Core strength, lack of it..

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5/29/12 12:36 P

Pilates worked for me. Took a pilates class once a week and it really strengthened my core! Good luck :)

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5/29/12 11:12 A

yes, i echo what people have said here: PILATES and I do think planks of different varieties can be even better than crunches to gain core strength. You can start with just the basic one on your elbows...try to hold for 10 seconds, then as you get better 20, 30, and so on up to 60. Also on a single elbow, facing the side with 1 arm in the air. Simple exercise to do to at least get some base core strength. It is SO SO important to overall health, fitness and preventing injuries AND looking good (posture and tone). Good luck!

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5/29/12 9:35 A

Pilates, yoga, or a DVD like the Six Week Six Pack would help. Crunches are a dinosaur. Lots of luck!!!

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5/25/12 11:37 P

Any trainer who has you doing crunches needs to be retrained and brought up to speed, they work only the abs and not your core. Planks, side planks, bird dogs,Hindu pushups, regular pushups are the kind of core exercises you need to be doing to develop core strength..Any non machine strength work should work your core muscles in addition to whatever else you are working.

If you got to where your are doing only cardio it is time to concentrate on strength training and recover the muscle mass you burned off doing only cardio.



Edited by: SERGEANTMAJOR at: 5/29/2012 (11:19)

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5/25/12 10:29 P

Since I started my ST at the same time as my Cardio, I increased my core strength as I increased my lungs, heart and other muscles. Using dumbbells instead of machines will also help to get to all those muscles better and faster. Just take it slow and light until you get better conditioned and start adding up from there.

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5/25/12 9:07 P

I also second taking a Pilates class. I used to do it several times a week. It did amazing things for my core. I since fell off the wagon, but I'm going to rejoin a class starting at noon tomorrow. It works wonders!

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5/25/12 5:42 P

Planks, push ups, lying leg lifts.

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5/25/12 2:45 P

The trainer you have should know better, but one problem for a person who enjoys cardio exercises is that if you do the cardio exercise the same day as your ST, you may be making it impossible to build strength. To build strength, you should focus on ST only most days of the week working different muscle groups everyday, and do cardio exercises in the rest of the week. This should keep your weight under control and at the same time help you build some muscle. However, building muscle takes time, so you need to be patient.

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5/25/12 2:23 P

If you're looking to increase your core strength, two simple exercises would be plank or push ups. A push up really is nothing more than a moving plank.

However, I do second the motion of trying a pilates class. There are many pilates poses which will help increase your core strength. You could also try yoga. Yoga isn't just about being more flexible. A good yoga class will also help improve your coordination, balance, strength and stamina.

What do you do for balance exercises ? Does your trainer have you work with a stability ball, BOSU, dyna disk or maybe even a wobble board ? If you want to improve your core strength, you need to work the small muscles that act as stabilizers. A person uses more muscle to balance on an unsteady surface. So, you might also consider adding some simple balance type exercises. A very simple balance exercise would be to stand up tall. lift one leg up about six inches off the ground. how long can you stay balanced on that one leg ? It's a lot more challenging than people think.

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5/25/12 12:03 P

Sign up for a pilates class.

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5/25/12 12:02 P

push ups and burpees (squat thrusts) are good ones too. I do prone paddles and superman as well. Prone paddles- lie on your stomach, head up, and move your arms and legs up and down (i do it for 20 sec of work and 20 sec of rest 3 times) Superman is like a prone paddle but your arms and legs are off the ground and you hold for five counts. I still do the 20/20 routine with those as well. Ins and outs are good too. It also helps the abs. Sitting on ground, move feet in and out in one fluid motion. if you can, don't rest your hands on the ground. this forces your core to hold you up.

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5/25/12 11:54 A

Try planks.

I'm really surprised your trainer hasn't taught you how to engage your abs while doing other ST exercises.

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5/25/12 11:53 A

Core strength is definitely a seperate thing from cardio.


I don't have this issue now, but the first time I lost weight, I didn't do anything for my abs and found they were very weak!

It sounds like you are doing good by working with a trainer, especially if your trainer is focused on your goal of improving core strength.

For another resource, today I did the ab moves recommended by Gabrielle Reece on her site gabbyreece360.com/ and feel like I got a good, complete core workout.

Good luck!

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5/25/12 11:49 A

Hey everyone

I'm just wondering if there are others out there like me? I've lost all the weight I'm cardio wise I'm where I want to be but when it comes to core strength I have none! I reached my goal weight about 18 months ago and have been trying to keep up with the healthy and active lifestyle. But i'm really struggling to build up my core strength. I've been working with a personal trainer and I can't say that I’m seeing any results unless my feet are wedged under the sofa I can't do one single crunch.

I'm just wondering if anyone is or has in the past been in the same situation and how they’ve built up strength?

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