Holiday Core Quickies: Getting Back to Core Basics
With the holiday season upon us and in full swing, many of us may be finding ourselves spending more time expanding our mid-section than keeping it fit and trim. If trips to the gym have been few and far between, then this at-home, equipment-free quick core workout may be for you. These simple yet effective exercises:
- balance movements that include spinal stabilization, extension, flexion, and rotation
- target all four abdominal groups (rectus, transverse, and internal/external obliques), the back (multifidus, erectors, and more), gluteus maximus, abductors (inner thighs), shoulder girdle, and arms
- lengthen and open the hip flexors and pectorals which can get tight with prolonged sitting and cause back and neck pain
As these exercises can be done anywhere, anytime, and require only a few minutes, you have no reason not to drop and do them right now! If you have any back or health issues that could be made worse by exercise, please consult your physician before doing the following exercises or beginning any exercise program.
1- Front plank: hold 45-60 sec.
Directions:
- Maintain neutral pelvis and neutral spine by bracing through your core.
- If you feel your back arching or straining, re-adjust into a slight
pelvic tilt and/or or drop to knees.
- Draw the back of your head up towards the sky to maintain your
spinal/cervical alignment, and reach the crown of your head towards the wall in front of you.
- Press up through your arms pushing yourself away from the floor.
- Engage pelvic floor and hold this position.
- Continue breathing.
- Stop if you feel any back strain.
Modification: Perform this exercise from the knees.
2- Side plank: hold 45-60 sec
Directions:
- Imagine a straight line running along your mat or floor. Align feet
(knee), hips, shoulders, and head along this line.
- Maintain neutral spine and pelvis. If you notice any arching through back, re-adjust into slight pelvic tilt.
- Press up through arm away from floor.
- Engage pelvic floor and hold this position.
- Continue breathing. Modification: Perform from bottom knee and
elbow (keep top leg straight and in line with rest of body.)
Challenge: Perform from bottom knee or foot, and lift top leg. Hold for duration of time.
3- Bicycle crunches: 20x (10 slow then 10 quick)
 
Directions:
- Lie on back. Maintaining neutral spine, draw one leg into the air at
a time and bend both knees to 90 degrees.
- Cradle head in hands and use abdominals to draw lower ribs
towards hips, thereby lifting shoulder blades, head and arms off the
floor.
- Inhale to prepare.
- Exhale to rotate and close gap between shoulder and opposite hip. As you do so, draw that knee in and extend other leg at 45 degrees from floor.
- Focus on contracting obliques as you forcefully exhale.
- Inhale to center, keeping shoulder blades and head off mat (use abs
rather than arms and neck for this!)
- Exhale to other side and repeat.
Tip: maintain neutral and stable pelvis throughout this exercise.
4- Hip lifts: 6x (add 5 knee-squeezes at the top of each lift)
 
Directions:
- Lie on back with neutral spine/pelvis, feet hip width apart.
- Place arms to sides palms up and gently press shoulder blades into mat to engage rhomboids and mid traps. Draw shoulder girdle down towards hips to engage lower traps and release upper traps. Hold
this positiont throughout exercise.
- Inhale to prepare. Exhale to press through heels and press hips up towards ceiling. (If you feel low back strain or arch, re-adjust into
slight pelvic tilt so you feel more glutes and hamstrings).
- Re-adjust feet so they're directly under the knees.
- Hold position as you squeeze knees together 5 times and work the adductors.
- Inhale to lower pelvis back to floor, lengthening and reaching out the tailbone.
Tips:
- Maintain neutral spine and neck throughout.
- Only press up as high as your shoulder blades, so no extra
pressure is on neck or head.
5- Knee sways: 8x
 
Directions:
- Lie on back. Reach arms out to sides shoulder level.
- While maintaining neutral spine, one leg at a time into air with
knees bent at 90 degrees. Press knees together and hold that inner thigh contraction throughout exercise.
- Inhale to drop both legs over to one side (without touching floor).
- Exhale to engage abs and unwind spine back to neutral starting
from the top and working way down to pelvis. (Imagine unwinding a rope from top to bottom). As this happens, the ribcage will come
back to the mat first, then the pelvis, then the legs will float up to
centre.
Tips:
- Focus on abs to unwind spine.
- If the exercise feels easy, you're using your legs, rather than core.
Modification: keep feet on floor
Challenge: straighten legs a little further away from body
6- Pushups: as many as you can with proper form until failure
Directions:
- Begin on hands and knees (or feet for greater intensity) with hands
directly under shoulders or a little higher up.
- Inhale to lower towards the floor maintaining neutral spine
- Exhale to press back up reinforcing contraction through abs to
protect back and maintain neutral position.
Tips:
- Keep ears in line with shoulders (lead with heart, rather than nose)
- If you are arching through the low back (like I am slightly in the pic
above), readjust into slight pelvic tilt.
Got a few more minutes on your hands? Cycle through the above program 2-3 times.
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