CORE (Blimey)

No doubt you’ve heard talk of your core; core strength, core fitness, core training... but are you familiar with what your core actually is, and why it’s so important? At Workout Warriors' females only private group training sessions in Swindon, they're here to help give you a kick-ass core.

First off, let’s bust the almighty core myth; your core is so much more than just your abs. Your core is a complex series of muscles in your midsection, at the front, back and sides of your body, you may have also heard it being called 'the trunk'.

Almost every movement of the human body incorporates your core. This means that strong core muscles make daily activities easier, from picking your socks up off the floor, to standing up on the tube with no hands after a night out; a strong core makes moving with ease in day to day life that much more comfortable.

In an ideal core world, the muscles that make up your core should all work together in perfect harmony, like a well oiled machine, but if the muscles are weak, this can lead to problems when you’re working out.

Core Function

The core function of your core is to stabilise the spine, and protect your major internal organs, it’s made up of three muscles:

• Rectus Abdominus (abs): the main function of the abs is to provide sufficient flexibility for the spine
• Obliques: work to laterally flex the spine
• Erector Spinae: this muscle group helps with the extension of the spine

Workout Warrior Your Core

Because your core is not just about your abs, it takes more than a few crunches to build up your core strength; it’s worth investing the time and effort because it will help to build the foundation for a strong and healthy body. Below we’ve listed some of our favourite, most effective core exercises that we practise with our fellow Workout Warriors during our all-female private group fitness classes:

• Plank
• Russian twist
• Hanging leg raise
• Woodchopper
• Side plank
• Reverse crunches
• Dead bugs
• Side jack knife
• TRX fall outs

Weight a Minute:

It’s worth noting that exercises with weights are also great for working your core, so if it’s a leg or upper body day, you can switch up your usual moves to include some of the best to simultaneously work your core, while helping you build muscle, boom. Winning:

• Goblet squats
• Back squats
• Weighted overhead lunges
• Weighted Russian twist
• Barbell ab rollout
• Cable crunch
• Exercise ball pull in
• Press sit up

Come join us at our all female, private group training classes at our Swindon studios and we’ll show you some of our favourite smooth moves that will get you to the core.

Here’s to a strong core and a happy, healthy body!