Bored? Give Me 3 Minutes to a Strong Core!

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Most people report that a lack of time is the number one reason they don’t exercise on a regular basis. Well, most can’t use that excuse anymore as many are looking for things to occupy their time during our Stay-at-Home order.

What if I told you that if you gave me just three minutes, three times per week, you would notice considerable improvements to your core strength?!

Strengthening your core is critical for optimal health. If your core is strong, that strength radiates out to your extremities and you will be better able to run faster, jump higher, stabilize and align your body, absorb and brace for any impact and move your body more efficiently and with better mechanics. It’s important to mention that your core is not only your abs – but also includes your back and hips so to strengthen your core effectively you need to work the front, back and sides of your torso.

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My suggestion is to use this quarantine period to take a focused effort at strengthening your core.

Here’s a workout that can condition your entire core in a quick 3 minute format.

Choose 3 different Core Exercises of the following – one stabilization exercise, one flexion or rotation of the spine and one hip exercise or back extension.

Perform each of these 3 exercises for 20 seconds and continue for 3 sets (3 minutes) with no rest in between.

Exercises that would be considered core stabilization:

Planks, Side planks, V-sit, Bridging, “Dead Bug” variations, Stability Ball roll-outs, Stability Ball Plank to Pike

Exercises that would be considered flexion or rotation of the spine:

Oblique Crunches, Situps, Tube or pully rotations.

Exercises that would be considered hip conditioning or back extension:

Bridging, Stability Ball Bridging or Hamstring curls, ‘Resisted Side Steps, Superman’ variations, ‘Bird-Dog’ variations, Opposite

Arm/Leg Lift

A sample workout would be as follows:

Plank for 20 seconds

Oblique Crunches for 20 seconds

Opposite Arm/Leg for 20 seconds

Repeat for 3 minutes

Another sample workout would be as follows:

V-sit x 20 seconds

Bicycle Crunches x 20 seconds

Bridging x 20 seconds