by Cori Lefkowith | Nov 24, 2014 | Blog, Bodyweight, Core, Exercises
Whether you want to lift more, look better or simply lessen your aches and pains, you need to work your core. And one of the best moves to build core stability so that you can look, feel and move better is the Basic Plank.
The Basic Plank is one of the best ways to improve your mind-body connection while building core stability so that you can workout harder without injury to reach your health and fitness goals.
However, while the Basic Plank seems like an easy move to do, it is actually very complicated and, when done right, works everything from your shoulders to your knees – not just your abs.
Often when people do Planks, they end up feeling them in their low backs. And rarely do they focus on feeling muscles up and down their core activate and work together to help them hold a nice straight line.
Because if you do a Plank correctly, you shouldn’t feel your low back working, but instead you should feel your shoulders, abs, glutes, quads and adductors all working to hold your body in a nice tight line.
Below are some tips to help you achieve perfect Plank form as well as some fun Plank Variations to use in your warm ups or workouts!
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by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 14, 2014 | Blog, Core, Exercises, Suspension Trainer
Crunches aren’t the best way to work your core. For one, they only target the abs not the entire core. And two, they don’t burn very many calories because they don’t work the large muscle groups of your body.
That is why we love these 10 Crunchless Core Exercises. These moves work everything from our shoulders to our knees in different planes of motion using a Suspension Trainer.
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by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 8, 2014 | Blog, Core, Sandbag
The sandbag is a great functional tool to get in a full-body workout. It is also a great tool to help you build core strength and stability while strengthening the big muscles of your body.
With the sandbag you can work your entire core – everything from your shoulders to your knees. And because of the awkwardness of the weight, your core has to work super hard to stabilize.
Plus, unlike crunches, these movements work the big muscles of your body in different planes of motion. That means you get more bang for your buck – more calories burned and more muscle built with fewer exercises and less time in the gym.
Try these 5 Sandbag Core Exercises to get in a great full body workout and build your core strength and stability!
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by Cori Lefkowith | Sep 3, 2014 | Blog, Core
A strong core means less risk for injury and pain. And if you suffer from low back pain, you need to strengthen your core!
That is why the Pelvic Tilt exercise is a must-do move. It activates your intrinsic core stabilizers so that your core is working and your low back doesn’t have to.
Because we sit all day, which create imbalances and tight muscles, our abs aren’t activated and working. Because our abs aren’t working, our low back sometimes take over and does work it shouldn’t, which leads to pain and injury.
Therefore anyone with low back pain or even simply a desk job, needs to do the Pelvic Tilt Exercise.
Plus if you’ve ever done Leg Lowers, or any other ab exercise, and felt the move in your low back, it means your abs aren’t yet strong enough to stay engaged during that move. Therefore, you need to do the pelvic tilt first to engage and strengthen your abs!
While we firmly believe that EVERYONE should do the Pelvic Tilt, it is often only recommended for women post pregnancy to help them regain their ab strength. However, no one can ignore this very important core stabilizing exercise if they suffer from low back pain!
Here’s how to do the Pelvic Tilt exercise and prevent and alleviate your low back pain!
How to do The Pelvic Tilt:
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by Cori Lefkowith | Sep 1, 2014 | Blog, Core, Exercises
Often when people think about training their core, they think of six-pack abs and crunches.
They think about aesthetics. But core training is about more than getting six-pack abs. A strong core means less risk for pain and injury and it also means you can lift more and run faster.
Plus, core training is about more than working your abs – it is about strengthening everything from your shoulders to your knees.
Proper core training isn’t about doing a million crunches. It is about doing exercises that work everything from your shoulders to your knees.
Core training will improve your stability and strength in every plane of motion.
Below are the Best Core Training Exercises to train your core and improve your stability and strength to prevent injury and help you move better (aka run faster and lift more!).
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by Cori Lefkowith | Aug 20, 2014 | Blog, Core, Workouts
Circuits can be done in a variety of ways. They can be done for a prescribed amount of sets or they can be done for an allotted time.
When you do circuits for time and try to get as much work done in that time as possible, you are using a training method known as Density Training.
“Density” is the amount of work you are able to do in a set amount of time.
With Density Training, you are trying to increase the amount of work you can do in a set amount of time to improve your strength and your endurance.
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