Basic core strength exercises to get you walk-ready

Basic core strength exercises to get you walk-ready

As soon as you hit the trail on one of our pack-free guided walks your core turns on. Your what?

Your core is the central part of your body. It includes your pelvis, lower back, hips and stomach. The stomach muscles sometimes are called abs. Core exercises train the muscles in your core to work in harmony.

Discover the Basic core strength exercises to get you walk-ready, let’s get started. Core strength is what helps you maintain your posture and supports your back to remain strong. Stability and balance exercises are necessary to ensure your body is able to adapt to any terrain but forget endless crunches, here are 5 great exercise for beginners to strengthen your whole core.

The Plank

The plank is an essential core strength building exercise for any level. It teaches you to brace your entire core, which is useful when performing other exercises too, such as a squat or pull up. The aim is to hold the position for a set length of time, or for as long as possible without dropping or lifting.

• Make a straight line from your shoulders to your heels
• Keep your elbows beneath your shoulders
• Keep your pelvis and belly button pulled in to stop your back from arching
• Stay relaxed and breathe

You can also do a modified plank by supporting yourself with your knees and slowly work your way up to a full plank.

Deadbug

This exercise is great for activating and firing up the core. It will help you develop control when contracting your core muscles. Unlike the plank it involves moving, which means your abs will be contracting and lengthening, but will remain under constant tension. It does require a little bit of co-ordination, but is simple to perform with a little bit of practice. Try 3 sets of 6-10 reps, or whatever it takes to feel your core light up!

• Push your stomach into the floor to close the gap under your back
• Extend 1 arm and leg straight out from the body
• Bring your arm and leg back to the middle and repeat on the other side

Reverse Crunch

The reverse crunch is a useful exercise to help strengthen the lower part of the abdominals. Its a great starting exercise that leads into progressions like leg raises, hanging leg raises and eventually, toes to bar. Aim to pull your knees up to your chest enough to raise your hips off the floor, making your stomach curl inwards.

• Keep your knees bent with your heels close to your bum
• Place your hands by your side for stability
• As you lower your feet to try to keep them slightly elevated from the floor

Glute Bridge

The glutes form part of your core and can give you a big boost in strength when they are engaged and used in training. Make sure you don’t neglect them. To begin building core strength from the glutes, try glute bridges, which can be performed with or without weight on your hips.

• Pivot on your shoulders and push your heels into the floor
• Move your hips forward by squeezing your glutes tightly
• Avoid arching your back

Side Plank

The side plank will work your obliques which are the muscles on each side of your abs. Like the plank this exercise is performed as an isometric hold, however, you can also raise and lower your hips to make this a dynamic exercise too.

• Place your lower elbow directly beneath your shoulder
• Lift your hips from the ground to form a straight line along your body
• If you find it difficult try bending and resting on your lower knee

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