Five Core Exercises to Lose Stomach Fat

Five Core Exercises to Lose Stomach Fat

Core training is gaining more and more popularity in the fitness world everyday. The benefits that come from strengthening your core are worthwhile for everyone, from the beginner to the pro-athlete. A combination of cardiovascular exercise, resistance training, a healthy diet, and  strengthening your core can help you to lose stomach fat. So, what is all the buzz about? Why is strengthening your core so important?

Your core is the group of muscles that surround and support your spine giving your body the ability to remain stable and balanced. These muscles include mainly, your Transverse Abdominis, External Obliques, Internal Obliques, Rectus Abdominis, and Erector Spinae. Your Gluteals and upper back muscles also act as stabilizers as you engage your core. When all of these muscles are strengthened and work together you’re ability to perform in any capacity of life, will increase dramatically.

Your core is the powerhouse of your body. Whether you are a power athlete or a power mom. Having a strong core is beneficial for everyday functioning, (Think: lifting children, groceries, balancing to get dressed, avoiding lower back pain, etc.) When your core is strong your body stays in alignment. Force can efficiently be transferred from your upper body to your lower body and vice-versa. This allows your body to propel your force in a forward motion instead of throwing that force from side to side, which is usually the result of poor balance, and can result in falling.) In whatever activity you are doing, it is more than likely that good form takes less energy than bad form. Increasing core strength can also eliminate lower back pain, which is extremely common as we age.

So, what are the best exercises to strengthen your core?

1. The Plank: The plank is a great exercise that forces you to activate your lower back, abdominal muscles, and even works up into your deltoids. Start aiming to hold this isolated position for 30 second intervals, and then work to build up to a minute, two minutes, and as long as you can go!

2. Isolated Crunch: The crunch is a great exercise if it’s done right. The goal is to keep your lower back pressed down, and engaged, the entire time. Keep your chin up as if you had a sock between your chin and your chest and you are aiming for the ceiling. Support your head with your hands, but don’t work from the neck work from the lower back.

3. The Bicycle Crunch: The bicycle crunch is great because it targets all of the abdominal muscles. Here you are aiming to touch opposite elbow’s to knees, alternating. You want to think of the same principle as the regular crunch. Keep that Back down and your chin up.

4. Super mans: These work the muscles of the lower back. When lying on your stomach focus and squeezing your glutes and upper back muscles to get the arms and feet of the ground at the same time holding for a few counts at a time. Release and repeat.

5. Single leg squats: Squats are awesome for the body from the stomach down. When you throw in the balancing aspect that comes with doing single leg squats you add in that core. Be sure to keep your knee in line with your ankle, and don’t allow your knees to go over your toes. Keep the abs tight and try not to put your foot down.

Read about more exercises and workouts to lose body fat.

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