WORKOUT

Focus & Ben­e­fits: Yes, you’ll see crunch­es in the name of some of these exer­cis­es, but we aren’t doing any typ­i­cal crunch­es from our back! We’re focused on our total core through var­i­ous uni­lat­er­al and sta­bil­i­ty-test­ing moves. Improve your core con­trol, core strength, and core stability!

Equip­ment: Mat, medi­um dumb­bell (I’ll be using 10 lbs), and an option­al bench (we use one for 3 of the exer­cis­es but I will show you how to adapt if you don’t have one – it’s not a make or break!)

Tips & Help­ful Infor­ma­tion: Plan to use this as an add-on before or after a vari­ety of work­outs, or do it when­ev­er just because!

Why are work­outs that also focus on the deep­er core mus­cles (as opposed to just the out­er) so impor­tant? They’re the foun­da­tion of near­ly any move­ment we do! Whether you’re tar­get­ing your upper or low­er body in any work­out, the core is always caught in the mid­dle of each exer­cise (get my pun? 😊). It’s used no mat­ter what, and with­out it, move­ments would­n’t be pos­si­ble! It also deeply affects our pos­ture which sys­tem­i­cal­ly influ­ences all oth­er parts of our being.

Before ini­ti­at­ing move­ment on any of these exer­cis­es, be sure to exhale and feel your core mus­cles tight­en­ing. This is what I always refer to as ​“brac­ing”, you’re engag­ing your mus­cles and pro­tect­ing your spine to pre­pare for move­ment. Empha­siz­ing range of motion may be the pri­or­i­ty in oth­er work­outs, but here, you’ll want to be sure your range of motion is in sync with your lev­el of core con­trol. In oth­er words, don’t let your brac­ing go to favor a greater range of motion!

Dif­fi­cul­ty & Mod­i­fi­ca­tions Explained: Over­all, this work­out is rat­ed a 3 in dif­fi­cul­ty, although, some of the exer­cis­es require great sta­bil­i­ty and will feel more like a 4. Adding a weight to the exer­cis­es that use it is option­al. Feel free to lim­it your range of motion where need­ed. Here are mod­i­fi­ca­tions for two exer­cis­es that may great­ly influ­ence your stability:

• Bird Dog Dumb­bell Row – for the leg that is extend­ed, leave your toes on the floor
• Sta­t­ic Hip Thrust Weight OH March­es – alter­nate pop­ping your heel off the floor while keep­ing steady through your hips

Clos­ing Note: Core sta­bil­i­ty work­outs have become some of my all-time favorites over the years. What do you enjoy about doing them?

Warm-Up: 6 exer­cis­es, 50 sec­onds each (5 minutes)
Slow High Knees
Hip Circles
Alt Side Bends
Core Twist
Alt Bird Dog
Glute Bridges

Work­out: 13 exer­cis­es, 45 sec­onds active / 15 sec­onds rest (13 minutes)
Strad­dle Sit Side Bends
Bear Lifts
Kneel­ing Cross Body + Reach (1 x 10 lbs)
Bird Dog Crunch­es (One Side)
Bird Dog Crunch­es (Oth­er Side)
Bird Dog Dumb­bell Row (One Side) (1 x 10 lbs)
Bird Dog Dumb­bell Row (Oth­er Side) (1 x 10 lbs)
Sta­t­ic Hip Thrust Weight OH March­es (1 x 10 lbs)
Stand­ing Knee to Elbow Crunch – Side & Cross (One Side)
Stand­ing Knee to Elbow Crunch – Side & Cross (Oth­er Side)
Golfers
Rain­bow Knee Crunch
Alt Cross­body Punches

**Water Break**

Cool Down: 6 exer­cis­es, 40 sec­onds each (4 minutes)
Side Plank Stretch (One Side)
Side Plank Stretch (Oth­er Side)
Cat Cow
Child’s Pose
Run­ner’s Lunge (One Side)
Run­ner’s Lunge (Oth­er Side)

Pounds to Kilograms
lbs = kg
1 = .4
2 = .9
3 = 1.3
4 = 1.8
5 = 2.2
6 = 2.7
9 = 4.1
10 = 4.5
12 = 5.4
15 = 6.8