Core Strengthening Exercises: Tone & Tighten Your Abdomen

Get your tummy beach ready with these tummy trimming challenges.

 

Firm your posture with these tummy tightening moves.

1. Medicine ball lunges

Tuck a medicine ball under your right arm. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and take a long step forward with your left foot. Drop your back knee towards the ground in a lunge and keep most of your weight through the heel on your front foot. As you lower, your torso and hips will want to twist, so keep your core braced to avoid this. Do all the reps on one side and then switch.

Reps: 10 to 20 each side

2. Kettlebell swings

Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell in one hand and stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down with the weight between your knees. Keeping your back straight, swing the weight back and forth to build momentum. Then drive your hips up and forward and swing the weight up to head height. At the top, push your hips forward and engage your glutes. With control, swing the weight back down. When it passes through your legs, go straight into the next rep. Don't over-use your shoulder; this is a whole-body movement.

Reps: 15 each side

3. Core climbers

Assume a push-up position up on your toes with your hands on the ground or a low bench and under your chest, feet shoulder-width apart, gaze in front of your hands and your body in a straight line. Brace your core, raise one foot and bring your knee in towards your chest without moving your hips and torso.

Reps: 10 to 20

4. Cranes

Stand on one leg and place both hands behind your back. Keeping the knee of the grounded leg almost straight, bend forward at your hips and lower your torso slowly to horizontal while extending the airborne leg up and back until it is also horizontal. You should feel this in your hamstrings. As you approach horizontal, your torso will want to rotate to the side. Try to keep your shoulders and hips square and do not let the airborne leg go across your body. Do all the reps on one leg before switching.

Reps: 10 to 15

5. Supine leg raises on ball

Sit on a Swiss ball with your feet on the ground, shoulder-width apart, hands on your chest. Walk your feet forward and lower your torso back, allowing the ball to roll up your back. Keep going until your head and shoulders are resting on the ball. Push your hips up and engage your glutes so your torso is horizontal. Maintaining your posture, raise your right foot a few centimetres off the ground. Stay strong and stable so your left hip doesn't drop. Place the foot back down again and repeat with the other leg.

Reps: 5 to 10 each side

How to engage your core

These five exercises all require you to engage your core to avoid uncontrolled twisting. To ensure you are engaging correctly, remember two important things.

1. Stay long through your torso by lengthening the distance between your navel and sternum. This will keep you in alignment.
2. Lightly brace your core for more intensive movements by imagining a deep belt is being tightened around your lower abs, just above your hips and below your navel.

Putting it into a workout

Here are three ways to put these exercises into a workout.

• Use these five exercises as a stand-alone workout. Work through them, one by one, for three to five rounds.
• Do a combination of these movements and some exercises that require you to twist in order to create the perfect
  core workout.
• Incorporate some of these exercises into your normal workout. You can sprinkle them throughout your workout or leave a few until the end.

 

Our model

Jodie parker, 40, a personal trainer and mum of three, is the Australian Open Figure champion for 2010.

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