Working on core strength isn鈥檛 a matter of vanity鈥攁n effort to turn a dad-bod midsection into a six-pack. (Though it can help.) It鈥檚听more of a commitment to kick ass in everything you do.
鈥淐ore exercises build a foundation of strength for more sport-specific movements,鈥澨齭ays Scott Johnston, a climber, former World Cup nordic skier, and co-author of听.听All full-body movements rely on core strength.听That means athletes in every sport,听not just climbing,听will reap the benefits of a strong trunk, from greater endurance to a reduced risk of injury. Below, Johnston shares the ultimate killer core routine.
First, the principles of the routine:
- Do it as a circuit with 30 seconds between exercises. Shoot for four听to eight听repetitions of any exercise听or hold any position for just a few seconds, unless otherwise noted.听If that鈥檚 too easy, add resistance or drop the exercise.
- You鈥檙e finished with an exercise when you can no longer hold a position or听do another strict rep听or you begin to shake.
- Start with one time through the circuit to learn the exercises.听Two circuits will be plenty as you progress because you鈥檒l be adding resistance to the exercises.
- Don鈥檛 let poor form take over.听Poor form defeats听the purpose of the workout because you鈥檒l compensate听for the weaker core muscles by using the stronger ones.
- Don鈥檛 hold your breath during the exercises.
- As you gain strength, drop the exercises that become easy.听They are no longer your limiters, and you鈥檒l be able to spend more time working on the harder exercises.
1. Strict Sit-Ups
Targets: Psoas (deep hip-flexor muscle).听Used in cross-country听skiing, running, and any form of hip flexion past about 60 degrees.听Also engages the rectus abdominis (six-pack muscles).听Strengthening these muscles can help alleviate the lower-back pain that often accompanies sitting.
How to: Assume a normal sit-up position鈥攌nees bent to about 70 to 90 degrees, back flat on the floor, toes hooked under something so you can pull against them. Cross your hands on your chest so your fingers are resting on your collarbones. Slowly and in control, sit up by flexing only at your hips.听Do not crunch by curling your spine.听Keep your spine in a neutral (straight) position while coming up to the point where your elbows touch the top of your thighs.听Return to the start position for one repetition.
2. Bad Dog听
Targets: Hip flexibility and transverse abdominis鈥攖he deepest ab muscles that live underneath the six-pack muscles;听these are recruited in just about every limb movement. This move is also great for calming a cranky lower back.
How to: Get on all fours with knees directly below your hips and hands directly below your shoulders.听Pick up one leg;听while holding the knee bent at 90 degrees, draw a big ellipse in the air with your knee.听The action sort of mimics the action of a dog peeing on a fire hydrant.听While you鈥檙e doing that, point the arm opposite the moving leg听directly in front of you, like Superman.听You may not feel this exercise is tiring, but that鈥檚 probably听because you have poor hip mobility.听Try for 10 slow and strict rotations of each hip.
3. Windshield Wipers
Targets: and abdominal obliques used in all rotational movements, like swinging a bat or golf club.
How to: The name for this move听describes the action of your legs as they wipe across an imaginary windshield. Lie on your back with your arms outstretched to your sides and palms placed against the floor.听Now, flex your hips so that your听feet are together and pointed at the ceiling.听Slowly rotate your hips to lower your feet to one side, keeping the feet听locked together and knees straight.听You鈥檒l want to resist the rotation of your shoulders by pushing down hard with your hand on the side you are rotating toward.听Lightly touch the floor with the side of the lower foot before raising both feet back to the 12 o鈥檆lock position and onto the other side.听That鈥檚 one rep.听Do this slowly and controlled.听If you can鈥檛 keep you knees straight or legs together, bend your knees, keeping them pointed at the ceiling when you鈥檙e in the 12 o鈥檆lock position.
4. Three Point听
Targets: The full core structure, front and back, necessary听to stabilize the hips and shoulders.听This move teaches the brain to fire several core muscles while holding tension from hands to the feet鈥攁n especially useful skill for climbers or anyone doing quadrupedal sports.
How to:听Assume a good push-up position (a straight line running the length of your back and legs) with hands directly under your shoulders and feet spread about two feet apart.听Pick up one hand without rotating your shoulders or hips. Point that hand straight out to the front, in line with your spine, and hold until you feel your shoulders rotate, hips rotate, or back sags.听Anything that gets out of line from where you were when you started in the push-up position indicates a failure in strength and the end of that isometric contraction.听Pick up each limb in turn and hold until failure.听When this is no longer a challenge, you can pick up the opposite hand and foot and hold that.听Add a weight vest for an additional challenge when you can hold the posture for more than ten seconds. 听
5. Kayaker
Targets: Oblique and transverse abdominals needed for counter-rotation of hips and shoulders, such as in paddling, golf, or most throwing movements.
How to:听Sit on the floor with legs outstretched.听Bring your knees up to about 90 degrees and lift your听feet a few inches off the floor so that you are balanced on your sit bones.听Clasp your hands together in front of you and rotate your shoulders far enough to so you can reach your hands to touch the floor lightly just beside one hip.听Rotate all the way to the other side and touch the floor again. Do this slowly and in control for ten touches total.听Hold a dumbbell and touch it to the floor for added resistance.
