The era of performing excessive crunches in a workout to improve core strength is over. Instead, many personal trainers suggest strengthening your core with the help of exercises that utilize weights, activate core engagement, and are easy on the spine.

The personal trainers at Carbon Performance get many clients who want to strengthen their core, but get lost in figuring out creative and innovative ways to quickly build abdominal strength without basic crunches. With this in mind, we want to provide you with all the details on how to strengthen these muscles with exercise you can incorporate into your workout routine today!

What is the Importance of Core Strength?

Core strength is essential as it improves overall balance, stability, athletic performance, and injury prevention. Core strength is central to improving overall posture and can even reduce lower back pain!

Your core muscles are comprised of your abdominal muscles, which include your:

  • Rectus abdominis
  • Obliques
  • Transversus abdominis

Back muscles like:

  • Erector spinae
  • Multifidus

While also encompassing your:

  • Diaphragm
  • Pelvic floor
  • Hip flexors

All these muscle groups and parts of your body work together in your day-to-day life that you may not know! Strengthening the core muscles through consistent exercise will, in turn, reinforce this muscle group to keep you going from activity to activity.

Four Ways to Build Core Strength Without the Crunches

For a while, many gym goers thought that the best way to build the core was through either crunches, but that can quickly become tiresome or boring. Since exercise should be something you ENJOY, we have curated a list of ways to build core strength without the crunches.

Always Engage Core

Any workout can be a core workout when actively engaging your core! The way to engage your core if you’re lifting, squatting, or rowing is by bracing your core. Bracing your core does not mean “sucking in”, instead it means tightening up the muscles in your abdomen, or “bracing out.” Try this out next time you’re squatting, lifting, or rowing with dumbbells by bracing your core prior to the movement, and keep light tension throughout the rep. When you are engaging your core while working out, be sure to keep your spine in a neutral position!

Include Dumbbells

If you are someone who enjoys floor exercises that focus on core strength, such as deadbug, russian twists, or planks, then consider incorporating dumbbells into these exercises. You can add dumbbells to traditional core exercises in these ways:

  • Deadbugs: Lie on your back with your knees up and bent, place a dumbbell in each hand, let each hand hover about your shoulders with dumbbells in hand, then push one hand up and the opposite leg out, repeat 6 times per side. The dumbbell should help to engage your core for support and stability, which in turn strengthens your core muscles.
  • Russian twists: Sit on your bottom, with your upper body leaning backwards, and legs extended forward, hovering over the floor, and hold one dumbbell in your hand close to your chest, while you twist from side to side, allowing the dumbbell to force your core to brace for stability and better control. Repeat a total of 12 times. This modified version of a russian twist engages your core muscles more intensely with the help of the dumbbells.
  • Planks: In your normal plank position, set two dumbbells on either side of your hands, lift one dumbbell per side in a row-like form, while bracing your core. Repeat a total of 12 times. Similar to weighted deadbugs and russian twists, you will find that your core muscles are more activated with the addition of the dumbbells.

Focus on Form

Form is one crucial player in exercises to prevent not only injury, but to ensure you are activating the correct muscle groups. Good form in any exercise means you are hitting the following markers:

  • Bracing or activating your core
  • Keeping your spin neutral
  • Slowing down with the help of a count, such as a 3-1-3 temp
  • Use a mirror to check your form
  • Not tensing your shoulders
  • Keep your belly button tucked to help shed off a muffin top or bread loaf

Nutrition & Consistency

Your workout routine is only as good as a quality diet! If you want to shed some excess tummy fat to reveal a more toned abdomen, then make sure your nutrition sets you up successfully to hit this goal. This may mean cutting back on sugar, increasing your protein intake, consuming quality and complex carbs, staying hydrated, and most importantly, staying consistent! If you need help with finding the proper nutrition for you for your fitness goals, then connect with a Carbon personal trainer who can help curate the right diet plan for you.

Core Exercises for Stability and Strength

Now that we have covered some basic tips for how to strengthen your core, we want to share some of the best core exercises for stability and strength you can include in your next workout session.

On the Floor

For on-the-floor core exercises, try activating your core with the help of these exercises and movements:

  • Bird Dog: In tabletop position, brace your core, then extend one arm forward and the opposite leg backward at the same time, be sure to keep hips level, perform each rep with a 3 – 1 -3 tempo.
  • Glute Bridge: With your back on the floor, bend your knees, keep your legs flat on the ground, you can place a dumbbell in front of your hips, then lift your left hip towards the ceiling, perform each rep with a 3 – 1 -3 tempo.
  • Hollow Hold: Lying on your back, let your shoulders and legs lift from the ground, with your arms raised over your head, hold while keeping your core engaged.

Standing Up

Time to add variety to your core exercises, but implement some that can be performed standing up. Here are some top core exercises you can do on your own two feet:

  • Overhead Dumbbell March: With both feet planted on the ground, hold one dumbbell overhead, active core, and march in place for 12 reps.
  • Side Bend with Dumbbell: With both feet planted shoulder width apart, place one dumbbell in one hand, allow that dumbbell to slowly pull you down the side of the same leg, activate obliques to slowly bring you back up, repeat 6 times per side.
  • Single-Leg Reach with Dumbbell: With both feet planted shoulder width apart, place on dumbbell in hand, allowing that hand to roll down with the corresponding leg push backwards, so that all the weight is in the standing leg, allowing to the dumbbell to lower your down, and activating your core muscles to bring you back to center, while activating core, repeat 6 times per side

Why Functional Core Exercises are Effective

What makes functional core exercises so effective is that they can mimic day-to-day activities like bending, twisting, and squatting that can occur in our day-to-day. Similarly, they improve overall stability, improve posture, and can prevent injury. Consistent incorporation of core exercises can bring multiple benefits to your day-to-day life, from carrying the groceries inside to reaching for something on the top shelf. The main idea of core exercises is to keep your core strong, ready to take on whatever the day brings in and out of the gym!

Build Your Core Strength at Carbon Performance

If you’re looking to build your core strength with functional exercise, then join in on the fitness fun over at Carbon Performance. We offer a variety of classes, but also offer state-of-the-art gym equipment for you to use at your own pace. Connect with us today to learn about how you can become a member, and feel free to schedule a consultation with one of our certified personal trainers if you’re looking for a more curated workout plan.

Don’t wait a day longer to build your core. Join in on our fitness mission today with Carbon Performance!