Fit Tip Friday- 2 (SAFE) Ways To Challenge Your CORE!
A common question that comes up with personal training clients is 'how do I make this harder?'
Now, before I answer that question, I think it's important to highlight a couple ways that exercises get categorized...
The first is 'pattern' movements. These are movements that are designed to teach you/your body a specific way to move. The handcuff hinge is a great example of a pattern-based movement. With the teaching qualities and outcome of this style of movement, you don't necessarily look to make this type of exercise 'harder', rather, once you have it down-pat you move on to the next progression, in this case, the dumbbell RDL.
The second way is 'strength' movements. By the name of the category you can probably tell that this grouping is movements that are designed to be performed with weight. This grouping is your traditional bench press, rowing, and squat variations (among many others). With strength-based movements the name of the game is indeed, to do more. More sets. More Reps. More Weight. Any combination of those three will typically lead to strength gains over time.
The tricky part about core (or ab exercises) is that sometimes you can't really use heavy weights because of the positioning (example being this reverse crunch, you can make this weighted, but it's awkward to load up), or you are doing a pattern-based movement that doesn't really call for added weight (the example being this single-leg lower, an awesome core movement that helps with pelvic alignment and strength in to the hips)
So, now that brings us back to the original question, how do you make movements harder?
1) Move the weight further from your body.
Physics tells us that the further something is from its base of support, the more unstable it becomes. By making the weight 'unstable', it will challenge our core and body to work harder to create added stability.
Sounds good, yeah?
An awesome example of this is the Pallof Press. As you push the weight away from your body, your obliques and lateral hip muscles are going to work extra hard to keep your hands and arms centered on your body.
2) Make yourself longer/taller.
The same principle as above applies here as well, but there is a little twist. Yes, if you are holding weight, you will have to work to make that weight more stable if it moves further from your body. A great example of this is a double leg lower with an overhead reach.
This core exercise is no joke.
A different example of this, and one that specifically refers to adding length to your body is this superman plank variation. When performing a plank, normally your hands and arms are directly under your shoulders, close to your base of support. When your hands move out in front of your body, you move your base of support and your core has to create stability for a 'taller' human.
SCIENCE!
So, the next time you're looking to amp up your core training, but you don't want to use heavier weight, do more reps, or do more sets, try to place the weight further from your body, or see if you can adjust your body positioning, to make the movement more challenging!
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