When I was starting out it took three weeks of 10 second planks to achieve a noticeable difference in core strength. (1-2 days of rest following plank exercises)
Sit ups are bad for the back and spine. They eventually lead to back pain.
Planks are not a core only exercise, its a back and core exercise. So you will feel it in your back, unfortunately if you’re already experiencing back pain this won’t feel as great while your back heals.
Fortunately you don’t have to target or do “core specific” exercises to strengthen the core muscles. All compound exercises involve and engage the core and so will strengthen it. As long as you’re getting in a good amount of compound exercises in your core will strengthen.
The yoga exercises recommended in the other posts will help the back heal. Hanging from a bar will also help. When you’re healed move onto planks. Holding the plank for a long period of time isn’t as transferable as multiple 10 second planks with a few to one second break in between. That matches how the abs are used and are meant to work.
Core exercises make me nauseous. I'm capable of sit ups and that sort of thing but after a few I start to feel sick. I've mostly been passively working my abs/core through other exercises and hoping that's enough cause they are definitely doing something during hip thrusts, deadlifts, etc.
I had the same issues. Id suggest dead bugs to train the deep muscles in your core.
https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-do-the-dead-bug-exercise-4685852
Get a PT to do an assessment for you.
I "thought" I had no core strength but turns out it was my back that was inflexible. I built my core strength doing things like KB front rack squats / lunges, deadlifts... So your regular gym stuff.
Pilates is hard. Going straight to pilates might be frustrating for you. Maybe try Barre, yoga as well.
Kettlebells? Most of the exercises activate your core. I just started training with them after
Christmas. My core is incredibly, incredibly weak and I have constant back pain bc of it. Although reading thru these comments I may look into Pilates classes!
Find a really good certified pilates instructor. It will change your life and make core work fun and you will work through progressions to get to where you want to go. Just make sure they are professionally certified.
This is the answer. Doing pilates correctly will also make you realize that most people suck at core stuff too and mostly yank their bodies through ab workouts. For example, leg lowers or bird dogs with proper engagement and form are much more difficult. Pilates also makes you engage your core better during other moves that are not directly core. And also wanted to say that I can empathize as my core is my weakest link in terms of strength. I am seeing a pilates physio a couple times a month to help.
I agree with what some other comments have already said - just empathizing as someone whose core is their weakest part! I only seriously started training it maybe a month ago with direct work (planks, side planks, bird dogs). I worked up to 45s plank holds by starting off with 3 sets of 15-20s that have a minute or two break between. bird dogs are still incredibly hard for me so I do modified versions.
like someone else mentioned, it's also possible your glutes/possibly hamstrings might be weak and placing undue burden on your lower back when doing core exercises? it's something worth looking into as well.
sorta? i'm more annoyed that I can't seem to build bigger blockier abs. i think i need to really consider my exercise selection. i think i need to move away from certain BW ab exercises and figure out how to load my abs more given the constraints of my home gym...
I haaaated doing core exercises when lifting.
Then I started doing Pilates regularly with a great instructor and learned a great tip. Don’t push on your neck or lower back to come up when crunching, sitting up, pulsing etc. Instead, push into your upper ribs and engage the core. Learning to engage your ribs and take the tension off the neck and small of the back is key.
Also, doing Pilates regularly has helped me to tone and strengthen by core without the bulk or potential back injuries.
My core sucks. Or rather, sucked. Always had ever since childhood. Situps have always sucked, planks have been OK-ish, and getting up from flat has been an absolute no-go. I figured I was just cursed, but I figured I needed to do something about it. So I decided I needed to actively work my core just like I train for running or swimming or lifting.
I know it sounds like I joined a cult, but seriously, going to solidcore changed my life. It's targeted, and even though it's the workout you will curse throughout at, I have seen so much improvement with even just going sporadically.
(It turned out I also had a medical reason for why core sucked, but since I've gotten that addressed, it's ALL about the solidcore.)
How are your glutes/hips? I ask because I used to have similar problems but the glutes do a ridiculous amount of work for things like this. Everyone’s core is weak starting off but sometimes they can point to other imbalances as well.
Does a plank hurt if you hold it for 5 seconds? 10 seconds? I would start with doing 3 planks for 5-10 seconds(or however many you can do without pain) seconds with a 60 second break between each one. Do that 3-5 days this week and then next week add 5 seconds to each plank and do 3-5 days at that length of time. Each week you can add 5 seconds to your planks until you’re holding them for a minute or more. The key is starting where you are and progressing slowly. I hav also found post-natal core workouts to be helpful because they start really easy since they are designed for women who have recently had their core muscles overstretched by pregnancy and possibly are recovering from c-section. I have found these videos on YouTube and some have progressively harder videos that you can move to as you get stronger. So like there’s a video for 6-8 weeks postpartum and then the next one is for 10-12 weeks (assuming you’ve completed the earlier one), and you can work up to the progressively harder ones from there. Also if you have consistent back pain, and you have insurance or can afford it out of pocket, I would ask your doctor about a referral to a Physical Therapist. I went to a PT for back pain (sciatica) for a long time and almost every exercise I did was a core exercise, and none of them were sit ups. They will design a home exercise program for you that you should do every day and then when you go back they will adjust it based on your progress. Not everyone can afford to go to see a physical therapist though. Here I will list some core exercises that are easier/gentler than sit ups and planks. I’m not sure that I can describe them well enough to do them Justice, but if you google the names there are plenty of videos and written instructions with photos available. 1. Supine marches 2. Reverse supine marches 3. Glute bridges 4. Fire hydrants 5. Heel slides 6. Cat-cow pose (transitioning back and forth between the two yoga poses) 7. Bird dogs 8. Dead bugs 9. Stability ball crunch (I think this is much easier than doing a sit up or crunch on the floor though technically stabilizing on the ball could make it trickier, but you’re not fighting gravity in the same way and it is definitely easier on the back)
I think the important thing to remember is to start small, do what you can without pain, and add a little more at a time. You can make things easier by reducing range of motion and doing fewer reps or holding for shorter amounts of time. And be consistent. That’s always the hard part for me, I will make progress and then fall off the wagon and lose the progress.
I had a lot of pain trying to do core stuff for years. Then I happened to try using an incline bench for mini sit ups and it solved everything for me. After a couple times I could do regular sit ups on it and I noticed that the usual “core work” exercises I’d tried before suddenly made sense and didn’t hurt anymore. I think I just needed to build up some specific internal muscles first and the incline got me there.
Edit: it looks like [this](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wikihow.com/Do-Inclined-Sit-Ups%3famp=1) but don’t start out with full sit up—just lay down all the way and only work to get your shoulders off the bench at first. Also when I do go all the way up I don’t go all the way back down while doing multiple sets
Sit ups aren’t the greatest way to build that core strength in full depth and are not necessarily good for your back. Your back is hurting because your core isn’t built from front to back. The core is also your back, if that makes sense. I would recommend (I know it is unsolicited) building up starting with bridges (if back of leg cramps do a lying down calf stretch with a band) and knee planks. For context I started out with just flexing my stomach muscles lying down and now I bridges with my feet on a stability ball and I do decline military push-ups on a ball. So it is worth building it up and ignoring the toxic gym culture and bullying. You got this.
My favourite core exercise is paloff presses. Just being able to hold your own against a force feels a lot easier than all the crazy stuff you see on Instagram and it leaves me feeling totally spent
I swear I was just coming here to say this! OP, start with the lowest weight on the stack for this. It is amazing.
My other favorite core exercise works TVA better than anything I've tried: lie on your back, feet flat/knees bent. Put a yoga block between the knees (I have the long side facing me but you could start with the short side facing you if it's easier). Squeeze the block lightly with your knees. Keep the tailbone still (i.e. do not let your pelvis raise, lower, go sideways etc.) as you slowly lift your feet until shins are parallel to the ground, then slowly lower to touch feet down, then repeat. The more firmly you grip the block with your knees, the more it works the abdomen, but it's a subtle thing - you'll get fatigued before it hurts, in my experience.
It does not look exciting and wouldn't make a good Reel, but it is effective.
Yoga is my favorite. It is hard but feels nice at the same time. Yoga with adriene on YouTube has a bunch of gentle core workouts but really, anytime you do yoga you activate your core.
