The Truth About Core Workouts (It’s More Than Abs)

The surprising ways core strength can affect your posture, mobility and even, breathing.

People work out for a lot of different reasons – physical health, aesthetics, stress relief. No matter your “why,” it’s important to not neglect your mid section. While planks, bicycle crunches and other core workouts might give you more defined abs, they come with a range of other significant benefits.

Your core is made up of a few different muscles, including your rectus abdominis, pyramidalis, external obliques, internal obliques and transversus abdominis. The rectus abdominis — only one piece of the puzzle — is what you see when people have “six pack abs.”

Combined, your core muscles work with your back muscles to ensure your body can move properly. Together, they help your internal organs stay in place and allow you to maintain good posture so you can walk into a room coolly and confidently. Strengthening your core can even improve your respiratory function, according to some research. You use your core in virtually every activity you do. 

“A strong core helps you find strength and control and safety in all your functional daily activities!,” says obé fitness trainer Olivia T. It can help you comfortably carry a car seat with one hand, lug groceries up the stairs or lift up heavy packages, she says. 

It’s clear that having a strong core can help you get through life more comfortably, so what are the best ways to build one? Below, Olivia T. breaks down some further benefits of having a strong core and offers some tips on how to build and maintain strong abdominal muscles.  

Benefits of core work, beyond aesthetics

1. It can improve your posture and reduce chronic pain. 

If you find yourself slouching over your computer or over your phone, you’re not alone. It’s hard to stand up straight when so many of our devices require us to look down. But maintaining good posture is important because it reduces strain on the joints, especially your spine, and helps you avoid that dreaded back pain as you get older. Strengthening your core can help you improve your posture, because “the abdominal muscles stabilize your spine and pelvis,” says Olivia T. By strengthening them, “you also might appear taller,” she adds.

2. It can protect your body from injuries and boost exercise performance.

Ever wear a brace while healing from an injury? You can think of your core as a “natural brace.” “As your core stabilizes the body, it braces you as you move,” Olivia T. says. “A strong core protects your low back, hips and helps you find balance and control in all movements.”

Are you a runner? Core strength is important to maintain proper running form. Enjoy heavy lifting? Having a strong core helps you lift more and also ensures proper form. No matter how you like to exercise, there’s a strong chance having a strong core will both protect you from injury and improve your overall performance. 

3. It can maintain your balance and range of motion as you age.

Having a strong core can improve your posture, keep your body in alignment, and also, improve your ability to twist, turn and stay balanced in all the ways you need to during your daily life. 

Balance is especially important as you age. Continuing corework over the course of your life can reduce your chances of falls and ensure mobility down the line. 

Best ways to train your core

Now that we’ve discussed how building a better core can lead to a better life, let’s talk about how to do it. You might think that planks and other classic movements are all you need to build core strength. This is a myth, says Olivia T. Core. While these movements are extremely effective, you can strengthen your core strength in other ways. For instance, when you lift a heavy load – whether that’s in a squat, lunge or overhead press, you’re working your abdominal muscles, she says. 

Olivia T. says you can work your core everyday if you want to, as long as you’re sticking with lower intensity movements. Save intense core workouts for one to three times a week, she says, with rest days in between. 

“I prefer to challenge myself and my clients with movements that are more functional, like compound movements, versus those that burn the most,” she says. “Just because it burns doesn’t mean it’s the most logical exercise for you to do. 

Olivia T’s favorite core exercises:

• Deadbugs (all variations! weighted, on a bench, on the floor, head up, head down): To do a dead bug, lie on your back and raise your legs bent at 90 degrees. Rotate lifting one arm behind you while you straighten the opposite leg, and repeat. 

• Pallof Press: To do a Pallof press, you need either a resistance band or a cable machine. Stand a few feet from the machine, with your side facing it, and hold the cable in front of you. Push the band forward and back, to work your core. 

• Pilates 100s: Lay on your back, lift your legs parallel to the floor and pump your arms up and down. 

If you’re looking to supercharge your core workouts, obé has a selection of great collections you can turn to. Check out the 2 Week CORE Challenge, or visit our On Demand library to discover Core focused workouts of all durations and fitness levels!