Great Posture and Fitness – The 5 Best Core Stability Exercises
Core stability exercises improve torso strength as a whole. These exercises target many muscles in the torso including abdominal muscles, internal/external obliques, and muscles that run along the spine. Why do these muscles need to be improved?
A balanced training program to strengthen your core will not only improve your overall fitness and feeling fit, but also help avoid back and neck pain and even injuries that can result from weak muscle groups that do not give sufficient support to the bones.
One important thing to remember when performing core stability exercises is to make sure you activate all of your torso muscle groups evenly. The following is a list of five top exercises that will help you activate all of your torso muscles evenly.
1. Straight Crunch. This classic exercise move strengthens the "6-pack abs" part of the upper body.
2. Crossover Crunch. Adding twise to the straight crunch gives you the crossover crunch. When done right, this exercise strengthens the side and front muscles of the abdomen.
3. Back Extension. This exercise works out the muscles that run along your spine and are done by lying on your stomach and contracting your back muscles.
4. Arm Sweep. Sitting down in a slightly leaned-back position, the outstretched arms are moved in a helicopter like circle, twisting your upper body back and forth around your hips. This targets the external obliques.
5. Plank or Push-Up. Finally, the plank or push-up exercises address the "transverse abdominis", the muscles that are lying in the depth of your abdomen, wrapping around the spine. These muscles protect and stabilize your spine most directly and are crucial in avoiding back pains.
Balancing these exercises will allow you to focus on each muscle group in each exercise while currently building the whole core stability package. When you first start core stability training, it might be best to hire a personal trainer to get optimal results. A personal trainer can also help you work more advanced core stability exercises to develop and keep solid core strength.
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