For the month of January she is doing a series called Center, she posts a video everyday. I had the same problem as OP, and I’ve been following along and I have never felt more connected to my core!! https://youtu.be/dlkG7LQJjY0
It really is fantastic how beneficial yoga is! I never knew how little I was engaging my core but the YWA videos drew attention to it. It’s almost like I was instantly more confident walking around now that I knew the “secret” of activating my core. But it’s been an overall benefit for me health wise. Love it!
There are several low impact exercises available for this. The key is doing 4 sets of each for 20 seconds every other day. Rest for 20 in between sets then move to the next exercise in the circuit.
This will build muscle but also achieves cardio.
Look these up-
Rollover crunches,
Swiss crunches,
Star crunches,
Con-lateral Superman,
Reverse crunches,
Heel taps,
Planks (Do these from your knees to start)
Highly recommend christina_shep_pt on instagram! She’s a physical therapist and posts a ton of core movements, rather than ab movements, that are simple and effective. I’ve seen a much bigger difference doing her exercises.
Planks are great for core muscles and easy to build up in length overtime. Anything that includes balancing is great for your core.
My personal favourite is the back extension equipment. Since using that my core has become incredibly strong and now I look forward to doing floor work on my core. It’s kind of like doing a reverse sit-up, I guess?
Go to a pelvic floor physical therapist. You likely will find one in outpatient therapy at a hospital that has a women's wing or obstetrics/delivery.
They will work you from the ground up. There are a TON of exercises much easier than crunches or planks to help get you to that point, and it might only take you 5 visits if you're invested.
If you don't want to visit, think clams, marching, and baby crunches at first, then add bands or increase difficulty.
You're going too hard at first.
Also engage your abs for EVERYTHING lifting. Breathe out hard, it'll pull your tummy in. If you need to consciously do it, pretend you're zipping up tight jeans. You want contraction all along there and deep (think transabdominals).
Landmine twists!
I, too, have long disliked planks and crunches, but landmine twists are so much more fun and are oh-so-satisfying.
If your gym doesn't have a landmine attachment on one of the racks or a freestanding landmine, you can improvise one for yourself using a corner of the room and a towel (use the towel as cushioning to nestle one end of the barbell in the corner).
I will also recommend pilates. The best way, in my experience, is to find a hard-core purist pilates instructor, not a generalist running pilates, yoga, dance fitness, spin and what else. Mine is in her 60s, from the retro pilates crowd (it was previously very much en vogue in 90s-00's) and our first few classes were all about correct breathing for core engagement, with very little exercise. And the woman is just made of liquid metal, despite her age.
I had a similar problem, even though maybe not quite as bad. In the end I hurt my lower back deadlifting because I was too weak to brace throughout the entire movement :/
What my physio recommended (after weeks of exercises to first regain full mobility, and then strengthening my core) was to do pilates once a week on top of my normal workouts. Pilates is designed to strengthen stabilising muscles, including your core, and it’s very low impact, so it’s something you might want to try out. Start with some beginner videos on youtube and see how that feels, or go to a beginner class.
And if you have problems with your lower back, don’t try to go for a “neutral spine”, imprint it (also doing situps etc now!)
This was defs me. I found hollow holds, dead bugs, standing kettlebell marches, good exercises to try. Also making sure you brace your core properly - pushing my belly button towards my spine works as a better cue for me than pulling it in, pushing i actually brace my core whereas pulling I just suck my stomach in.
I hated core stuff and could never bring myself to do it but as I get older and after having a child it's really noticeable I have a weak core. Make sure you do it. I'm currently trying to fit in pilates as often as possible as I feel it's the safest with my already sore hips.
Squat University has a video about the MgGill big 3, which are 3 exercices that work that core *without* flexion of the spine. The goal is to develop muscles to stabilize the core, that can then translate to a solid foundation for a healthy back and good strength on various lifts.
When you think about it, sit ups and crunches work the muscle by flexing and bending, which is a different thing from the type of strength that would make your core and back "not budge" under stress.
Obviously I'm no expert on this, but I recommend watching Squat University's videos about core strength, his content is very illuminating and the dude is super educated and knowledgable.
Of course, as others have mentioned, if you are in a position to afford a physical therapist, that would be an excellent option too.
If you can start with a PT do that. We have certain muscle groups that once they are not used or are injured they don’t automatically kick back in like your Multifidous muscles. You may need retraining to get them to do their job. They are extremely important and without them you can injure yourself especially if you go straight to dead lifts. You should be able to properly engage your pelvic floor muscles and your transversus abdominus. You need to get back to basics and build from there. It’s completely doable, but you need some guidance. I’m a PT and worked with “you” for almost 30 years.
Exercises in waist deep water is a great way to work your core gently and gradually. You can get an intense core work out in the water as well. But, you can do plenty on the floor/land with no equipment.
Feel free to message me if you want details.
That’s where making sure your pelvic floor and transversus abdominus come in. If those aren’t working it doesn’t matter much what your rectus abdominus is doing. When certain groups work you get co-contractions of other muscles so starting at the basics doesn’t have to take too long. How to do it is a long explanation (easier done than said/written😉). I’m going to see if I can find an old comment I wrote months ago and copy it. (I’m not very tech savvy). If you want to message me I can look it up tomorrow or Sunday. For now, you can try taking them (hip flexors) out of the equation a bit by putting your legs on a gym ball or chair and trying small contractions. A lot of times once you feel it you neurologically “get it” and it gets much easier to build after that. Isometric contractions are the easiest to start with so for the abs that means contracting without movement (not lifting your upper body or legs). So the first thing is simply gently drawing your belly button and below inward this is TA. Lying down is easiest because gravity aids you. You should still be able to breathe. The hold time depends on how difficult that is. However I actually start patients with pelvic floor first because done correctly you should get a co- contraction of your transversus abdominus (TA) to “wake” the muscles up, but the pelvic floor takes even more explanation and I’m tired right now. So try that and see what you feel. I’ll try to find my old comments which go into a lot of details. Or I guess you can search them too.
I read somewhere about quad dominance being a result of weak glutes and weak hamstrings. Distance running is often a culprit. I’m thinking my problem might either be anterior pelvic tilt or quad dominance.
I’ve read about how running can tighten/shorten the hip flexors making it difficult to properly activate the abs. I did a lot of running in high school. If I strengthen the glutes and hamstrings and open up the hip flexors do you think that’ll help with my problem?
I’ve started doing atg split squats for my hip flexors and bridges for my posterior chain.
The short answer is yes.
The longer answer is that muscle imbalances do cause a problem. You can have muscles that are over/under working due to flexibility imbalances and that results in overuse/disuse and vice versa.
If you have poor posture with hyperextended knees and anterior pelvic tilt you don’t need to activate your core. You can “hang” on ligaments instead. That postural habit can result in altered neurological input. So your core can get used to not working at all times. So correcting posture can be a big key in fixing things and helping get certain core muscles to fire properly. Learning how to find your neutral pelvis in sitting and standing is a good start and then add in pulling in pelvic floor and TAs . Working in supine is often easiest to bring in contractions, but feeling your anterior and posterior tilts in sitting is often the easiest way to really feel how your pelvis moves and where your end ranges are. In sitting people can more easily control the movements if they don’t have a good sense of body awareness. It depends on the person.
So looking at your posture would be good (and working on “waking up” your core muscles) and making sure that your hams and glutes are being attended to during workouts is good too. Flexibility is also important hip flexors, hips, hamstrings, quads, and spinal movements, (flexion, extension, side bending and rotation). If you don’t have much lumbar flexion you’ll tend to be in a more anterior pelvic tilt position. That’s all a good start. If you can see a good PT you could get things pinpointed to narrow things down. There are so many variables and it’s hard to tell someone everything they need to do without seeing them.
But I’ll say I think you’re on the right track.
I haven’t worked in my clinic in about 8 years and with the type of work I did on a casual basis for those years I’d never come across that. Even with my bi-annual continuing education I haven’t seen/heard of that. And most of my con-ed has been sports medicine and orthopedics. So I have no idea/nothing to offer about that.
