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Hi guys I'm Ksenia from SimplyHappy.Me And today we are going to target the core
You inner core muscles help you breathe and move, and perform your daily tasks
Your outer core muscles stabilize your body and protect your organs
Your core muscles are basically your abdomen muscles, your pelvic floor muscles, your obliques,
your back and your diaphragm. It is important to train your core. Today
we are going to work all of those muscles. So let's get to work.
The first exercise is the plank. To make it more challenging you can bring
one of your legs up, hold it for as long as you can. Bring it back down and hold it.
If you are a newbie? You can modify this exercise by going down on your elbows. Just make sure
your midsection is not hanging below your shoulders.
The next one is called the side plank. You can place one foot in front of the other
for more stability. If you feel comfortable, you can place that
foot on top of the other foot. Raise your arm and hold it. for as long as you can. One
minute is good enough. To make this more challenging you can bring
one of your legs up. And if you feel adventurous, try this move.
Bring your elbow to your chest and touch your elbow with your knee all at the same time.
Now, if you want to take it easy, lower yourself down and lean on your elbow.
The next exercise is called a happy plank. Lower yourself onto the floor. Lean on your
elbows. Keep your body straight. I call it a happy plank. Imagine yourself at the beach.
It will help you hold it for longer. For the next set of exercises we are going
to grab a swiss ball. Get in a plank position, but instead of resting your feet on the ground,
bring them up so they are resting on top of the ball. Bring your knees to your chest and
back into the plank position. Do not get your feet off the ball during the movement. Slow
down if you feel like you are about to fall. The next exercise is the reversed crunch.
Next, we are going to position the Swiss ball next to a wall. Place your hands behind the
head and reach up. Do as many reps a you like then lean forward to catch your breath.
The next exercise is called oblique crunch. I've never seen it done before, so this is
something I actually came up with. It really works your obliques.
Try it. Stay in this position. Now, instead of going
straight up, you are going to twist your body. Don't forget to breathe. Switch sides.
Inhale as you go down and exhale as you go up.
Do an even number of reps on each side. I know you know this one. The next exercise
is called Russian twists. Place a medicine ball or a dumbbell next to
you. All you have to do is carry this weight to the other side.
Touch the floor and carry it back. If you want to make it more challenging, you can
raise your legs up and repeat the movement. Our final exercise is deadlifts. Yay
Don't be intimidated by a deadlift. It's an easy exercise once you understand how to perform
it. I am going to perform a deadlift with a hex
bar. You are going to set your weights up this
way. Squeeze these two little guys together, keep
it squeezed and slide it onto the bar to secure your weights.
Stand in front of the bar and step right into it.
Lower yourself down and bend your knees, keep your back straight, then lift.
Stand all the way up, lower the weight down gently, keep the form, don't smack the weights
onto the floor. Repeat as many times as you wish. That's it.
If you are not too tired you can do one or two more sets of these exercises and you are
done. Good to go. For more details read our article on core
training at www.simplyhappy.me