5 Simple Core Strengthening Exercises For Beginners
Summary
TLDRIn this beginner-friendly video, Doctor Jo and Bumble-Bear introduce a series of simple core-strengthening exercises, including modified planks, side planks, and pelvic tilts. The focus is on proper alignment and gradual progression, starting with short durations and working up to longer holds. The exercises aim to engage the entire core, including the often overlooked pelvic floor, promoting overall stability and strength.
Takeaways
- 🧘♀️ Core exercises target the front, sides, back, and pelvic floor for a holistic approach to strengthening.
- 💪 Modified planks are an easier introduction to core workouts for beginners, focusing on alignment and proper form.
- 🦵 Raising the bottom area and legs slightly in a modified plank can increase core activation, but maintain proper alignment.
- 🕒 Start with short durations for core exercises (10-15 seconds) and gradually increase to 30 seconds to a minute as comfort and strength improve.
- 📈 Progression is key; as you get stronger, move on to intermediate and advanced core exercises.
- 🧘♂️ Side modified planks help work the oblique muscles, with options to switch legs or keep both together for comfort.
- 🔄 Ensure even work on both sides of the core, alternating between exercises for balanced strength.
- 🐾 In quadruped exercises, focus on maintaining a neutral spine and avoid dropping hips or leaning excessively to one side.
- 🦶 Pelvic tilts engage the pelvic floor, using small movements to strengthen these often overlooked core muscles.
- 🔗 Use visual cues like hand placement on the hip to ensure proper alignment during side planks.
- 🤸♀️ Modifications and alternatives are available for all exercises to accommodate different fitness levels and comfort.
Q & A
What is the focus of the exercises demonstrated by Doctor Jo and Bumble-Bear?
-The exercises are focused on core strengthening for beginners, covering the front, sides, back, and pelvic floor of the body.
Why is the pelvic floor often forgotten when doing core exercises?
-The pelvic floor is often forgotten because it is not as commonly discussed or understood as other parts of the core, but it is an important component for overall core strength.
What is the first exercise demonstrated in the script?
-The first exercise demonstrated is a modified plank, which is a beginner-friendly version of the traditional plank to engage the core muscles.
How long should a beginner aim to hold the modified plank position?
-A beginner should start with holding the position for 10 to 15 seconds, and gradually work up to being able to hold it for about a minute.
What is the purpose of pulling the belly button in and squeezing the glute muscles during the plank?
-Pulling the belly button in and squeezing the glute muscles helps to activate and engage the core muscles more effectively during the plank exercise.
How does one perform a side modified plank?
-To perform a side modified plank, one starts on their side with their hips slightly back and knees forward, then aligns their shoulder with their elbow and lifts the upper body up and forward into a straight line, engaging the side core muscles.
What is the recommended progression for someone who has mastered the beginner core exercises?
-After mastering the beginner exercises, one can progress to intermediate or advanced core exercises for a more challenging workout.
What is the quadruped position and how does it relate to core exercises?
-The quadruped position is a starting point for various core exercises where one is on all fours with their hands under their shoulders and knees under their hips. It is used to engage and strengthen the core muscles in the back.
How can one tell if they are not ready for the quadruped position?
-If one feels like they are leaning to one side or dropping down when moving their arms or legs, they may not be ready for the quadruped position and should stick with other modifications first.
What is the purpose of the pelvic tilt exercise?
-The pelvic tilt exercise targets the pelvic floor, which is often overlooked in core workouts. It helps to strengthen the core by tilting the pelvis without using the feet to push.
How long should one hold the pelvic tilt?
-One should hold the pelvic tilt for 3 to 5 seconds and gradually increase the hold time as they become more comfortable with the exercise.
What is the importance of breathing while performing these core exercises?
-Breathing properly while performing core exercises is crucial for maintaining proper oxygen flow and preventing strain. It also helps to ensure that the movements are smooth and controlled.
Outlines
🏋️♀️ Beginner's Core Strengthening Exercises
This paragraph introduces a set of beginner-friendly core exercises aimed at strengthening the entire core, including the often overlooked pelvic floor. The first exercise is a modified plank, which is less intimidating for beginners and can be adjusted for comfort. The focus is on proper alignment and engagement of the core muscles, with suggestions to progress the duration as the individual's strength improves. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of starting slow and gradually increasing the challenge of the exercises. A side modified plank is also introduced, targeting the oblique muscles, with tips on maintaining proper form and progressing the exercise over time.