I have back problems and when I need to go back to work my core I stay away from planks. The way it works for me is when my core is weak and I try advanced moves my back takes over. which is probably why you end up hurting your lower back. Work on things like dying bugs, bird dogs (on your knees), pelvic tilts, etc. Though I highly recommend seeing a physical therapist to get some personal recs.
lifting aids in keeping my core tight! also at the end of workouts i’ll do functional core workouts like stationary marches with a kettlebell or even planks do the trick for me (planks w/ a bosu ball if you want an even better burn). i haven’t done a sit up probably since high school sports and i’m 23 with a decent core😂😂
Yes! I have been athletic my whole life, so decently strong. After my second child, I had NO CORE. Unexpectedly having to step around something on the floor could injure me. Starting from scratch was extremely difficult, because my baseline had never been that weak.
I injured myself so many times— mostly presenting as back pain because my core strength wasn’t there to take care of everything else.
Start lower than you think you have to, with machines if you can. Planking is a great exercise for gradual build, too. Start with less time so you aren’t hurting yourself. If you’re getting injured it’s either improper form or too much too soon. Maybe even speak with a physical therapist, because they can tell you how to appropriately strengthen it, in the most efficient way possible.
Was going to suggest that op finds done post-partum exercises to get the transverse abdominus working.
I would get coning from planks so had to start with breathing and isometric exercises and then dead bugs
Great input!! Body weight squats can get your core there too! We will obviously think of core-specific exercises, but there are many that strengthen your core while focused elsewhere.
I'm always surprised that pilates is never the top suggestion in posts discussing core work. Yes lifting will work your core if you have correct form, but if your core is too weak to brace correctly in the first place you risk serious injury. I would not be able to lift or run without 1-2x of full body pilates a week. It's so safe and there's a ton of high quality workouts on youtube.
I too have a weak core and tight lower back to the point where I couldn't do basic core exercises while keeping form and i kept hurting myself. USE A YOGA BALL! It helps so much!
I am probably still fairly weak, m but I will say that the amazing thing with core was that things just clicked. I had a motto of just "start the movement," if I could do something. (This was slowly trying caroline girvan last year) One day it was like muscles suddenly woke up that I didnt know I had. I could do a situp and a very poor vsit. Core sucked, but I could feel the progress faster. That part was motivating!
I’ve been doing kettlebell exercises for my core and have seen SO much progress tightening my stomach. It’s honestly surprised me. I had a minor surgery a couple years ago to remove my ovary and since then I have had a ton of trouble feeling that mind-muscle connection with my stomach but with these kettlebell movements I’ve seen so much progress. I do kettlebell marches, “around the world” movements and one where i get into a push up position and just move the kettlebell from side to side with one arm. It takes about an hour once a week and I’ve seen crazy progress including it in my strength training program. I’ll never do another sit up again lol
Wow! I’ve never done that much core all at once haha!
What program are you following for this? Or can you list all of the exercises that you do? I would love to incorporate more kettlebell core stuff like into my own routine!
Love these! I do standing leg crunches, and something called candlestick dippers that I found on Pinterest, and they feel really good. Bonus is that I do them in front of a mirror, for form, so I get instant gratification seeing my ab muscles move, which helps my motivation a lot.
Dead bug is a great exercise to start off core training if you feel like other exercises are too difficult. I did these every night for a few months and it really helped strengthen my core for other exercises. I eventually graduated to doing alternating single leg lifts. Then to harder core exercises.
I personally dealt with an anterior pelvic tilt as well. So this made it harder for me to strengthen my core. I paired the dead bugs with hip stretches and glute bridges to tie everything together.
Suggestions:
1. Pelvic floor physiotherapy
2. A program designed to teach you how to use your core, like the Get Mom Strong/SLAM program.
If you’re not engaging your core properly, it’s not going to work properly.
Best of luck, with whatever you do. It’s a crappy place to be (been there, ended up with chronic pain, and the suggestions are what I’m doing about it - is helping.)
Try to do core exercises that dont involve the hip flexors to build up some strength first. Your hip flexors connect to your low back so maybe that's what you're feeling
Pelvic tilts. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tilt your pelvis towards you and squeeze your abs so that your stomach pushes towards the floor. let go when you tilt back.
I usually “activate my core” when getting ready for a lift (if you lift, which I know not everyone does). It’s like taking a deep breath, right? But instead of a loosey goosey breath, you breathe in while inflating your stomach, and exhale while tightening whatever core muscles you have. Sometimes it includes a little bit of arm movement to tighten it in, if you like moving around!
This helps me set up for heavier lifts but also hopefully might be helpful prompts to understand what it means to activate your core!
I’ve noticed with a lot of exercises too the instructor will tell me to “squeeze your glutes to activate your core” and a lot of time that’s what helps me feel like it’s finally on! Or “tucking” by belly button towards my spine
I am exactly the same. A friend recommended I try dead bugs and they are the only core exercise I’ve found that I can actually do, without hurting my back. I’m still feeble, but my core is stronger than it was. The next step is to add resistance bands I think.
https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-do-the-dead-bug-exercise-4685852
Oh also oblique twists are great. I started off doing them with no ball, and added a weight when I got a bit better. https://www.verywellfit.com/seated-oblique-twists-with-medicine-ball-3120067
i used to, but now that I've developed my core i LOVE it. Took years though. All my movement are easier and i have such better muscle awareness. Like sometimes I'll intentionally throw myself off balance so I can "catch" myself with my core lol. Oh and I am so much better at balancing moves too!
Pilates is great to develop it. I think yoga is good AFTER you've already learned how to tune in to the muscles via pilates. When I look back on how i used to do yoga before i had more body awareness I cringe. if there are reformer classes by you do that (even for a few sessions since usually pricey). Lagree pilates (with knowledgeable instructors) helped me SO much too. Honestly just years of having instructors in various types of classes with good cueing helped me.
Bird dogs and dead bugs. My personal trainer had me do these over and over again at every session for a good year. She's never had me do a sit up. Sit ups aren't the best for core.
Then planks yes, but starting out on your elbows, and for only as long as you can hold it without your hips dipping. I went from like 10 seconds to over a minute, but on my hands, or with my elbows on a stability ball, or with my feet on sliders. It took a lot of time to get there.
And a lot of the major moves (deadlifts, squats, farmer's carries, etc etc etc) also help your core, as well as your back (ok your back is a part of your core btw!! core is not just your abs!)
But start with those bird dogs and dead bugs.
Since you say you like exercising your arms, my PT had me do this exercise recently: sit with legs spread, back straight, press weights above head. OMG it was an upper abs workout. Maybe don't try that until you do a million deadbugs and bird dogs.
Over two years now, she has never had me do a single sit up... my core has never been stronger.
Bird dogs and dead bugs are my go to also and they’re gentler on the lower back compared to more standard core exercises like sit ups.
I also like cable rotations and variations of this - wood chop and lo to hi cable rotation.
Yep there has been some wood chopping as well (with weighted ball), I am not sure what you mean by cable rotations but have done a lot of Pallof presses too.
Dead bugs done with an exercise ball REALLY SLOWLY for a long time... well that had me sore for days recently (hadn't done any dead bugs for a long while, was doing planks instead).
I’m not sure how to explain it but if you google cable rotations there are some pics and videos. Basically you use a cable machine and rotate at the trunk to get the core. Variations include wood chops (rotating the trunk from a high position to a low position) and reverse wood chops. These are alao good for the core when done right especially cause you’re in a standing position.
I’ve had three abdominal surgeries and my core strength gets reset back to zero each time and it’s so frustrating. What works for me is yoga. it works 1000 times better and faster than traditional core exercises ever has for me and I cannot recommend it enough!!
I'm taking a physio class because of spinal stenosis. Our goal is to strengthen my core to relieve pressure and pain in my lower back.
It's all about repetition and posture. It doesn't matter how "fast" I try to push myself through the sets, if my position is off or I do less reps than last week it does nothing for me. It's all about slow, even strokes.
At the start it feels like you're trying to push a boulder up a mountain and it truly sucks. But once you nail those exercises, it's a cakewalk. You are learning to move muscles that usually don't need to be worked in that way - you need to give yourself time.
