So you are looking to strengthen your core. We all want a tight core and abs so we can wear a different style of clothing and not hide our bodies. You are just looking for the perfect core strengthening exercises that you can try anywhere. If you are on vacation, on your lunch break, or right before bed, these are the exercises you need to be doing for that sleek and slender core.
You will be glad you took the time to do them 3 to 4 days a week.
Abdominal crunch:
We have been doing these in gym class since we were kids. The idea is to get your head and shoulders off the ground, but not go all the way up. I try to do as many as possible during 30 seconds. This sets a challenge for me rather than just having myself do 20 or 30 at a time. If I give myself a time limit, I can try harder each time to try and do more. I do three sets of 30 seconds with a 10 second rest between each. You think the break helps, but you still feel the tightness in your abs.
Side plank:
I was first introduced to planks during a hot yoga class. This is an exercise that shows yoga benefits by just holding a position. You need to make sure that you are on your side, and you are holding your body up by stacking your legs on top of one another and holding your upper body up with your arm. For balance, use your other arm to stretch up into the sky and look at it when you are having difficulty keeping the position. It is a lot more difficult than it looks.
Bridge:
This is another move that will make your stomach hurt when you laugh. My trainer used to do things during our core sessions. What you need to do is start with your knees bent and your back flat on the ground. Then lift your bum up and hold, then drop. That is one bridge. He made me do as many as possible during 30 seconds and instead of resting, he would have me hold the bridge between sets. It did work. My abs were flat and my sides were tight as well. These also firm your bum as well.
Must watch out this video: https://youtu.be/yVQbZbHx4YY
Swimmers kick:
This has many different names, but at the end of the day they all give you the same results. What you need to do is lay flat on your back with your arms out at your side. Lift your legs straight out at about 6 inches off the ground. Then all you need to do is kick your legs like a swimmer and make sure you DO NOT BEND YOUR KNEES. This is quite important because if you bend your knees, then you are not working your core which totally defeats the purpose. I recommend doing the swimmers kick for 30 seconds on and 10 seconds off. If you want a challenge, rotate it with your bridge. You will feel the burn!
Shoe tap:
Since I am not sure what this exercise is actually called, we will name it the shoe tap. You get into the same position as a bridge or a sit up and lift your shoulders and head off the ground and have your hand tap your sneaker rotating from side to side (tap right, tap left, tap right…). This will work your sides, but can also help with common health problems since it does not put as much stress on your body. As per usual, I recommend doing as many shoe taps over 30 seconds and rotating it with other exercises.
Toe touches:
This sounds easy, but is quite difficult. Lay once again on your back with your legs down. As you lift your arms from behind your head, lift your legs up too and make sure not to bend your knees. When your arms and shoulder are up tapped your toes with your fingers. This is an exercise for more advance gym goers, but something beginners can strive to do. Rotate your toe touches with your shoe taps. One exercise is more difficult than the other and therefore they even each other out.
So these are the 6 best core strengthening exercises you can do anywhere. I recommend doing them first thing in the morning, or right before you go to bed. Since they are mostly based lying on the floor, just get out a blanket or yoga mat and go to town. These exercises are good for moderate to advance gym goers and something for beginners to strive for.