Your core muscles are arguably the most important muscles to exercise. Your back, abs and glutes not only are responsible for maintaining posture, but also support your body when performing upper body or lower body exercises. For example, you cannot properly biceps curl a challenging weight if you have trouble standing up straight to do it. Therefore a 20-minute workout routine for your abs, back and core is what you need to supplement all of your workouts!
To add, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons agrees that core strength is important in supporting lower body function and in preventing injuries:
Core stability may provide several benefits to the musculoskeletal system, from maintaining low back health to preventing knee ligament injury. As a result, the acquisition and maintenance of core stability is of great interest to physical therapists,athletic trainers, and musculoskeletal researchers. Core stability is the ability of the lumbopelvic hip complex to prevent buckling and to return to equilibrium after perturbation. Although static elements (bone and soft tissue) contribute to some degree, core stability is predominantly maintained by the dynamic function of muscular elements. There is a clear relationship between trunk muscle activity and lower extremity movement. Current evidence suggests that decreased core stability may predispose to injury and that appropriate training may reduce injury. Core stability can be tested using isometric, isokinetic, and isoinertial methods. Appropriate intervention may result in decreased rates of back and lower extremity injury. Click to Read More.
Keep this in mind while you push through your 20-minute workout routine.
Perform each exercise for 90 seconds. Finish all of the exercises, take a one-minute break, and then repeat.
If you are using a heavy weight to build muscle, move at a slower pace. If you are using a lighter weight, you may go at a faster pace to build endurance.
Your Workout Routine
Wood Chop (Dumbbells) – Click the video to view the workout
The best core exercise…
Muscles Worked:Shoulders, triceps, biceps, quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, core muscles.
Ab Planks – Click the video to view the workout
Try to hold the Ab Plank for the full 90 seconds! You got it!
Muscles Worked: Abdominal muscles, back muscles, lower leg muscles, triceps.
Glute Kickbacks – Click the video to view the workout
Do 45 seconds on each side.
Muscles Worked: Glutes, hamstrings
Reverse Crunch – Click the video to view the workout
Works your lower abs very well… Difficult at first, but you will get better at it!
Muscles Worked: Abs, lower back.
Superman - Click the video to view the workout
Hold for 90 seconds if you can!
Muscles Worked: Glutes, hamstrings, back muscles.
Repeat!
Good work!
Click here to find out how to optimize your post-workout recovery!
Picture: An exercise ball is an excellent piece of equipment to build core strength.
Share your experiences with this workout routine below!