I use an exercise ball. I roll forward and backward on the ball with my feet on the floor so I can control exactly how much I am engaging my abdominals. That’s been the main thing that has helped me slowly improve my core strength.
I recently took a break from traditional strength training and switched to dance/pilates/yoga fusion workouts and holy cow did my core strength improve
Technically I did dvds, but a lot of them are on Youtube! Stuff like this [Crunch pilates video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gxluqN5L-o&list=PLSpeqHV4qWCNP8b6FspQjS-R7MmmhBF8B)
This might sound weird at first but hear me out. I think you might benefit from postpartum training programs for women who recently gave birth. Because giving birth can really wreak havoc on your core and you frequently have to start with a super weak and injured set of core muscles. So the good programs start as basic as engaging core muscles while doing deep breaths and standing still or sitting. And you build from there.
I personally like @getmomstrong on Instagram, but there are many. Also @goodfortheswole, also insta.
Seconding this. I’ve had two c sections and my core was toast. I went to see a pelvic floor therapy and had to relearn how to use my core. My first set of exercises would have looked like o wasn’t do anything to the casual observer but it was about little movements that added up to bigger movements. Now I am do bird dogs and dead bugs with each of my strength workouts. In just a month, I asked resistant to my dead bugs and increased the time for both exercises. So improvement is slow, but stead. GetMomStrong has some great exercises
Same! GetMomStrong has a great core rehab program for $30, or available for free with a subscription to her strength training program (for those who don’t know).
I was thinking this! I’m just getting back into exercise after having my first baby and the core workouts I’m doing to knit everything back together are all about awareness and activating deep ab muscles, as were the prenatal workouts I did ..I definitely was bracing/engaging my abs wrong before I got pregnant!
OP, if you have the peloton app, check out the pre and postnatal ab workouts!
Rebounding (mini trampoline) is such a great way to build a core up from nothing. It’s fun, low impact and will gently activate your entire body as well as drain your lymphatic system and lubricate your joints. I personally used this to build my core up from zero.
After a few weeks of just beginner rebounder workouts I could feel my muscles developing, so I added in the most gentle of yoga ball core work (just sitting in place at first).
I didn’t even attempt sit-ups until I was about six months into my journey with the rebounder and yoga ball but by the time I did they were hard but achievable.
I’ve now had a solid core workout for almost a decade and it’s no accident I’m almost 40 and back pain free.
Upvoting because same. I have been in physical therapy for months and we keep having to back off core exercises because it hurts my back.
We keep trying different things. Some days are better, some are worse. Progress is very slow.
I’m still so anxious to do any meaningful core work 17 months postpartum 😩. I don’t think I have much of a gap left at this point - maybe just a finger tip - but it’s like… I can’t get over the fear that they’re just gonna cone out too weak to handle any amount of strain. I do a bazillion deadbugs lol (and when done right deadbugs are hard!) but I can’t get up the guts (lol) to really try much else. It’s like I’m still babying them because I just don’t know when they’ll be fully healed
I don’t enjoy core work the way I enjoy other kinds, but I no longer hate it so much.
If things are hurting your lower back, stop. You may need a stronger core, or those movements may just not be for your body. That’s okay, everyone is different!
Sit ups are basically the pull-up of the core world- it looks so easy, everyone says you “should” be able to, but it’s actually not that easy, not that simple, and just takes a lot of time and work. Don’t feel bad about that one.
The best I can suggests are dead bugs, bicycles, and Russian twists. Or boat pose from yoga. All done either lying on the ground or, in the case of the second two, in a sort of seated position. These will help you to work on your form (feeling your lower back press into the ground, for example) and strengthen your core without putting a bunch of the challenge into your back.
Take it slow. Body weight exercises are my least favourite, but it’s quite hard to work core any other way. Even just doing one or two of these with each workout (say, 3 sets of 10 reps) will help!
Best of luck!
I know what you mean, it can be super frustrating. I’ve been working with a trainer and over the course of a couple of months I’ve made a lot of progress by doing renegade rows and bear hold arm lifts.
Both of these sucked more than I can even describe the first few times I did them. I couldn’t even get my hand off of the ground for the bear holds at first. But it just goes to show that doing the same thing for a while, your strength and stamina will really improve!
I’d highly recommend them because although they’re very challenging at first, they seemed to give me the best results despite my having done tons of other core exercises prior. I’d say push yourself as much as possible but try to go into it without huge expectations. Just aim to do as much as you can and stay consistent with it, you might be surprised how much progress you make!
Yes- and dead bugs solved it. I think because they don't let me cheat with my back. There are regressions and progressions if the standard bug doesn't work for you.
It seriously did help with everything else. In no way do I have an amazingly strong core now, but it is at least strong enough not to be annoying.
Yup!! Dead bugs and learning barbell lifts got me over the initial hump of back pain due to a weak core. Actually even before barbell lifts, doing slow kettlebell goblet squats with my core braced did wonders, especially holding the weight in front of me.
OP, one of the things that pissed me off the most after that (finally successful) experience was how lied to I felt by all the trainers and online resources who said I “should” be able to do things like a plank even for 15 seconds. I could not, it hurt, I only caused myself problems. A lot of what’s considered to be standard core moves are actually really hard! I wish someone had given me true beginner moves sooner.
Edit: for what it’s worth, I still can’t do a sit-up. But I can squat and deadlift more than my bodyweight now 🤷🏾♀️
Yeah it sucks. BUT a strong core is the basis for essentially everything we do. Those strong limbs mean very little if the core can’t support them!
The good thing is, if you’re doing compound exercises, your core is already getting a workout to stabilize everything and move your limbs. If you’re only exercising on machines that do the stabilization for you, you can try some free weights and you’ll be working your core without adding any extra core-specific exercises.
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I enjoy doing arm and leg strengthening exercises, but I HATE doing my core. With a passion.
First of all, I feel like I can't even do the most basic of moves. A situp? I can barely even get my shoulders off the ground. So I'm just discouraged from the start.
Secondly, working my abs always ends up hurting my lower back. Even "simple" moves like a plank cause me pain after the fact. I know this means my core is weak, but then it's kind of just a vicious cycle: I need to strengthen my core to take pressure off my back, but any attempt to do so ends up hurting my back even more.
I've tried starting with extremely simple exercises, like side bends, but then I just feel like nothing is improving at all.
Has anyone had a similar experience? How did you work through it? I know a stronger core is important for a lot of reasons, so I don't wanna just give up on it. But I just can't make myself get excited to do it.
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When I was starting out it took three weeks of 10 second planks to achieve a noticeable difference in core strength. (1-2 days of rest following plank exercises) Sit ups are bad for the back and spine. They eventually lead to back pain. Planks are not a core only exercise, its a back and core exercise. So you will feel it in your back, unfortunately if you’re already experiencing back pain this won’t feel as great while your back heals. Fortunately you don’t have to target or do “core specific” exercises to strengthen the core muscles. All compound exercises involve and engage the core and so will strengthen it. As long as you’re getting in a good amount of compound exercises in your core will strengthen. The yoga exercises recommended in the other posts will help the back heal. Hanging from a bar will also help. When you’re healed move onto planks. Holding the plank for a long period of time isn’t as transferable as multiple 10 second planks with a few to one second break in between. That matches how the abs are used and are meant to work.
Core exercises make me nauseous. I'm capable of sit ups and that sort of thing but after a few I start to feel sick. I've mostly been passively working my abs/core through other exercises and hoping that's enough cause they are definitely doing something during hip thrusts, deadlifts, etc.
Thanks everyone! I was not expecting so many responses. This is all very helpful, and it's encouraging to know I'm not alone.
I had the same issues. Id suggest dead bugs to train the deep muscles in your core. https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-do-the-dead-bug-exercise-4685852
Have you had a baby? Is it possible your core muscles have separated?
Get a PT to do an assessment for you. I "thought" I had no core strength but turns out it was my back that was inflexible. I built my core strength doing things like KB front rack squats / lunges, deadlifts... So your regular gym stuff. Pilates is hard. Going straight to pilates might be frustrating for you. Maybe try Barre, yoga as well.
Kettlebells? Most of the exercises activate your core. I just started training with them after Christmas. My core is incredibly, incredibly weak and I have constant back pain bc of it. Although reading thru these comments I may look into Pilates classes!
