Not too long ago, you could walk into any gym and be met by a personal trainer who swore that you could get a six-pack in no time with a series of crunches and ab exercises. Don’t get me wrong, specific ab exercises shouldn’t be completely ignored, but strengthening your core isn’t as simple as burning out your midsection once a week.
While our obsession with abs has saturated fitness culture from CrossFit to Pilates, do you really know what core training is? The core muscle chain may be complicated, but strengthening them doesn't have to be.
We asked Michael Ryan, MS, CSCS, to put together the best core workout for men. It’s not what you think. It’s a core-focused routine that covers fundamental movement patterns like pushing, pulling, hingeing, squatting, and lunging in just six exercises that engage your entire torso. The beauty of it? Do it right, and you’ll hit every muscle in your body. Bonus: You’ll only need one kettlebell.
Directions
First, take two minutes to foam roll your legs, hips, and back. Then do this dynamic warm-up twice: air squats, walking lunges, pushups, and bear crawls for 30 seconds each. Finally, do the following 6 moves in any order, without rest. It will take about 30 minutes total. Do the workout three times a week as a standalone routine, or twice a week if you’re adding it to the end of another strength-training workout.
Single Arm Strict Press
Karan Kapoor
How To
- To start, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, place the kettlebell on your right shoulder, and extend your left arm at your side.
- Your shoulders should be down and back, and your abs and glutes should be tight.
- Press the kettlebell overhead until your elbow touches your ear.
- As you press, keep your feet on the floor, squeeze your glutes, and engage your abs as if you were defending a fist.
- Your torso should be upright, not swaying to one side or the other.
- Hold for a moment and return to the starting position.
- That's 1 rep. Do 12 reps, then switch sides.
- Do 3 sets.
Core Focus:Spinal erectors, rectus abdominis, obliques and transversus abdominis
Single Leg Glute Bridge
Karan Kapoor
How To
- To start, lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor near your buttocks, arms extended out to your sides with palms facing up.
- Pressing through your heels, lift your hips as high as you can, then extend your left leg.
- Lift your hips up and squeeze your inner thighs toward each other.
- Hold this position for 3 beats, then return to the starting position.
- This is 1 rep.
- Repeat the same process on the other side.
- Do 3 sets of 15 reps.
Core Focus: Hips, adductors
Goblet Squat
Karan Kapoor
How To
- To start, hold the kettlebell by the horns at your chest.
- Keep your elbows close to your body, pull your shoulders down and back, feet hip-width apart, and turn your toes slightly outward.
- Keep your spine long and your chest up as you sit deeply into a squat position, pushing your hips back.
- Descend as far as you can, maintaining good form.
- Push through the middle of your foot to rise up and return to start and repeat.
- Do 3 sets of 12 reps.
Core Focus:Hips, quadratus lumborum (deep muscles in the lower back), trapezius
Kettlebell Carrying
Karan Kapoor
How To
- To start, hold a heavy kettlebell by the horns at your chest.
- Press your elbows tightly into your body (imagine holding a towel between your ribs and arms), pulling your shoulders down and back.
- Walk in this manner fully and walk forward for 30 seconds.
- Drop the kettlebell to the floor for 30 seconds.
- Repeat a total of 6 times.
- Your goal should be to try to carry the bell for 90 seconds.
Core Focus:Each core muscle
Stagger-Stance Single Arm Row
Karan Kapoor
How To
- Start with your feet spaced apart, your right foot in front of your left foot, and the kettlebell placed on the floor to your left.
- Bend forward from your waist, push your hips back, and grab the kettlebell with your left hand.
- Lift your left side up to your ribcage and extend your right arm out to your side while simultaneously pushing your elbow toward the ceiling.
- Push your right elbow up toward the sky as you lower the weight back to the floor.
- Repeat for 12 reps (lean over and reach down to pick up the weight), then switch sides.
- Do 3 sets.
Core Focus: Lats, traps, quadratus lumborum
Side Plank
Karan Kapoor
How To
- To start, get into a side plank position with your forearms down and your hands in fists.
- Turn to one side, place your elbow directly under your shoulder, stack your feet, and lift your hips until they form a straight line from your head to your ankles.
- Lift your top leg as high as you can in a controlled manner.
- Hold for a moment, then lower your leg back to the starting position.
- This is 1 rep.
- Do 12 reps, then switch sides.
- Do 3 sets.
Core Focus: Obliques, transverse abdominis
Benefits of Core Exercises
The benefits of strengthening your core muscles go far beyond the aesthetics that come with a six-pack. “For 30 years, the core has been misinterpreted as being all about aesthetics,” Ryan says. “We’re now learning that if you don’t engage your core properly, you’re not going to achieve serious functional fitness.”
Instant Workout Gains
“Every bit of force you generate—I don’t care if it’s getting off the ground to jump a basketball or lifting a barbell—must be transferred through the core,” Ryan explains. “Think of the core as a force transducer, a conduit.”
So every time you put your foot down while running, the muscles in your foot and leg push down on the ground, creating a force that travels up your leg and through your hip joint and into your pelvis and spine. If that force meets a pelvis and spine that are held tight and in good alignment by strong core muscles, the energy does what it’s supposed to do: propel you forward. But if that force meets bones that are left hanging by weak, soft core muscles, much of that energy is dissipated. And the result? You’ll be slower. The same concept applies to strength training. Build a stronger, more stable core, and you’ll be able to squat, push, pull, and row more weight more efficiently.
Related: 10 Exercises to Get the Best Upper Body Workout of All Time
Fewer Injuries
If you’ve ever had to stop squatting for weeks or months while doing upper-body exercises because of lower back pain or sagging shoulders, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced the side effects of a weak core. For active people in particular, a strong core can be key to injury prevention. For example, there appears to be a link between core stability and lower-extremity injuries, a 2018 study suggests. Based on the findings, there’s evidence to suggest that healthy, active individuals with a history of leg, hip, or foot injuries may benefit from incorporating core-strengthening exercises into their workout routines.
Related: 25 Lower Ab Exercises That Will Strengthen Your Core
You Will Feel Better in Your Daily Life
Upper back tension from staring at a computer for long periods of time or knee pain from squatting to play with a child are often caused by poor daily posture and not knowing how to engage the core muscles that support proper positions.
“The positions you put yourself in determine your core function, which in turn determines the way you feel in your body,” Ryan says, and he suggests learning what he calls core awareness: the conscious ability to maintain good, healthy posture by engaging the right core muscles. For example, when you’re sitting at your computer, remind yourself to pull your chin back so your head is directly over your spine (this can eliminate headaches) and pull your shoulder blades down, squeezing them together to eliminate hunching. Or, when you’re waiting in line or climbing stairs, concentrate on contracting your glutes and tightening your abdominals to bring your pelvis into neutral alignment; this takes pressure off your lower back and keeps your hips working properly. All of these simple tweaks make it clear why, when Reavy’s client asks what she can do to keep her body healthy, her answer is always, “Start by focusing on your core.”