 seconds, rest for a minute, and then complete two more sets.

Bear Hold

Think of this like a traditional plank pose, only the pressure is much less on your lower back. A lot of HIIT and barre class instructors incorporate this into their workouts because it activates stabilizers that support the lower back. Begin in a tabletop position on your hands and knees, stacking your shoulders over your wrists and hips over your knees. Keep your spine neutral and core engaged as you lift yourself off the ground in a controlled manner. Only your hands and toes should be on the ground. Engage your abdomen, chest, and glutes, holding the pose for 15-30 seconds. Try to work your way up to a minute as you get stronger. 

V-Ups

The V-up is a simple movement, but challenging to pull off. It works your entire rectus abdominis, the core muscles that go from your pubic bone to your sternum. Lie flat on your back with your arms and legs extended and resting on the floor. In a fluid motion, reach your arms up and bring your toes to meet your hands in a “V” shape. Return to the starting position and immediately repeat, continuing until you complete 10-12 reps. Complete a total of three sets. 

The Farmer’s Carry

A lot of people only focus on planks to increase core strength, but the core is so much more than your abdominal muscles. Some of the best core exercises are often the simplest, which is the case for the farmer’s carry. You will need two kettlebells, dumbbells, or weights for this exercise. Begin in a standing position with your feet hip-distance apart and the weights on either side of you. Keep your back straight as you squat down to pick up the weights and then stand back up, engaging your glutes and hamstrings to do so. Make sure that you feel balanced and that the weights are not too heavy. Hold the weights by your sides (about a few inches from your legs) and start walking. As you walk, maintain a neutral spine and drop your shoulders to lift your chest. Try to walk for 20 steps and then turn around to walk back. Repeat for a set number of steps or time limit and then stop to rest before repeating a couple more times.

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Remember the days when going to the gym was a regular occurrence? Those were fun, right? You know what wasn’t fun? Waiting for people to finish with the equipment you needed to use to complete your workout. There’s one piece of equipment that put an end to all of that waiting: the kettlebell. 

For the average home gym, the kettlebell is the perfect piece of workout equipment. There’s no need for benches, elaborate dumbbell sets, plates, barbells, pulley systems, or squat racks. The kettlebell is perfect for full body circuits that tone the major muscle groups. 

While the exercises in this article will help tone your entire body, it’s important to accompany them with a clean diet. Eating the right foods will take your body to the next level, just like the following exercises. 

#1: The Kettlebell Swing

If there’s one exercise to know how to do with a kettlebell, it’s this one. It works the core, glutes, legs, shoulders, abs, and back. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the kettlebell with both hands between your legs. Hinge at the hips and bend your knees slightly. In one powerful motion, press your weight into your heels and swing the weight upwards to shoulder height, thrusting with the pelvis. Don’t lift the weight with your shoulders. Drop it back down and repeat this swinging motion, engaging the glutes throughout. The motion of this exercise is mainly driven by the glutes as you thrust forward, so keep that in mind. 

#2: Goblet Squat

Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and point your toes slightly outward. Invert the kettlebell so that the bulbous part is facing up. Grab the handle with both hands and hold it close to your chest like a goblet. Squat down and engage your lower abdomen to protect your lower back. Squeeze your glutes and drive through your heels to return to the starting position. 

#3: Kettlebell Push Press

This is an explosive move that helps to tone the traps, triceps, and deltoids. It also works to build core stability. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and hold the kettlebell in your right hand at chest height. Hold your left arm out to the side or keep it down and relaxed by your side. Lift your chest, keep your back straight, and lower into a subtle squat, but only a couple inches before exploding upward, extending your right arm above your head. Your right bicep should be by your ear. Finish your reps and then repeat on the other side. 

#4: Russian Twist

It’s all about the abs and obliques with this exercise! Take a seat, no literally, please take a seat on your buttocks to start the exercise. Sit with your knees bent and your feet pressed into the floor in front on you. Hold the kettlebell with both hands by your right hip. Contract your abs as you twist toward the other side, bringing the weight with you. Try to tap the kettlebell on the floor each time you twist. 