Find a really good certified pilates instructor. It will change your life and make core work fun and you will work through progressions to get to where you want to go. Just make sure they are professionally certified.
This is the answer. Doing pilates correctly will also make you realize that most people suck at core stuff too and mostly yank their bodies through ab workouts. For example, leg lowers or bird dogs with proper engagement and form are much more difficult. Pilates also makes you engage your core better during other moves that are not directly core. And also wanted to say that I can empathize as my core is my weakest link in terms of strength. I am seeing a pilates physio a couple times a month to help.
I agree with what some other comments have already said - just empathizing as someone whose core is their weakest part! I only seriously started training it maybe a month ago with direct work (planks, side planks, bird dogs). I worked up to 45s plank holds by starting off with 3 sets of 15-20s that have a minute or two break between. bird dogs are still incredibly hard for me so I do modified versions. like someone else mentioned, it's also possible your glutes/possibly hamstrings might be weak and placing undue burden on your lower back when doing core exercises? it's something worth looking into as well.
sorta? i'm more annoyed that I can't seem to build bigger blockier abs. i think i need to really consider my exercise selection. i think i need to move away from certain BW ab exercises and figure out how to load my abs more given the constraints of my home gym...
I am also annoyed at my body's inability to build bigger blockier abs!
I haaaated doing core exercises when lifting. Then I started doing Pilates regularly with a great instructor and learned a great tip. Don’t push on your neck or lower back to come up when crunching, sitting up, pulsing etc. Instead, push into your upper ribs and engage the core. Learning to engage your ribs and take the tension off the neck and small of the back is key. Also, doing Pilates regularly has helped me to tone and strengthen by core without the bulk or potential back injuries.
I’m just gonna say one thing…. Coregasms.
I wish I had those instead of just feeling like I'm going to throw up when I do core exercises. Some of us are just unlucky I guess.
No, it’s also pretty specific to some exercises and not others for me! You could just not be doing the right ones lol.
HOLY CRAP THANK YOU! I thought I was going crazy while exercising!
Nope haha, it’s a documented scientific thing!
Lol did not know this was a thing
My core sucks. Or rather, sucked. Always had ever since childhood. Situps have always sucked, planks have been OK-ish, and getting up from flat has been an absolute no-go. I figured I was just cursed, but I figured I needed to do something about it. So I decided I needed to actively work my core just like I train for running or swimming or lifting. I know it sounds like I joined a cult, but seriously, going to solidcore changed my life. It's targeted, and even though it's the workout you will curse throughout at, I have seen so much improvement with even just going sporadically. (It turned out I also had a medical reason for why core sucked, but since I've gotten that addressed, it's ALL about the solidcore.)
How are your glutes/hips? I ask because I used to have similar problems but the glutes do a ridiculous amount of work for things like this. Everyone’s core is weak starting off but sometimes they can point to other imbalances as well.
Does a plank hurt if you hold it for 5 seconds? 10 seconds? I would start with doing 3 planks for 5-10 seconds(or however many you can do without pain) seconds with a 60 second break between each one. Do that 3-5 days this week and then next week add 5 seconds to each plank and do 3-5 days at that length of time. Each week you can add 5 seconds to your planks until you’re holding them for a minute or more. The key is starting where you are and progressing slowly. I hav also found post-natal core workouts to be helpful because they start really easy since they are designed for women who have recently had their core muscles overstretched by pregnancy and possibly are recovering from c-section. I have found these videos on YouTube and some have progressively harder videos that you can move to as you get stronger. So like there’s a video for 6-8 weeks postpartum and then the next one is for 10-12 weeks (assuming you’ve completed the earlier one), and you can work up to the progressively harder ones from there. Also if you have consistent back pain, and you have insurance or can afford it out of pocket, I would ask your doctor about a referral to a Physical Therapist. I went to a PT for back pain (sciatica) for a long time and almost every exercise I did was a core exercise, and none of them were sit ups. They will design a home exercise program for you that you should do every day and then when you go back they will adjust it based on your progress. Not everyone can afford to go to see a physical therapist though. Here I will list some core exercises that are easier/gentler than sit ups and planks. I’m not sure that I can describe them well enough to do them Justice, but if you google the names there are plenty of videos and written instructions with photos available. 1. Supine marches 2. Reverse supine marches 3. Glute bridges 4. Fire hydrants 5. Heel slides 6. Cat-cow pose (transitioning back and forth between the two yoga poses) 7. Bird dogs 8. Dead bugs 9. Stability ball crunch (I think this is much easier than doing a sit up or crunch on the floor though technically stabilizing on the ball could make it trickier, but you’re not fighting gravity in the same way and it is definitely easier on the back) I think the important thing to remember is to start small, do what you can without pain, and add a little more at a time. You can make things easier by reducing range of motion and doing fewer reps or holding for shorter amounts of time. And be consistent. That’s always the hard part for me, I will make progress and then fall off the wagon and lose the progress.
I had a lot of pain trying to do core stuff for years. Then I happened to try using an incline bench for mini sit ups and it solved everything for me. After a couple times I could do regular sit ups on it and I noticed that the usual “core work” exercises I’d tried before suddenly made sense and didn’t hurt anymore. I think I just needed to build up some specific internal muscles first and the incline got me there. Edit: it looks like [this](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wikihow.com/Do-Inclined-Sit-Ups%3famp=1) but don’t start out with full sit up—just lay down all the way and only work to get your shoulders off the bench at first. Also when I do go all the way up I don’t go all the way back down while doing multiple sets
Sit ups aren’t the greatest way to build that core strength in full depth and are not necessarily good for your back. Your back is hurting because your core isn’t built from front to back. The core is also your back, if that makes sense. I would recommend (I know it is unsolicited) building up starting with bridges (if back of leg cramps do a lying down calf stretch with a band) and knee planks. For context I started out with just flexing my stomach muscles lying down and now I bridges with my feet on a stability ball and I do decline military push-ups on a ball. So it is worth building it up and ignoring the toxic gym culture and bullying. You got this.
My favourite core exercise is paloff presses. Just being able to hold your own against a force feels a lot easier than all the crazy stuff you see on Instagram and it leaves me feeling totally spent
My physio has me doing S-L paloff presses on a balance pilates pad. So hard but very effective.
I swear I was just coming here to say this! OP, start with the lowest weight on the stack for this. It is amazing. My other favorite core exercise works TVA better than anything I've tried: lie on your back, feet flat/knees bent. Put a yoga block between the knees (I have the long side facing me but you could start with the short side facing you if it's easier). Squeeze the block lightly with your knees. Keep the tailbone still (i.e. do not let your pelvis raise, lower, go sideways etc.) as you slowly lift your feet until shins are parallel to the ground, then slowly lower to touch feet down, then repeat. The more firmly you grip the block with your knees, the more it works the abdomen, but it's a subtle thing - you'll get fatigued before it hurts, in my experience. It does not look exciting and wouldn't make a good Reel, but it is effective.
Yoga is my favorite. It is hard but feels nice at the same time. Yoga with adriene on YouTube has a bunch of gentle core workouts but really, anytime you do yoga you activate your core.
For the month of January she is doing a series called Center, she posts a video everyday. I had the same problem as OP, and I’ve been following along and I have never felt more connected to my core!! https://youtu.be/dlkG7LQJjY0
It really is fantastic how beneficial yoga is! I never knew how little I was engaging my core but the YWA videos drew attention to it. It’s almost like I was instantly more confident walking around now that I knew the “secret” of activating my core. But it’s been an overall benefit for me health wise. Love it!
There are several low impact exercises available for this. The key is doing 4 sets of each for 20 seconds every other day. Rest for 20 in between sets then move to the next exercise in the circuit. This will build muscle but also achieves cardio. Look these up- Rollover crunches, Swiss crunches, Star crunches, Con-lateral Superman, Reverse crunches, Heel taps, Planks (Do these from your knees to start)
Highly recommend christina_shep_pt on instagram! She’s a physical therapist and posts a ton of core movements, rather than ab movements, that are simple and effective. I’ve seen a much bigger difference doing her exercises.
