If, like me, you're not a huge fan of sit-ups, the good news is there are plenty of other ways to strengthen your abs and deep core. A stronger core supports your spine, reduces back pain, improves balance and stability, and makes everyday tasks easier.
Fitness trainer Danica Osborn has created an eight-move workout designed to build core and upper-body strength.
"You’ll love how these [moves] promote balance, and how they strengthen your core without doing boring crunches from the mat!" she says in her video. Scroll down to see how to do the workout.
How to do the arms and core workout
The circuit features rotational moves, unilateral (one-sided) exercises and dynamic swings, all of which engage the deep-lying core muscles and oblique (side body) muscles to build strength and stability.
Osborn uses light dumbbells (2.5kg/5lbs) and recommends doing each exercise for 45 seconds followed by 15 to 30 seconds of rest. Aim to do two rounds.
How this workout promotes a stronger core
Osborn’s workout combines a range of movement patterns that enhance core stability, balance and mobility. Here's how:
Unilateral exercises
These are moves that work one side of your body at a time. These include the knee repeater and the rainbow press-and-march, which engage stabilizing muscles to improve balance.
Rotational exercises
Moves like the wood chop, squat-and-core twist and the cross crunch involve twisting, training the body to rotate and move well in different directions. They strengthen the obliques and improve functional movement.
Dynamic swings
The dumbbell swing in this workout strengthens the posterior chain—muscles in the back of the body such as the glutes, hamstrings, calves and back. These muscles work together to maintain posture and spinal control as well as enhance movement and overall strength.
