Exercise is fantastic for helping us manage our weight, tone up and improve our shape, but did you also know that exercise is essential for stability and balance? Exercising to strengthen our core muscles, the muscles in our abdomen, back, pelvis and sides, not only helps to tone and firm up our midriff. It helps us move, bend and remain upright, too. 

We use our core muscles when we bend over, lift things, push our children’s buggies or swings and even when we’re carrying shopping, opening doors and getting in and out of vehicles. A strong core helps to prevent back pain, improves our posture and makes us more stable, helping to prevent us from falling over and suffering injuries. It also makes us more agile and better able to perform well during other forms of exercise such as running. 

So, how do we strengthen our core muscles? There are various exercises that help to build strengthen within our core, here’s our top 5… 

1. Carrying out exercise that forces you to defend your centre of gravity will automatically force your core muscles to work. So this can mean lifting free weights whist standing on a Bosu ball or, in the absence of fancy equipment, lifting dumbbells whilst standing on one leg will work just as well. Plus, you get an arm workout to boot! 

2. Did you realise that Yoga was also all about balance? Despite it being a relatively gentle exercise, practicing yoga helps with muscle tone and balance and can really work the core. We have Yoga classes to suit all abilities here at OYG. To get the best from your session, make sure you hold your core solid throughout and make each movement slow and purposeful. 

3. Our F.I.T Combat six week challenge is inspired by martial arts moves. It helps to improve overall fitness and muscle tone, and all the twisting helps to improve muscle tone in the core area. So if you haven’t completed this challenge yet, what’s stopping you?! 

4. Surprisingly, exercises that you’d think would just involve the legs and lower body, also help to improve core strength. Exercises where you work against the resistance of your own body such as squats and lunges are great for core work at the same time as leg work. Just as for yoga, make sure your core is held in tight as you perform each squat or lunge. Many of our regular 12 week OYG programmes include exercises such as squats and lunges, so make sure that whatever programme you’re working your way through, you keep that core tight throughout. If you’re in doubt about what this means, hold your stomach in and really tense it, without pushing it out, as if preparing for someone in boxing gloves to make a boxing move towards your stomach.

5. Running also helps to improve core strength. If you don’t believe us, next time you go for a run or a jog, hold your stomach tense throughout. Then the next day feel how much your stomach muscles feel like they’ve had a workout!