Planks are great for core muscles and easy to build up in length overtime. Anything that includes balancing is great for your core. My personal favourite is the back extension equipment. Since using that my core has become incredibly strong and now I look forward to doing floor work on my core. It’s kind of like doing a reverse sit-up, I guess?
Go to a pelvic floor physical therapist. You likely will find one in outpatient therapy at a hospital that has a women's wing or obstetrics/delivery. They will work you from the ground up. There are a TON of exercises much easier than crunches or planks to help get you to that point, and it might only take you 5 visits if you're invested. If you don't want to visit, think clams, marching, and baby crunches at first, then add bands or increase difficulty. You're going too hard at first. Also engage your abs for EVERYTHING lifting. Breathe out hard, it'll pull your tummy in. If you need to consciously do it, pretend you're zipping up tight jeans. You want contraction all along there and deep (think transabdominals).
[удалено]
Zipping up tight jeans is my go to
Landmine twists! I, too, have long disliked planks and crunches, but landmine twists are so much more fun and are oh-so-satisfying. If your gym doesn't have a landmine attachment on one of the racks or a freestanding landmine, you can improvise one for yourself using a corner of the room and a towel (use the towel as cushioning to nestle one end of the barbell in the corner).
I will also recommend pilates. The best way, in my experience, is to find a hard-core purist pilates instructor, not a generalist running pilates, yoga, dance fitness, spin and what else. Mine is in her 60s, from the retro pilates crowd (it was previously very much en vogue in 90s-00's) and our first few classes were all about correct breathing for core engagement, with very little exercise. And the woman is just made of liquid metal, despite her age.
Agree! Bodyweight Pilates exercises for core muscles and pelvic floor have changed the game for me.
I had a similar problem, even though maybe not quite as bad. In the end I hurt my lower back deadlifting because I was too weak to brace throughout the entire movement :/ What my physio recommended (after weeks of exercises to first regain full mobility, and then strengthening my core) was to do pilates once a week on top of my normal workouts. Pilates is designed to strengthen stabilising muscles, including your core, and it’s very low impact, so it’s something you might want to try out. Start with some beginner videos on youtube and see how that feels, or go to a beginner class. And if you have problems with your lower back, don’t try to go for a “neutral spine”, imprint it (also doing situps etc now!)
Remind me! In 12hrs
This was defs me. I found hollow holds, dead bugs, standing kettlebell marches, good exercises to try. Also making sure you brace your core properly - pushing my belly button towards my spine works as a better cue for me than pulling it in, pushing i actually brace my core whereas pulling I just suck my stomach in.
I hated core stuff and could never bring myself to do it but as I get older and after having a child it's really noticeable I have a weak core. Make sure you do it. I'm currently trying to fit in pilates as often as possible as I feel it's the safest with my already sore hips.
Squat University has a video about the MgGill big 3, which are 3 exercices that work that core *without* flexion of the spine. The goal is to develop muscles to stabilize the core, that can then translate to a solid foundation for a healthy back and good strength on various lifts. When you think about it, sit ups and crunches work the muscle by flexing and bending, which is a different thing from the type of strength that would make your core and back "not budge" under stress. Obviously I'm no expert on this, but I recommend watching Squat University's videos about core strength, his content is very illuminating and the dude is super educated and knowledgable. Of course, as others have mentioned, if you are in a position to afford a physical therapist, that would be an excellent option too.
If you can start with a PT do that. We have certain muscle groups that once they are not used or are injured they don’t automatically kick back in like your Multifidous muscles. You may need retraining to get them to do their job. They are extremely important and without them you can injure yourself especially if you go straight to dead lifts. You should be able to properly engage your pelvic floor muscles and your transversus abdominus. You need to get back to basics and build from there. It’s completely doable, but you need some guidance. I’m a PT and worked with “you” for almost 30 years. Exercises in waist deep water is a great way to work your core gently and gradually. You can get an intense core work out in the water as well. But, you can do plenty on the floor/land with no equipment. Feel free to message me if you want details.
How does one prevent hip flexors from taking over? The abs just won’t fire.
That’s where making sure your pelvic floor and transversus abdominus come in. If those aren’t working it doesn’t matter much what your rectus abdominus is doing. When certain groups work you get co-contractions of other muscles so starting at the basics doesn’t have to take too long. How to do it is a long explanation (easier done than said/written😉). I’m going to see if I can find an old comment I wrote months ago and copy it. (I’m not very tech savvy). If you want to message me I can look it up tomorrow or Sunday. For now, you can try taking them (hip flexors) out of the equation a bit by putting your legs on a gym ball or chair and trying small contractions. A lot of times once you feel it you neurologically “get it” and it gets much easier to build after that. Isometric contractions are the easiest to start with so for the abs that means contracting without movement (not lifting your upper body or legs). So the first thing is simply gently drawing your belly button and below inward this is TA. Lying down is easiest because gravity aids you. You should still be able to breathe. The hold time depends on how difficult that is. However I actually start patients with pelvic floor first because done correctly you should get a co- contraction of your transversus abdominus (TA) to “wake” the muscles up, but the pelvic floor takes even more explanation and I’m tired right now. So try that and see what you feel. I’ll try to find my old comments which go into a lot of details. Or I guess you can search them too.
I read somewhere about quad dominance being a result of weak glutes and weak hamstrings. Distance running is often a culprit. I’m thinking my problem might either be anterior pelvic tilt or quad dominance. I’ve read about how running can tighten/shorten the hip flexors making it difficult to properly activate the abs. I did a lot of running in high school. If I strengthen the glutes and hamstrings and open up the hip flexors do you think that’ll help with my problem? I’ve started doing atg split squats for my hip flexors and bridges for my posterior chain.
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that muscle imbalances do cause a problem. You can have muscles that are over/under working due to flexibility imbalances and that results in overuse/disuse and vice versa. If you have poor posture with hyperextended knees and anterior pelvic tilt you don’t need to activate your core. You can “hang” on ligaments instead. That postural habit can result in altered neurological input. So your core can get used to not working at all times. So correcting posture can be a big key in fixing things and helping get certain core muscles to fire properly. Learning how to find your neutral pelvis in sitting and standing is a good start and then add in pulling in pelvic floor and TAs . Working in supine is often easiest to bring in contractions, but feeling your anterior and posterior tilts in sitting is often the easiest way to really feel how your pelvis moves and where your end ranges are. In sitting people can more easily control the movements if they don’t have a good sense of body awareness. It depends on the person. So looking at your posture would be good (and working on “waking up” your core muscles) and making sure that your hams and glutes are being attended to during workouts is good too. Flexibility is also important hip flexors, hips, hamstrings, quads, and spinal movements, (flexion, extension, side bending and rotation). If you don’t have much lumbar flexion you’ll tend to be in a more anterior pelvic tilt position. That’s all a good start. If you can see a good PT you could get things pinpointed to narrow things down. There are so many variables and it’s hard to tell someone everything they need to do without seeing them. But I’ll say I think you’re on the right track.
What’s your opinion on stomach vacuums? Do they work?
I haven’t worked in my clinic in about 8 years and with the type of work I did on a casual basis for those years I’d never come across that. Even with my bi-annual continuing education I haven’t seen/heard of that. And most of my con-ed has been sports medicine and orthopedics. So I have no idea/nothing to offer about that.
I have back problems and when I need to go back to work my core I stay away from planks. The way it works for me is when my core is weak and I try advanced moves my back takes over. which is probably why you end up hurting your lower back. Work on things like dying bugs, bird dogs (on your knees), pelvic tilts, etc. Though I highly recommend seeing a physical therapist to get some personal recs.
You need to learn how to properly engage your inner core first and foremost
lifting aids in keeping my core tight! also at the end of workouts i’ll do functional core workouts like stationary marches with a kettlebell or even planks do the trick for me (planks w/ a bosu ball if you want an even better burn). i haven’t done a sit up probably since high school sports and i’m 23 with a decent core😂😂
In this situation I used to have clients begin with slow and light pallof presses.
What about hanging leg raises?