6. Super Push-Ups 听
Targets: Shoulder health and range of motion.听Hits the 鈥攖he muscles extending up your back that help you bend forward and stand up鈥攁s the spine is hyperextended through much of the movement.听Helpful for general back health to counter all the abdominal work; an imbalance between ab and back strength can lead to pain in either area.
How to:听Start in a modified push-up position, with both hands and feet just wider than shoulder width.听While keeping your arms and legs straight, walk your feet closer to your hands so your hips rise toward the ceiling, like the听downward dog pose in yoga. From this inverted-V position, bend your elbows, lowering your head toward the floor so your nose touches the ground between your hands. Then touch your chin between your hands, and then touch your chest in the same spot.听You鈥檒l drag all of these areas across an imaginary line drawn between your hands.听As your rib cage reaches this line, push up with your arms so your hips are pressed near the floor, your shoulders are pulled back, and your spine is hyperextended.听Reverse this movement by slowly lowering your ribs, chest, chin, and nose to touch that imaginary line between your hands until you are back to the inverted-V starting position. Six reps are听plenty for most people.
7. Hanging Leg Raise听
Targets: Hip flexors, all abs. Both bent- and straight-arm versions require serious hip-flexor strength through the first 100 degrees of movement.听The whole abdominal package has to fire very powerfully as the spine flexes.听It also requires a lot of shoulder strength to keep from swinging.听This is a really great exercise for climbers鈥攁nd a fun party trick, to boot.
How to:听Hang from a bar with elbows bent and locked at 90 degrees.听While keeping your legs straight, raise your feet higher than the bar, then slowly lower them. Do not allow your body to swing while doing this.听This combines a climbing-specific shoulder position with core control.听A variation focusing听more on the core and听less on the听shoulders: Hang straight-armed from the bar, and slowly raise your straight legs to touch the bar with your feet. Slowly lower, and resist any swinging from the bar.听If you can鈥檛 do this with straight legs, then start with bent knees in the locked position and pull your knees to your chest.听When you can complete ten听reps, progress by slowly lowering to the count of five. Once you can do this for four听to five reps, you鈥檙e ready to start using straight legs. Start with bare feet, but I鈥檝e known climbers who can do this wearing double boots.
8. Bridge听
Targets: Shoulders. Shoulder flexibility is the most common limiter with this move. It鈥檚 also tough on the glute-hamstring-erector spinae complex of the posterior muscle chain (the muscles going up the back of your body).听The challenge doubles when one foot is lifted and your hip is flexed听because the entire abdominal group has to fire to maintain balance and keep the hips from dropping.
How to:听In this exercise, you鈥檒l make yourself into a bridge or coffee table by getting onto all fours鈥攂ut with your belly facing the ceiling.听Hands directly below shoulders, feet flat on the floor directly below your knees.听All angles should be nice and square.听The first step is to push your navel toward the ceiling as far and hard as you can by squeezing your butt tight; hold.听For many, this will be enough of a challenge.听The next stage is to lift one foot off the floor by straightening the听knee.听Your leg will be in line with your torso. Hold this while pushing your navel upward.听If you can do this without dropping your hips, then you are ready for the last stage: Flex the hip of the听raised leg so your toes are pointed to the ceiling.听Do this while keeping your navel pressed high.听Hold these end positions as long as possible with no sagging in the core.听Any sign of a sag means that repetition is over.
9. Gymnast L-Sit
Targets: Balance, hip flexibility,听every muscle from the shoulders to the knees. This hold can help lower your risk of injury during听squats and deadlifts by strengthening the muscles that protect the spine.听
How to:听Sit on the floor, legs out in front of you, toes pointed, knees straight.听Place your palms on the floor so your fingers are pointed toward your toes and the heel of your hands are in a line about even with your crotch.听Slowly rock your shoulders forward so they come over your hands as your elbows straighten and your shoulders drop.听These two actions combined will lift your hips off the floor.听Push hard down through your hands and lift your feet while keeping your knees straight.听Do not be dismayed if you can鈥檛 get your feet off the floor at all or if you can only raise them for a split second.听Keep working at it鈥攜ou鈥檒l eventually be able to hold your feet outstretched for many seconds.听Begin with bare feet.
10. Side Plank
Targets: Shoulders, chest, transverse and oblique abs.
How to:听Get into the side plank position with听your supporting arm straight, one foot against the toes of the other (one in front of the other). Keep your legs straight and in a straight line from head to your feet.听Raise the upper hand and point the fingers to the ceiling.听Slowly rotate your body so that your high arm (while remaining straight) can come down and touch the floor next to the supporting hand.听Return to the starting position for one repetition.听When this feels easy, hold a dumbbell in the high hand.听It is important to maintain planklike straightness along your spine and legs.听Don鈥檛 sag or stick your butt in the air as you rotate about the shoulder. Shoot for six听perfect reps on each side.
This core workout was adapted from The New Alpinism Training Log听by Steve House and Scott Johnston. Copyright 漏听2015 by Patagonia庐.