I am a big advocate for keeping the core strong. The core incorporates not only you abdominal muscles in your tummy (upper and lower) but also your obliques (muscles at the sides) and your lower back muscle groups.
I have worked on my core throughout my weight loss, even when I started out at 300 pounds as I realised how crucial it would be to obtaining the shape I wanted.
My waist measurement started at around the 40" mark (give or take an inch here or there) and, dare I say it, I have always had a 'smaller' waist. When you compare that to my hip width at my biggest, which was around 55", I guess you can see what I mean in terms of the ratios! Now my waist sits at 25" and I put that 14" reduction completely down to the core training I have implemented over the last few years (assisted with the 25% reduction in body fat!)
Admittedly, the results are not immediate and you will likely have to train your core a little while before you see any visual effects but stick with it.
A strong core not only improves your overall posture but it shrinks your waist and enables you to exercise more efficiently. In most cases and with people who do not regularly exercise their core, there is often an imbalance between lower back and abdominal strength. The core muscles are a notoriously hard group of muscles to target but here, I want to share with you how I have done it.
I do a minimum of 100 full sit ups a day, does that sound a lot? Not really, especially since it only takes 1 minute to do a set of 50. That is 2 minutes out of my day and it is perfect timing when you are sitting on the couch, watching TV. Why not continue to watch but get down on the floor and do a set? You could soon tot up a few hundred a week.
I also do core work whilst I train on any circuit session (which I outlined in a previous post.)
There is no quick fix when it comes to exercising and toning your core. I see adverts for machines that are supposed to send an electrical pulse to your core muscles through a belt you wear around your waist. The small and frequent electrical transmissions are purported to stimulate the muscles, fooling them into thinking that your are exercising them. I don't doubt there are benefits to doing this but it cannot replicate the results you get from honest, gutsy training.
Full sit ups aren't for everyone and need to be done properly, otherwise you run the risk of damaging your back and neck. I do the full set as I trained as a kick boxer for 18 months and my Sensai was very keen on core work. After a 2 hour, gruelling training session we would warm down with 1000 core exercises. That is extreme and part and parcel of the training but my short time as a kick boxer assisted me with habits I have kept going.
Crunches are just as effective and there are a whole range you can do that target the upper and lower abdominal muscle groups and obliques. I wanted to share this link with you
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/abdominalcorestrength1/a/NewCore.htm
This contains some brilliant information pertaining to what I have touched on in this post, plus it outlines the variety of exercises you can try.
Why not test it?
One great test for core strength is 'the plank'. You may have heard of this and it is a popular yoga move.
Lie face down on the floor to start. Make sure you have some way of timing yourself prior to assuming the correct position.
When you are ready, raise your self up so your toes are supporting your lower body and you are resting on your fore arms, face down. Make sure your arms are in a comfortable position. Ensure your back is following as straight a line as possible in terms of your spine and don't allow your tummy to sink. You hold this position for as long as you can. It is widely accepted that anyone who can hold this for 2+ minutes can be considered to own an acceptably strong, supportive core.
As you hold 'the plank' position, you will notice that, as time passes, your core will start to tremble. Stick with it!
The plank is excellent strength training in itself and forms part of a group of exercises known as callisthenics. This essentially comprises movement where you are utilising your own body and weight to train.
So next time you are watching TV, consider the amount of time it would take (a few minutes at most) to get down and do some sets of crunches.
I promise, you will LOVE the results.
Rainy xx
2 comments:
I was curious, what point in your training did u start doing sit ups and such? Was it after you had lost some of the weight?
I Jen, I started doing core exercises when I started losing the weight so that is almost 7 years now. I always remember reading that a strong, stable core is vital not only for posture but exercise generally. I started with one of the crunch contraptions but, as my core strength increased, I was able to ditch that and do proper sit ups and crunches. Kick boxing also helped, I did that for over a year and my Sensai did 1000 core reps at then end of the 2.5 hour session
L xx
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