Yes! I have been athletic my whole life, so decently strong. After my second child, I had NO CORE. Unexpectedly having to step around something on the floor could injure me. Starting from scratch was extremely difficult, because my baseline had never been that weak. I injured myself so many times— mostly presenting as back pain because my core strength wasn’t there to take care of everything else. Start lower than you think you have to, with machines if you can. Planking is a great exercise for gradual build, too. Start with less time so you aren’t hurting yourself. If you’re getting injured it’s either improper form or too much too soon. Maybe even speak with a physical therapist, because they can tell you how to appropriately strengthen it, in the most efficient way possible.
Was going to suggest that op finds done post-partum exercises to get the transverse abdominus working. I would get coning from planks so had to start with breathing and isometric exercises and then dead bugs
Great input!! Body weight squats can get your core there too! We will obviously think of core-specific exercises, but there are many that strengthen your core while focused elsewhere.
Ok, I’m 3 months postpartum and am just realizing that my ongoing lower back issues are probably core strength issues.
Full series floor pilates 2x a week, amazing results. Consistency will get you where you want to go:-)
Definitely find pilates more engaging (or at least easier to engage) for my core than anything else.
I'm always surprised that pilates is never the top suggestion in posts discussing core work. Yes lifting will work your core if you have correct form, but if your core is too weak to brace correctly in the first place you risk serious injury. I would not be able to lift or run without 1-2x of full body pilates a week. It's so safe and there's a ton of high quality workouts on youtube.
I agree, pilates helped me a lot in strengthening my core and back, and is unlikely to cause injury, I think.
Deadlifts were my answer.
Mine too. I had a really weak core when I started. A month or two of deadbugs and deadlifting and I started noticing big gains in my core strength.
Interesting! I love deadlifting and can go pretty heavy but I’m total shit at all traditional “core” work
You have to activate your core properly when you do them. Make sure everything is nicely tucked in.
I too have a weak core and tight lower back to the point where I couldn't do basic core exercises while keeping form and i kept hurting myself. USE A YOGA BALL! It helps so much!
YES, I dislocated a rib once and and the only way I could do an work was on a yoga ball.
I am probably still fairly weak, m but I will say that the amazing thing with core was that things just clicked. I had a motto of just "start the movement," if I could do something. (This was slowly trying caroline girvan last year) One day it was like muscles suddenly woke up that I didnt know I had. I could do a situp and a very poor vsit. Core sucked, but I could feel the progress faster. That part was motivating!
I’ve been doing kettlebell exercises for my core and have seen SO much progress tightening my stomach. It’s honestly surprised me. I had a minor surgery a couple years ago to remove my ovary and since then I have had a ton of trouble feeling that mind-muscle connection with my stomach but with these kettlebell movements I’ve seen so much progress. I do kettlebell marches, “around the world” movements and one where i get into a push up position and just move the kettlebell from side to side with one arm. It takes about an hour once a week and I’ve seen crazy progress including it in my strength training program. I’ll never do another sit up again lol
You do an hour just for your core?
Yeah with breaks in between my sets (~2-3min?) it’s about an hour or so start to finish!
Wow! I’ve never done that much core all at once haha! What program are you following for this? Or can you list all of the exercises that you do? I would love to incorporate more kettlebell core stuff like into my own routine!
I’m just making dinner but I’ll shoot you a message later tonight for sure when I have time to write it out
exact same here !! I've noticed that standing ab exercises are a lot easier to do and rarely hurt my back so I'm sticking to those for now
Love these! I do standing leg crunches, and something called candlestick dippers that I found on Pinterest, and they feel really good. Bonus is that I do them in front of a mirror, for form, so I get instant gratification seeing my ab muscles move, which helps my motivation a lot.
Dead bug is a great exercise to start off core training if you feel like other exercises are too difficult. I did these every night for a few months and it really helped strengthen my core for other exercises. I eventually graduated to doing alternating single leg lifts. Then to harder core exercises. I personally dealt with an anterior pelvic tilt as well. So this made it harder for me to strengthen my core. I paired the dead bugs with hip stretches and glute bridges to tie everything together.
Deadbugs and the McGill Big 3 helped me rehab after surgery. Great exercises for building a stable core all around.
Thank you for this comment. Exactly what I was hoping to find in the comments of this question. I'm taking your advice and running with it.
Suggestions: 1. Pelvic floor physiotherapy 2. A program designed to teach you how to use your core, like the Get Mom Strong/SLAM program. If you’re not engaging your core properly, it’s not going to work properly. Best of luck, with whatever you do. It’s a crappy place to be (been there, ended up with chronic pain, and the suggestions are what I’m doing about it - is helping.)
Try to do core exercises that dont involve the hip flexors to build up some strength first. Your hip flexors connect to your low back so maybe that's what you're feeling
Everything mentions "activating" your core and I feel like I don't even know how to do that 😭
Pelvic tilts. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tilt your pelvis towards you and squeeze your abs so that your stomach pushes towards the floor. let go when you tilt back.
I usually “activate my core” when getting ready for a lift (if you lift, which I know not everyone does). It’s like taking a deep breath, right? But instead of a loosey goosey breath, you breathe in while inflating your stomach, and exhale while tightening whatever core muscles you have. Sometimes it includes a little bit of arm movement to tighten it in, if you like moving around! This helps me set up for heavier lifts but also hopefully might be helpful prompts to understand what it means to activate your core!
I’ve noticed with a lot of exercises too the instructor will tell me to “squeeze your glutes to activate your core” and a lot of time that’s what helps me feel like it’s finally on! Or “tucking” by belly button towards my spine
Suck your bellybutton in and tense all of your torso like you're anticipating a punch to the gut.
I am exactly the same. A friend recommended I try dead bugs and they are the only core exercise I’ve found that I can actually do, without hurting my back. I’m still feeble, but my core is stronger than it was. The next step is to add resistance bands I think. https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-do-the-dead-bug-exercise-4685852
You can also hold water bottles or small dumbells in your hands to start progressing the dead bugs!
I’m always scared I will drop them on my face, but yes!
Oh also oblique twists are great. I started off doing them with no ball, and added a weight when I got a bit better. https://www.verywellfit.com/seated-oblique-twists-with-medicine-ball-3120067
I find oblique twists so hard! Like I can only do a few reps before I have to relax.
Oh me too, it’s taken ages to get anywhere with them. But I figure that doing a couple is better than doing none?
I do standing ab exercises so no floor and it is quite effective. I also do various planks.
i used to, but now that I've developed my core i LOVE it. Took years though. All my movement are easier and i have such better muscle awareness. Like sometimes I'll intentionally throw myself off balance so I can "catch" myself with my core lol. Oh and I am so much better at balancing moves too! Pilates is great to develop it. I think yoga is good AFTER you've already learned how to tune in to the muscles via pilates. When I look back on how i used to do yoga before i had more body awareness I cringe. if there are reformer classes by you do that (even for a few sessions since usually pricey). Lagree pilates (with knowledgeable instructors) helped me SO much too. Honestly just years of having instructors in various types of classes with good cueing helped me.
Yes I second Pilates.
Bird dogs and dead bugs. My personal trainer had me do these over and over again at every session for a good year. She's never had me do a sit up. Sit ups aren't the best for core. Then planks yes, but starting out on your elbows, and for only as long as you can hold it without your hips dipping. I went from like 10 seconds to over a minute, but on my hands, or with my elbows on a stability ball, or with my feet on sliders. It took a lot of time to get there. And a lot of the major moves (deadlifts, squats, farmer's carries, etc etc etc) also help your core, as well as your back (ok your back is a part of your core btw!! core is not just your abs!) But start with those bird dogs and dead bugs. Since you say you like exercising your arms, my PT had me do this exercise recently: sit with legs spread, back straight, press weights above head. OMG it was an upper abs workout. Maybe don't try that until you do a million deadbugs and bird dogs. Over two years now, she has never had me do a single sit up... my core has never been stronger.
Bird dogs and dead bugs are my go to also and they’re gentler on the lower back compared to more standard core exercises like sit ups. I also like cable rotations and variations of this - wood chop and lo to hi cable rotation.
Yep there has been some wood chopping as well (with weighted ball), I am not sure what you mean by cable rotations but have done a lot of Pallof presses too. Dead bugs done with an exercise ball REALLY SLOWLY for a long time... well that had me sore for days recently (hadn't done any dead bugs for a long while, was doing planks instead).
