7 Killer Core Exercises You’ve Never Tried Before

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Core day typically involves gentle activities that are designed to add strength in the mid-section of the body. When compared to legs and arm days, core day is usually low-key and focused on functional strength. While typical ab exercises target core muscles, adding 7 killer core exercises you’ve never tried before can help to add efficiency in your gains.

Top 5 Benefits of Core Exercises

The core consists of a group of muscles that surround the abdomen, back, and sides of the body. They work together to perform a wide variety of functions that play a crucial role in daily living and aesthetics. Let’s look at some of the most important benefits of working the core muscles.

Posture. The body contains a skeleton to provide structure, but the muscles help to support the bones and create function. The spine helps to hold us upright and the core works to ensure posture, stability, and movement. Sometimes an optimal posture means having balanced core muscles.
Twisting. The spine allows for bending, extending, and twisting motions and the core muscles are responsible for directing this. While it may seem immovable, the spine is generally quite flexible. The next time you need to twist, bend, or extend at the waist, just remember your core is what’s keeping up with this motion and causing the spine to move.
Injury Prevention. Performing regular core stabilization exercises is a common way to help prevent lower body injuries. Especially among athletes and competitors, maintaining a strong core can help in other areas of the body by keeping you injury free.
Looks and Feels Good. Perhaps one of the biggest goals for adults is to get rid of the little extra around the mid-section. Working the core is vital for creating 6-pack abs and can look and feel great with positive results.
Stabilizes the Body. The core muscles support the body throughout various lifts and activities. A strong core, including the abs, back, and obliques, can maintain stability during free weight activity so you can be at your best.

The Primary Core Muscles to Target

There are major components to the core that every athlete, fitness enthusiast, and adult should focus on. The abs consist of five main muscles, whereas the obliques and extensors in the back make up a major part of the core. Here are the muscles to target for any core workout.

Rectus Abdominis. The rectus abdominis muscle is the outermost part of the abdominal area. This large muscle is divided in the middle by the linea alba and plays a major role in 6-pack abs. If you are working your core for looks and feel, this is a major part to target and will be a major part of your exercise goals.
Internal and External Obliques. The side of each body contains oblique muscles that also contain the love handles. These muscles create twisting and turning motions that are crucial for daily living and are critical for creating a sleek mid-section.
Transversus Abdominis. This deep muscle is located near the internal oblique and helps to stabilize the abdomen. Maintaining a strong core also means working deep muscles, such as the transversus abdominis, and look to strengthen this muscle to create a sleek look.
Multifidus. This smaller muscle lines the spine and is highly important for posture. Because this is such a small and long muscle, it is important to ensure it has stamina to maintain its functionality.
Erector Spinae. The erector spinae covers multiple parts of the back, creating regions. This group helps to control the amount of spinal flexion and maintain an upright posture. While it is a medium-sized muscle for most adults, the erector spinae can grow when hypertrophy training is incorporated.

7 Killer Core Exercises You’ve Never Tried Before

Working the core is like working many other areas of the body; you need to mix it up to create a new stimulus. Not to mention, adding plenty of protein can help to ensure efficiency with every rep so that you can see results much quicker. With that in mind, here are 7 killer core exercises you might not have tried before that can help you to reach your goals faster with more efficiency.

Weighted Dead Bugs. The dead bug exercise works the upper and lower parts of the abs. Focusing on the abdominal muscles, weighted dead bugs with dumbbells can make a tough exercise seem much more challenging.
Cable Pallof Press. While it is normally performed using resistance bands, the Pallof press using cables can add quite a bit of resistance to the core. Consider going heavy to speed up your gains or add reps with lower weight to encourage strength. Alternatively, adding an overhead press to this exercise can add a new dimension for the core.
Turkish Get-Up. While it really does a number on the shoulder, the Turkish get-up really is a test on the core. Start with a light kettlebell until you become familiar with this exercise before adding more weight.
Kneeling Windmill. The windmill is tough on the abs and obliques, but the kneeling windmill helps to add more range of motion. Use a kettlebell with this exercise to make it more challenging.
Stability Ball Planks. The stability ball is an ideal option for the core. Lower the body on the stability ball with the elbows and forearms planted in the ball for best results. For a challenging variation, consider the “stir the pot” movement where you rotate your elbows in a circular pattern with the ball.
One-Sided Farmer’s Carry. A favorite in functional fitness workouts, the farmer’s carry is ideal for stabilizing activities. The one-sided option unilaterally works each side of the body and is great for stabilizing work.
TRX Planks. The TRX system is ideal for isometric work and can target the core better than most options. Similar to a stability ball, lower the body down through the straps and adjust as necessary to find the optimal resistance.

Conclusion

Incorporating new exercises into your core routine can help to create new angles and stimuli to crush the muscles in the mid-section. The exercises above are not very commonly performed by many, but are ideal options for any core day workout.

While adding any new exercise to a routine can be daunting at first, slowly adding one or two in at a time can help to build your confidence. Alternatively, adding all seven exercises can quickly add the resistance needed to build a strong core.