#5: Bent Over Row

When engaging in this exercise, proper posture and form is key because you don’t want to injure your back. Stand in a lunge position with your right leg out in front and bend your right knee slightly. Keep your chest up and back straight as you lean forward at an angle to be in line with your back leg. Hold the kettlebell in your left hand and pull it back, drawing a line with your elbow as the guide. Your upper arm should be in line with your back, engaging your back to hold the weight. Return to the starting position in a controlled manner; you don’t want to release the weight. Repeat on the other side once you finish your reps. 

#6: Kettlebell Offset Squat

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the kettlebell in a rack position with your right hand at shoulder-height. Extend your left arm out in front of you and lower into a squat, engaging your glutes and core. While down in the squat, make sure that your back is straight and that your knees don’t extend beyond your toes. Drive through your heels to return to the starting position. Finish the reps and then repeat with the other hand holding the kettlebell. 

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Labor Day Weekend marks the unofficial end of summer, and it is somewhat of a last hurrah for people until the upcoming fall and winter holidays. If you were like the majority of Americans this past weekend, you probably did a little celebrating, indulging in a few (or more) libations and noshing on some not-so-healthy foods. Is it safe to assume that you didn’t go for a run or glance at your yoga mat? We thought so, but that’s okay!

After a long weekend of limited to no exercise and veering from your diet, it is crucial to make a triumphant return to exercising by jumping into the deep end headfirst. You can do this literally, provided you swim and need to get back in the water, or take part in several intense high-intensity interval-training (HIIT) circuits. You don’t need to start a heavy deadlifting or benching session because your muscles will be sorer and more fatigued after the gap in your workouts.

HIIT workouts get your blood flowing without putting a lot of strain on your muscles. When returning to your exercise routine, it is wise to treat your body like the precious cargo that it is. That means you have to stretch before your workout, warm up with about five minutes of cardio, and then foam roll once you finish your workout. Along with that TLC routine, the following exercises will help you get back into your regular exercise habits.

Roll Out That Yoga Mat

Let’s say your yoga mat collected some dust over the weekend. So what? Roll that bad boy out in the comfort of your own home, get dressed in your favorite yoga outfit, and pull up a video of a gentle yoga routine. Yoga helps to get the blood flowing, balance breathing, and increase energy levels. A lot of people also praise yoga because it helps to calm the mind, improve sleep, increase concentration, and reduce stress.

Try Some Micro-Movements

Cardio barre workouts and barre-inspired workouts are sweeping the fitness world by storm, and for good reason. These workouts don’t require weights, but the minimal movements work your muscles a lot harder than you realize. Targeting several muscle groups in the body, micro-movements help stabilize your core and require concentration to do correctly. It won’t feel like you are doing anything at first, but you’ll feel it the next day.

Grab Some Kettlebells

While simple at-home bodyweight exercises like lunges or squats can work your muscles, kettlebells add a little extra umph to your workout routine. You don’t need an entire set; rather, a pair of kettlebells can challenge and strengthen your muscles. It’s common to swing kettlebells, especially during squats, and this motion flows with the exercise, working to increase range of motion. There are many kettlebell workout videos online, so find a beginner routine and get after it.

Take A Walk

Walking is the most underrated exercise out there, but people fail to step outside their own doors or onto the treadmill. Just to be clear, we aren’t suggesting that you take a leisurely walk to smell the flowers or to go get ice cream. You can incorporate interval training into your walk by speed walking or jogging for 30 seconds at a time, every two minutes. Don’t stop after you finish jogging; just keep walking until your next interval. Lace up them sneakers and hit the pavement, or treadmill, or elliptical machine.

Squeeze In A Core Circuit

Many people decide to focus their workouts on all areas of the body, except for the core muscles. Core workouts aren’t necessarily fun, but a great core workout can be done anywhere and the exercises are relatively gentle on your muscles after some time away from exercising. Neglecting core workouts means that you are not strengthening your pelvis, lower back, or hips, so accept the challenge and find a few at-home core workouts to start or finish your day strong.

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