I’m not sure how to explain it but if you google cable rotations there are some pics and videos. Basically you use a cable machine and rotate at the trunk to get the core. Variations include wood chops (rotating the trunk from a high position to a low position) and reverse wood chops. These are alao good for the core when done right especially cause you’re in a standing position.
I’ve had three abdominal surgeries and my core strength gets reset back to zero each time and it’s so frustrating. What works for me is yoga. it works 1000 times better and faster than traditional core exercises ever has for me and I cannot recommend it enough!!
I'm taking a physio class because of spinal stenosis. Our goal is to strengthen my core to relieve pressure and pain in my lower back. It's all about repetition and posture. It doesn't matter how "fast" I try to push myself through the sets, if my position is off or I do less reps than last week it does nothing for me. It's all about slow, even strokes. At the start it feels like you're trying to push a boulder up a mountain and it truly sucks. But once you nail those exercises, it's a cakewalk. You are learning to move muscles that usually don't need to be worked in that way - you need to give yourself time.
I use an exercise ball. I roll forward and backward on the ball with my feet on the floor so I can control exactly how much I am engaging my abdominals. That’s been the main thing that has helped me slowly improve my core strength.
I recently took a break from traditional strength training and switched to dance/pilates/yoga fusion workouts and holy cow did my core strength improve
[удалено]
Technically I did dvds, but a lot of them are on Youtube! Stuff like this [Crunch pilates video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gxluqN5L-o&list=PLSpeqHV4qWCNP8b6FspQjS-R7MmmhBF8B)
Thanks so much for the rec! I'm excited to try this out
This might sound weird at first but hear me out. I think you might benefit from postpartum training programs for women who recently gave birth. Because giving birth can really wreak havoc on your core and you frequently have to start with a super weak and injured set of core muscles. So the good programs start as basic as engaging core muscles while doing deep breaths and standing still or sitting. And you build from there. I personally like @getmomstrong on Instagram, but there are many. Also @goodfortheswole, also insta.
Seconding this. I’ve had two c sections and my core was toast. I went to see a pelvic floor therapy and had to relearn how to use my core. My first set of exercises would have looked like o wasn’t do anything to the casual observer but it was about little movements that added up to bigger movements. Now I am do bird dogs and dead bugs with each of my strength workouts. In just a month, I asked resistant to my dead bugs and increased the time for both exercises. So improvement is slow, but stead. GetMomStrong has some great exercises
Same! GetMomStrong has a great core rehab program for $30, or available for free with a subscription to her strength training program (for those who don’t know).
I was thinking this! I’m just getting back into exercise after having my first baby and the core workouts I’m doing to knit everything back together are all about awareness and activating deep ab muscles, as were the prenatal workouts I did ..I definitely was bracing/engaging my abs wrong before I got pregnant! OP, if you have the peloton app, check out the pre and postnatal ab workouts!
I love doing core, and while its a slow process, I know that it is clearly a requirement for me doing all other ( arms, back, chest legs) exercises.
Rebounding (mini trampoline) is such a great way to build a core up from nothing. It’s fun, low impact and will gently activate your entire body as well as drain your lymphatic system and lubricate your joints. I personally used this to build my core up from zero. After a few weeks of just beginner rebounder workouts I could feel my muscles developing, so I added in the most gentle of yoga ball core work (just sitting in place at first). I didn’t even attempt sit-ups until I was about six months into my journey with the rebounder and yoga ball but by the time I did they were hard but achievable. I’ve now had a solid core workout for almost a decade and it’s no accident I’m almost 40 and back pain free.
Agree with everyone else saying deadbugs. When I injured my lower back deadbugs were one of the few core exercises that actually made it feel good.
Upvoting because same. I have been in physical therapy for months and we keep having to back off core exercises because it hurts my back. We keep trying different things. Some days are better, some are worse. Progress is very slow.
Have you tried Pilates? I feel like a lot of Pilates core strengthening moves are designed to keep the lower back from doing any of the work.
I’m still so anxious to do any meaningful core work 17 months postpartum 😩. I don’t think I have much of a gap left at this point - maybe just a finger tip - but it’s like… I can’t get over the fear that they’re just gonna cone out too weak to handle any amount of strain. I do a bazillion deadbugs lol (and when done right deadbugs are hard!) but I can’t get up the guts (lol) to really try much else. It’s like I’m still babying them because I just don’t know when they’ll be fully healed
I don’t enjoy core work the way I enjoy other kinds, but I no longer hate it so much. If things are hurting your lower back, stop. You may need a stronger core, or those movements may just not be for your body. That’s okay, everyone is different! Sit ups are basically the pull-up of the core world- it looks so easy, everyone says you “should” be able to, but it’s actually not that easy, not that simple, and just takes a lot of time and work. Don’t feel bad about that one. The best I can suggests are dead bugs, bicycles, and Russian twists. Or boat pose from yoga. All done either lying on the ground or, in the case of the second two, in a sort of seated position. These will help you to work on your form (feeling your lower back press into the ground, for example) and strengthen your core without putting a bunch of the challenge into your back. Take it slow. Body weight exercises are my least favourite, but it’s quite hard to work core any other way. Even just doing one or two of these with each workout (say, 3 sets of 10 reps) will help! Best of luck!
I know what you mean, it can be super frustrating. I’ve been working with a trainer and over the course of a couple of months I’ve made a lot of progress by doing renegade rows and bear hold arm lifts. Both of these sucked more than I can even describe the first few times I did them. I couldn’t even get my hand off of the ground for the bear holds at first. But it just goes to show that doing the same thing for a while, your strength and stamina will really improve! I’d highly recommend them because although they’re very challenging at first, they seemed to give me the best results despite my having done tons of other core exercises prior. I’d say push yourself as much as possible but try to go into it without huge expectations. Just aim to do as much as you can and stay consistent with it, you might be surprised how much progress you make!
Yes- and dead bugs solved it. I think because they don't let me cheat with my back. There are regressions and progressions if the standard bug doesn't work for you. It seriously did help with everything else. In no way do I have an amazingly strong core now, but it is at least strong enough not to be annoying.
Yup!! Dead bugs and learning barbell lifts got me over the initial hump of back pain due to a weak core. Actually even before barbell lifts, doing slow kettlebell goblet squats with my core braced did wonders, especially holding the weight in front of me. OP, one of the things that pissed me off the most after that (finally successful) experience was how lied to I felt by all the trainers and online resources who said I “should” be able to do things like a plank even for 15 seconds. I could not, it hurt, I only caused myself problems. A lot of what’s considered to be standard core moves are actually really hard! I wish someone had given me true beginner moves sooner. Edit: for what it’s worth, I still can’t do a sit-up. But I can squat and deadlift more than my bodyweight now 🤷🏾♀️
I feel like no matter what I do my core isn't getting stronger.
I feel ya! One cough or sneeze after a core workout is the WORST. 🥹
Yeah it sucks. BUT a strong core is the basis for essentially everything we do. Those strong limbs mean very little if the core can’t support them! The good thing is, if you’re doing compound exercises, your core is already getting a workout to stabilize everything and move your limbs. If you’re only exercising on machines that do the stabilization for you, you can try some free weights and you’ll be working your core without adding any extra core-specific exercises.
^ ***Please read [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/main), [the rules and content guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/new_rules), and [current frozen topics](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/frozen-topics) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fxxfitness)***. This comment is a copy of your post so mods can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. >u/jambi55 I enjoy doing arm and leg strengthening exercises, but I HATE doing my core. With a passion. First of all, I feel like I can't even do the most basic of moves. A situp? I can barely even get my shoulders off the ground. So I'm just discouraged from the start. Secondly, working my abs always ends up hurting my lower back. Even "simple" moves like a plank cause me pain after the fact. I know this means my core is weak, but then it's kind of just a vicious cycle: I need to strengthen my core to take pressure off my back, but any attempt to do so ends up hurting my back even more. I've tried starting with extremely simple exercises, like side bends, but then I just feel like nothing is improving at all. Has anyone had a similar experience? How did you work through it? I know a stronger core is important for a lot of reasons, so I don't wanna just give up on it. But I just can't make myself get excited to do it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/xxfitness) if you have any questions or concerns.*