Five ways to improve core strength - GN Guides. Gulf News Guides visits Dubai Sports World to learn five exercises that will help to improve core strength. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00We are at Dubai Sports World. I'm here to show you five ways to improve your core strength.
00:13Number one, crunches. Lie down on the floor or on an exercise mat. Make sure your heels
00:20are on the ground, your lower back is on the ground, shoulders are down. Now,
00:25want to activate your core, bring your tummy closer to your spine, but also leave just a
00:32little bit of space, small enough for a piece of grape that can fit right under your lower back
00:37and make sure you do not crunch that grape. It's a great way to remember to activate your core,
00:43shoulders down. Now, as far as your hands are concerned, you may want to put them behind your
00:49ears or cross them over on your shoulders, whichever way you prefer. I personally like
00:56to put them behind my ear. This way, I remember not to tense my neck, not to go that way. Chin,
01:03looking up to the ceiling. Don't drop your neck back. Stabilize the head. And when you're ready,
01:09you slowly move up just until your shoulders are completely left off the ground while you're
01:16looking up. And you slowly come back down until you've reached the starting position. And you
01:23repeat. I always like to encourage people to breathe. We tend to forget how to breathe when
01:31we pay attention to the form. That's all right at first, but as you practice, it will become
01:38very easy for you to breathe as you perform correctly. Breathe in on the way down, breathe
01:45out on the way up. And always remember, that piece of grape that we hypothetically put under
01:51your lower back, you don't want to crunch that. Try to start by doing three sets of 15 repetition
01:57each. Number two, obliques. Lie down on the ground, heels planted on the floor, back straight. Piece
02:05of grape, imaginary, placed under your lower back and try not to crunch it. This is a good way to
02:12remember to activate your core. Shoulders down, hands up here. Now I want you to be able to free
02:18your hand because we're going to the opposite hand, towards the opposite knee. Bring it all
02:24the way back down and switch. Opposite hand goes on to the other side of the knee and go back down.
02:30Take your time. Don't rush into them. Slow, controlled movements proven to be extremely
02:39effective than fast rabbit ones if you're looking to improve your core strength. What you want to be
02:45doing to start with, three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions in each set. Number three, lower
02:54back. An important part of strengthening your overall core is to work on strengthening your
03:01lower back. Here's an exercise that helps you do that. Lying down, face down, arms up, head,
03:10you don't want it to be tucked in. You don't want to add pressure on your neck either. You want to
03:14be here, feet together, slowly move up and down. Now you could stabilize your feet and you just
03:24move up and down with your upper body or slightly advanced, take your feet up the ground as well as
03:32your arms. Remember to breathe and remember slow, controlled movements. Try and do this, three sets,
03:4115 to 20 repetitions in each set. Number four, Swiss ball. Using an unstable surface plays an
03:50important role in strengthening your core. Sit on it as if you're sitting on a chair. Take your feet
03:56forward, you're sliding. Just until your buttocks is off the Swiss ball, try to squeeze your glutes
04:02so it's parallel to the ground. This way you're getting a little bit of glutes as well, as well
04:07as your core. From that position, this becomes your starting point. Hands next to your ears, supporting
04:16your neck, chin up, don't drop your neck. Very similar to crunches. Slowly go up, squeeze, squeeze,
04:23squeeze, and you slowly control when we come back. Slow, controlled movements. Now this will be very
04:30difficult at first, but you'll slowly get used to it. Focus on the breathing. Breathe out on the way
04:36up, breathe in on the way down. Start with one set of five to ten reps and then you can build it from
04:44there, aiming to do three times 15. Number five, opposite arm, opposite leg. Very popular exercise
04:53to improve your core strength. You start by getting on all fours. Make sure your arms are under your
04:59shoulders, parallel to the ground. Core stabilized, tummy in. Be careful where your neck is. You don't
05:06want to drop it over there. You don't want it to be tense either. You want to be in the middle. Get comfortable, try
05:12to be balanced out. Now you very slowly try to shift, moving one arm out and the opposite leg out.
05:20Bring it back in. Shift your weight, the other arm goes out, the opposite leg back together. You might
05:29find this confusing at first and that's actually part of the trick. Once you get the movement right,
05:35breathing will come naturally, aiming to do three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. On those four,
05:44five tips to improve your core strength.