🧘♀️ Quadruped and Pelvic Floor Exercises
The second paragraph continues with more beginner core exercises, focusing on the back and pelvic floor muscles. An arm lift in a quadruped position is described, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a straight back and not straining the shoulders. The exercise can be modified based on the individual's readiness and comfort level. The paragraph then introduces a pelvic tilt exercise, which targets the pelvic floor. Detailed instructions are provided on how to perform the pelvic tilt correctly, ensuring that the work is done by the core and not the feet. The exercise aims to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and can be adjusted in duration as the individual progresses.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Core exercises
💡Modified plank
💡Pelvic floor
💡Alignment
💡Glute muscles
💡Quadruped
💡Arm lift
💡Pelvic tilt
💡Progression
💡Breathing
💡Stability
Highlights
Doctor Jo and Bumble-Bear present simple core strengthening exercises for beginners.
The core includes the front, sides, back, and pelvic floor, with exercises targeting all areas.
Begin with modified planks to ease into core exercises without straining the shoulders.
For those with weak core muscles or injuries, start with 10 to 15-second holds and gradually increase.
Side modified planks help target the sides of the core, with an emphasis on proper alignment.
Alternating between sides in side planks allows for balanced core strengthening.
In quadruped position, start with arm lifts to engage the back core muscles without strain.
Maintain a straight back during arm lifts to ensure the correct muscles are being worked.
If experiencing discomfort, consider starting with other modifications before progressing.
Leg lifts in quadruped position add variety and continue to engage the core.
Ensure hips are not dropping and the back remains still during leg lifts for proper form.
Pelvic tilts on your back target the pelvic floor, an often overlooked part of the core.
Use fists placed between the knees as a guide for proper leg positioning during pelvic tilts.
Focus on flattening the back rather than pushing with the feet during pelvic tilts.
Breathing normally is encouraged during pelvic tilts to maintain a relaxed and controlled movement.
Start with 5 to 10-second holds for pelvic tilts and gradually increase as the core gets stronger.
These beginner exercises aim to build a strong foundation for progressing to more advanced core workouts.
Transcripts
Hey everybody, it's Doctor Jo and Bumble-Bear, and today I'm going to show you some simple core
strengthening exercises for beginners. So let's get started. So these simple core exercises are
going to work all around. Our core is the front, the sides, the back, and our pelvic floor. So
stick around to the last exercise because that's going to be the pelvic floor which is a lot of
times what people forget about when they're doing core exercises. These are going to be for beginner
or modified. So they're going to be easier when you're first starting out, and they're hopefully
going to be things that you can easily accomplish. So the first one is just going to be a modified
plank. So planks sound scary sometimes but when you do a modified plank, it makes it a
little bit easier. So the first thing you want to do is kind of get on your elbows, make sure
your shoulders and your elbows are lined up so you're not really making your shoulders irritated,
and then you're going to stay on your knees but just bring your bottom area up. Sometimes I like
to pick up my legs a little bit, it helps give me a little bit more activation in my core,
but make sure you know your, your bottom's not up high, it's not down low, you're trying to kind of
bring yourself in alignment. It might be up just a little bit in the modified. Again, you can bring
those legs down, but you want to pull your belly button in and squeeze those glute muscles while
you're doing the plank. If you're just doing these for the first time, maybe you have really weak
core muscles. Maybe you've had an injury, you might only be able to go 10 to 15 seconds,
and that's fine. Then you can come down. Ideally, you want to be able to work your way up to about
a minute, 30 seconds to a minute, and be able to do several of those comfortably. Then after that,
you can progress into my intermediate or advanced core exercises. Then the next one it's going to
be working the sides. So this is just going to be a side modified plank. Make sure you're working
both sides. I'm just going to show you one side, but you can alternate back and forth or you can
do several on one side and then do the other side. Some people do their legs a little bit
differently, some keep the top one out. I like to kind of keep both of mine together. I'm starting
with my hips back a little bit while I'm down on the couch or the bed or the floor,
wherever you are, where my knees are a little bit forward because when I come up, I'm going to come
up and come forward a little bit. You can, if you like, with your leg out, you can do that that way,
but this is just the way I like doing it. I think it's the most comfortable. Same thing. Kind of get
your shoulder and your elbow lined up so you're not putting a lot of stress on your shoulder while
you're doing this. And then when you come up, sometimes I like to put my hand on my hip just
so I can feel where it's going. You don't have to, you can relax it. But again, I'm going to come up
and forward into that side plank where I'm coming into a straight line. So I'm bringing my hips
forward where I'm in that straight line there. So same thing. You're just kind of holding that.
