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Don’t neglect your core: Expert tips to stabilize and fire up your core muscles

It's time to power through a plank series and torch those core muscles

By
Pilates instructor and expert Dr. Femi Betiku
Dr. Femi Betiku / Dr. Femi Betiku

Your core is the central part of your body that supports and protects your spine. The abundance of ‘abs’ exercises definitely have their place, but the core muscles are more than just your abs, also including other muscles like your erector spinae that stabilize your spine and your deeper abdominal muscles. The benefits of working your core go beyond aesthetics, from reducing back pain to boosting your balance and stability.

The importance of core exercises

man muscle
Mike Jones / Pexels

Dr. Femi Betiku, DPT, NCPT, is an instructor for Club Pilates and a fitness expert with years of experience. As a doctor of physical therapy, Dr. Betiku understands the importance of core strength and stability, so we asked him to share his top tips and exercises to power up the core. Dr. Betiku emphasises the importance of including core exercises in your workout routine because “core exercises help to improve the efficiency and precision of your workout as most dynamic exercises require a strong core to operate from.”

The top three exercises for strengthening your core

Determined male athlete performing plank position in forest.
Maskot / Adobe Stock

You can choose from numerous core-strengthening moves to light up those muscles, including the seated twist, lying leg raises, the dead bug, and rotating mountain climbers. Mixing up your routine also helps generate the best results over time.

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Dr. Betiku’s favorite core-torching moves are the Pilates 100s and the plank series, which includes the forward plank, the side plank, and the reverse plank. These exercises “help strengthen the full range of the core. These three groups of planks help activate core muscles from your shoulder girdle all the way to your hip girdle, providing you with a full-body core workout.”

The plank

two women doing plank
Maksgelatin / Pexels

When performing the plank pose, you hold yourself up and parallel to the floor until your body resembles a straight plank. You balance on your forearms and toes, supporting the rest of your body off the ground. 

How to do a plank:

  1. Start on the ground with your elbows stacked directly under your shoulders.
  2. Straighten your legs out behind you and rest your weight on your forearms and toes.
  3. Engage your glutes and core and create tension in your entire body to maintain the position.
  4. Your spine and back should form a straight line that is almost parallel to the floor.
  5. Hold the position for 10-60 seconds before bringing your knees to the floor to rest.
  6. Repeat for your desired number of reps.

The side plank

man doing side plank
Li Sun / Pexels

A side plank involves balancing on one foot and arm while keeping your body in a straight line. This move lights up your oblique muscles on the side of your trunk.

How to do a side plank:

  1. Start lying on your side with your feet stacked on top of each other and your legs straight. Your right elbow should be under your right shoulder, your forearm should be out in front of you, and your hand should be balled into a fist.
  2. Brace your core and lift your hips up off the floor so you’re supporting your weight with your right forearm and the side of your right foot anchored on the ground.
  3. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your feet.
  4. Hold this position for between 15 and 60 seconds.
  5. Release the side plank position and gently lower your hips to the floor.
  6. Repeat on your left side.

Aim for three sets of 30 seconds on each side. You can advance when you’re ready.

The reverse plank

man doing reverse plank
Antonio Diaz / Shutterstock

The reverse plank is essentially a plank in reverse, hence the name. You lift your hips up off the ground from a seated position until your body forms a straight line from your head to your ankles.

How to do a reverse plank:

  1. Start in a seated position with your legs extended out in front of you and your hands flat on the floor behind your hips.
  2. Engage your core and glutes and press your heels into the ground as you lift your hips up high.
  3. Open up your chest and try to keep your body in a straight line with your arms and legs straight.
  4. Hold the pose for a moment, keeping your neck neutral.
  5. Lower your hips down to return to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for your desired number of reps.

Top tips to see results

man abs core muscle
Kamrujjamanjewel / Pexels

Contracting your core and engaging those deeper abdominal muscles is key for proper technique when performing a range of exercises, from kettlebell swings to barbell deadlifts. To improve your ability to engage and brace your core and better perform these powerlifting movements, Dr. Betiku recommends “performing simple Pilates mat exercises. Being cued to engage your core during dynamic lifts like kettlebell swings and deadlifts is part of the battle. Having strong core muscles through consistent exercises like Pilates is the difference in being able to meet the demand of core cueing during dynamic exercises.”

The power of rotational moves

woman in gym working out russian twist with medicine ball
Web Daytona / Pexels

Dr. Betiku highlights the benefits of including rotational core moves like the Russian twist and rotating mountain climbers. “It’s essential to include rotational core workouts because most dynamic movements, such as running, require some level of rotation in the spine in order to be efficient.” 

The power of Pilates

man doing Pilates
Kampus / Pexels

As a Pilates pro and Club Pilates instructor, Dr. Betiku is an advocate of the benefits of this type of exercise for boosting power and stability in the deeper abdominal muscles. “Pilates is the only form of exercise that exists that can tap into the various sets of core muscles. This form of exercise can isolate and simultaneously target different aspects of your core.”

Steph Green
Steph Green
Steph Green (Steph Zee) is a singer-songwriter and professional writer with over 12 years of experience in healthcare and… Read Full Bio
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