Improve Your Core Strength With These Five Tips

When we think about the core, most people I speak to think abs, six packs, sit ups, crunches. Building core strength is so much more than that. 

Yes it includes the abdominal muscles but it’s also your lower back, your diaphragm, your pelvic floor, and even your glutes, believe it or not. The core is responsible for stabilising your entire body, supporting movement, and most importantly, protecting your spine. 

Why core strength is important?

A strong core isn’t just about the aesthetics, it’s about a whole system of muscles connecting, working together.

Your core is involved in everything you do, from walking, standing up, sitting down, getting up, carrying things or even standing still. Your core plays a very important role in your day to day, that’s why strengthening your core is so important. It’ll give you a solid foundation to grow in strength and in everyday life 

Benefits of prioritising your core strength

1. Improved posture and reduced back pain: A strong core helps you maintain proper spine alignment, reducing strain on your lower back.   
2. Better balance: Your core is critical to help your body stabilise and keep balance. It’s a key stabiliser in our body.
3. Prevents injuries: A strong core protects your spine and reduces the risk of compensating elsewhere in the body, resulting in injury. 

Five tips that will help you build core strength

The list could be longer, but these are some of my top tips to strengthen your core and where I’ve seen consistently deliver results over time. 

1. Quality of movement over high volume of reps: More isn’t better. You could do 100 sit ups but if you’re not engaging your core you will not be benefitting. It’s better to slow it down and learn to engage the right muscles. 
2. Breathing is your tool: Breathing is one of the most overlooked parts when working to strengthen the core. Your diaphragm plays a huge role in core stability. Learning how to breathe properly during movement helps activate your deep core muscles and improves control. I always say to my clients to use their breathing to power, control and guide movement, allowing them space to create their own breathing flow.
3. The transversus abdominis (TA): This is what they call the corset, your deep core muscle. It wraps around your waist and lower back and stabilises your spine. Without a strong Transversus Abdominis there is no core so to speak. 
4. Nutrition, nutrition: You can’t out train poor nutrition. Not only from some of the most visible physical effects, but it supports overall body health, helping repair our muscles and giving us the energy we need for the day.
5. Consistency: Patience with the process is key, and showing up regularly is most important. Building core strength effectively and noticing improvements takes time and won’t happen overnight. But building it into your existing training or, and, as a separate training session will see you sustainably get results.

3 exercises for core strength

1. Deadbug: Sometimes the most simple moves are the most effective. This deadbug puts little strain in your lower back as it maintains your spine stable. It forces you to focus and take it slow, as your stability and coordination are challenged. 
2. Hanging knee raises: This movement is more about control than anything else. Works your lower abs and challenges your stabilisation as you’re trying to avoid swinging. Your arms will also get a good workout. 
3. TRX crunch: Working against the instability of the TRX straps, the TRX crunch fires up your deep core like no other movement. My top tip here is that you maintain even pressure on both straps.   

How often should I work on my core if I want to build strength?

You don’t need a dedicated core day. Adding specific core training to your existing training plan should be enough. Whether you’re lifting weights, doing Pilates, or taking a TRX class you’ll be working your core with every move and rep. 

Role of the glutes when building core strength

If your glutes are weak, your lower back will try and compensate. That’s where I see most back injuries derive from. Your glutes support your pelvis and help your core do what it needs to do. They both work together and it’s important to strengthen both equally. 

Ways to strengthen the core

TRX

This works your core without you even realising. TRX is a fantastic way to strengthen your core and overall body. The instability of the straps challenge your core to stay engaged through every rep. 

Fitness Pilates

Fitness Pilates focuses on breathing, alignment, and deep core strength. It teaches you how to activate your abdominal muscles properly and gain stability. If your goal is core strength, Fitness Pilates or any form of Pilates, builds the foundation everything else should sit on.

Want to explore movement with me?

Come and join my Core & Glute Clinic at the Oru Space in Sutton on Saturday 20 June. Click here to book your ticket.