You should feel it on this, on the side, closest to the bed or the couch or the floor, and again,
just kind of working your way up. So, you know, if the first time is just 10 to 15 seconds and
you're like, woo, I'm really feeling it. That's fine. Come on back down, work on it for, you know,
a week or 2 and then you can keep progressing the time each time you do it. Hopefully getting up to
that 30 seconds to a minute, doing that several times, and then you can progress from there.
But again, make sure you're switching sides even you can just kind of roll over, so then you don't
actually have to switch sides and then give each side a break while you're doing it. So then the
next one is going to be coming up into all fours or what we call quadruped. So now I'm getting the
core muscles in the back. So same thing. You want to make sure that your alignment is really good so
you're not irritating anything else while you're doing it. So your hands are pretty close under
your shoulders. They might be out just a little bit. That's okay. But, you know, not far out and
then not far that way and then your hips and your knees should be pretty much in alignment
as well. So the first one in quadruped, just to kind of get you started and get you comfortable,
is just going to be an arm lift. Try and keep your back pretty straight. If you feel like
you're dropping when you're moving your arm or your legs, then you're probably not quite ready
for the quadruped position yet, but just trying to keep everything nice and straight and then
just lifting your arm up. Nice and slow coming back down and then alternate sides. So again,
if you feel like you have to like lean over to one side, or if you're kind of dropping
down, maybe stick with the other modifications first. You can do this for time. You know,
however many you come to really do just kind of alternating back and forth for 30 seconds. Or if
you want to give yourself, I want to do 10 on each side, you can do that as well. If you feel like
those are pretty good easy to do, then you can do your legs alternating back and forth. So this time
just kicking out, get a couple little pops in your knee, switch sides, alternate kicking out. So same
thing. If you feel like you have to kind of lean over, almost like you're you know a fire hydrant,
then you're probably not quite ready for it. Try and keep your back in a pretty still position.
It's going to move a little bit, but where you're not dropping your hips this way or
having to lean over. And again, if you have to do that, you're probably not quite ready for these,
but just going this way, little pause, you don't have to hold it for too long. And then alternating
back and forth, again, you can do it for time or for reps, whichever one is most comfortable
for you. And then a nice modified exercise kind of for the pelvic floor, which sometimes people
miss when they think about the core is just a simple pelvic tilt. So lying on your back
with your knees propped up, put a little bit of space in between. Sometimes if you put your fists
together, and put it in between there, that's a good distance apart. So with a pelvic tilt,
you're moving the pelvic area. You're not really using your feet to push. That's more of going
into a bridge. You want all the work to be at the core here in that pelvic area. And so all
you're doing is just trying to flatten out your back. You're going into that posterior pelvic
tilt there. And so again, see, I'm not pushing myself with my feet. My feet should be pretty
relaxed. I'm not putting a lot of pressure there. They're just kind of propped up. And I'm rotating.
It's not a big movement, but I'm rotating those hips where I'm flattening out my back. I'm not
holding my breath. I'm breathing and talking while I'm doing that. And then just holding
it 3 to 5 seconds and then come back up. So see it's a little movement. It's not a big movement,
but it's really working those core muscles more than you think that they are. So again,
maybe a 5 to 10 second hold. If you can work it up more and you want to get to like a 30 second hold,
that's fine. Or you can just do the 5-second holds and then take a break and do it for reps
or for time. So there you have it. Those were some simple core or anything exercises for beginners.
If you'd like to help support my channel, click on the link up there and don't forget to subscribe.
Where Mr. Bear, yeah, down there. And remember, be safe, have fun, and I hope you feel better soon.
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