Unfortunately, you can’t just do hundreds of crunches every day and expect to have really awesome abdominal muscles. If you’re looking to strengthen your core then compound movements like squats, deadlifts and even the bench press (yes, really) require you to engage your core to correctly perform the movement.

If you’re looking to incorporate a little isolation training at the end of your workout, then the following core exercises are the best ones you can perform for your body!

1. Plank

The plank is a fantastic and beginner-friendly exercise for your abs that, when modified, can work every single abdominal muscle. Once you’ve progressed onto and are comfortable with a traditional plank, variations like side planks work the often-neglected external and internal obliques.

2. Cable Crunch

Exercising in the gym is built around the idea of progressive overload, where over time you lift heavier, run further or simply do more reps. It can be difficult to overload your abdominal muscles, primarily because they’re used to supporting your bodyweight all day long! This is where the cable crunch comes in – by adding weight you’re able to overload the muscles, resulting in growth.

3. Ab Wheel Rollout

Ab wheel rollouts are another exercise that has progressions from beginner all the way to advanced levels and can work all abdominal muscle groups through variations. Although this exercise can be a little demanding, if you stick with it you’ll gain additional benefits like stronger shoulders and increased lower body flexibility.

4. Bicycle Crunch

Aside from being one of the most effective core exercises in hitting your abs from all angles, it’s also one of the easiest to perform. People spend a lot of time sitting with hunched shoulders, which a basic crunch exaggerates. Alternatively, bicycle crunches require you to keep your lower back and shoulder blades on the floor, taking pressure off your back whilst still working your core!

5. L-Sit

Although they appear relatively easy, the l-sit requires strength, flexibility and control making them no walk in the park. This classic gymnastic move is considered by many to be the only core exercise you’ll ever need – and for good reason. Despite being a static hold, l-sits place a huge demand on your lower abs as well as strengthening your triceps and your shoulders.

With the exception of the bicycle crunch, all of the above core exercises have multiple progressions if you can’t perform the movement straight away. It might take a bit of grit and determination to get there, but in the end you know it’ll be worth it!

Cheers,

Andrew Pallett is a qualified personal trainer and fitness author. You can find more of his health and fitness articles on his website, Sometimes I Train.

I was non weight bearing in a cast, for those who know you loose muscle very quickly and my calf shrank. I remained non weight bearing for 10 weeks, virtually housebound and bored. I can quite easily say that I did a lot of orthopaedic research and found lots of stories on the Internet, all different and whilst I tried to work out how quickly I would recover and regain previous function I could not identify a clear pathway, what I did find was the plethora of rehabilitation equipment available to support recovery.

When my cast was removed I hoped that I would be walking normally, but my aspirations were dashed due to pain, weakness and loss of muscle. I was using 2 crutches initially, and struggled with walking any distance.

I was lucky to have good physiotherapy support and following their advice obtained some equipment from 66fit, the aim being to restore strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. We know that ankles are exposed to many stresses, we often stand for hours daily and when running our ankles are subjected to four times our body weight, therefore we can not ignore the importance of maintaining ankle stability so that we can reduce the risk of injury. The use of this equipment is not only supporting my rehabilitation and recovery but also providing me the the tools I require to reduce the risks of future injury.

One of my initial regimes was regular foam rolling with a hard foam roller, this enabled me to work on my soft tissue by gentle sustained pressure to eliminate pain and restore motion, this helped my muscles recover from the work they were doing. This treatment is supported by the 8cm soft spiky massage balls which I use on my feet to relive muscle tension trigger points. These are really handy and can be transported in your handbag. I even take them into the office and use them during the day to help reduce pain and discomfort.

The 66fit trampoline is sturdy and able to take the pressure off my joints whilst exercising on it, it can be safely used indoors and is easily taken down by removal of the legs, then can be stored flat.  I have found that this not only supports my ankle recovery but is assisting with my cardiovascular health as I would be unable to run without it flexibility and cushioning. The spring protector fully covers the springs hooks and frame and provides protection from any injury.

The balance pods are made from plastic and are of good quality, I did order 1 set but should have got 2 to assist with balance pod walking vary the instability level. They are really easy to move and store, versatile and great to use for any fitness level. They have a sticky surface and best used on hard floors such as vinyl or wood.

The 66fit balance core trainer assists in improving proprioception, it’s  easy to inflate and to date has not required any additional air. This has helped me improve my ankle stability and function by challenging my ankle on an unstable surface with the aim of developing better ankle control. This is not only useful for post injury but also we know that ankle stability is important for everyday functions and training it can reduce the risk of injury. The balance core trainer can be used on either side and there are many exercises you can do on it, the dome remains inflated but if any air loss noted it’s easy to reintroduce. The unstable surface forces your ankle to work the whole time your standing on it.

There is a wide range of rehabilitation equipment available from 66fit, the equipment is good value for money and of high quality.

Functionally I’m improving and using the equipment daily, without it I would not be progressing as quickly as I am. For those who have had injuries having the correct equipment at home supports recovery.