Exercise is a crucial element of life. Without keeping active, the body weakens, and muscle is lost. It’s challenging to build that muscle back up again, although it’s not impossible if you increase your physical activity. One area of the body that is often neglected through a lack of exercise is the core. The body’s core is what gets you moving, and even fifteen minutes of exercise every day can massively improve your abilities. With a stronger core, you reduce the risk of injury and strengthen your center of gravity. So, what core workouts are suitable for beginners that’ll also build core strength?
The Superman Exercise
You know the superhero, and this exercise mirrors his famous pose. So, lie on your front and extend the right arm and left leg. Raise your head and hold this pose for up to five seconds; lower, repeat with the other leg and arm. If you can, keep them around ten centimeters off the ground. If not, try five. You might want to begin with five reps for each side and build up to ten reps. It gives your core a fantastic workout.
The Bridge Exercise
It’s a great exercise that will build strength in your core and work on your back and leg muscles. So, begin by lying on your back and, keeping your feet flat, raise your legs and bend at the knees. Gently lift your hips off the ground, along with the lower portion of your back. Keep your feet pressed to the floor, and this should create a straight line from your knees to the shoulders. Hold this position for several seconds; five for the first few sessions, then move on to ten seconds.
The Metronome Exercise
Deceptively simple, the Metronome exercise offers a fantastic workout for your core. It’s easy, and even if you’re getting back into training for the first time in a while, you shouldn’t struggle too much. So, start by lying flat on your back. Your ankles should be kept parallel to the ground, so raise the legs and bend them at the knees. Then, extend your arms out to the side of you and slowly rotate your legs to the right. Bring them back to the center and move them left before moving back to the center. You want to get your knees, so they’re almost touching the floor.
This exercise is a thorough workout for the core because you’re testing its strength and flexibility. While there aren’t many ways to alter this exercise, you could limit the number of reps. You could start with ten for each side and build from there. Or if you feel, that ten’s too much, start with five.
The Plank Lift
You’ve probably seen this exercise a thousand times before, and it’s pretty easy, even for a beginner. So, start by lying face down on the floor and carefully prop yourself up with your knees and forearms. You want to keep your feet together too. This works on the core massively and is quite intense when you’re out of practice. So, carefully raise yourself with your elbows; try to keep a straight line from your toes to hips and legs. Hold this stance for five seconds, then if you feel up to it. Then, gently lower your body and repeat.
The Side Plank Exercise
Great for your core, arm, back, and leg muscles, the side plank will give you a thorough workout. It doesn’t sound easy, and you might not initially like the idea of the side plank as it requires some strength; however, don’t dismiss it entirely. Start by lying on your side; right or left, you decide what you prefer. You want to use your foot and forearm to support most of your weight; so, lift your hips and hold the position for three seconds. If you’re going to be bold, extend the arm over your shoulder.
If you’re struggling to lift your hips off the floor, you could use a pillow for support. While this is a great core exercise for beginners, it might be difficult for those with limited mobility. Of course, a pillow or floor mat might help to allow you to complete this exercise without putting too much pressure on your body.
The Single-Leg Lift and Stretch
While this might appear to be an exercise built for the leg muscles, it’s also a fantastic workout for your core. So, you begin by lying on your back with your knees bent. Place your hands underneath your bottom and gently lift your legs upwards, so your body resembles an L-shape. Lower your right leg down and bring it back up; do the same for your left leg. It’s quite an easy exercise, regardless of how much mobility you have.
However, you might not be able to perform twenty reps at one time; that’s ok, start with ten and build yourself from there. If you wanted to, you could start with both legs on the ground and keep one there as you performed the lifts. Again, it’s about what’s easier for you and your mobility. While some would do this core exercise, it might be just too harsh for those with weaker leg muscles.
The Toe Tap Hover
The Toe Tap exercise is deceptively easy, more manageable than you might think, anyway. So, you begin by lying down on a comfortable surface, ensuring your back is flat and your arms kept at your sides. You want to keep the palms face down and gently lift your legs in the arm. If you can, keep the knees bent and to a slight ninety-degree angle. Take your left leg and slowly lower to the floor, stopping just before you reach the floor. You then bring that leg back up and do the same for the right leg. You can try ten reps of the toe tap hover, which will boost the core strength.
The aim is to keep your back pressed to the floor, thus building up the resistance in your core. However, if you feel this is a little tricky, you could extend the leg to the floor and rest it while you bring the other leg down. It depends on how flexible you are and how much strength there is in your legs. Remember, you can modify any exercise to suit your abilities, so even if you can’t complete it as you’d like, you build up to it.
The Assisted Crunch
This exercise targets the core, and while it might seem quite tricky for beginners, it’s easier than it sounds. So, begin by lying flat on your back. There are several different ways to complete this exercise, but this form should be suitable for beginners. Bend your knees and raise them so that your legs are in the air. They don’t have to be over your head. Just slightly raised would be sufficient for beginners and those with limited abilities. Place your hands below the knee and lift your body off the ground like a sit-up.
This can be great for beginners who want to work on their core. However, if you haven’t been doing any physical activity recently, it can be a stretch. Instead, you could look to modify the crunch by keeping your legs on the ground so that it turns more into a sit-up crunch. You want to pulse and try fifteen reps instead of the usual thirty. When you’re able to, you can perform more reps at a time and try putting your hands behind your head.
The V-Sit Exercise
The V-Sit exercise is straightforward, and most people will be able to try it. So, you start by sitting down on a comfortable surface and keeping your legs straight out in front of you. Then, gently raise both legs off the ground, so they are tilted or at an angle, giving you the V-shape. If you feel comfortable, extend your arms upwards and hold the position for three seconds.
If you don’t feel able to extend your legs, you could bend at the knees to make it slightly easier. You could hold the position for three seconds and ease the legs down. When you feel you’ve mastered this exercise, you could challenge yourself to hold the position longer, say five or ten seconds at a time. However, don’t overextend yourself. To begin with, it takes time to build up muscle strength, and three seconds is long enough for beginners.
The Bird Dog Crunch
This exercise works on your core and your glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, and abdominal muscles. It’s a great beginner’s exercise and easier to do than you think. So, begin on your hands and knees; this is your starting position. Make sure your hips are in line with your knees; your hands should be kept aligned with your shoulders, and your back should remain flat. Start by lifting your right hand and left leg and extending outwards, all the while keeping your back straight. Then, carefully retract your leg and arm and repeat this movement for your right leg and left arm.
There are many forms of this exercise; for instance, you could opt for a three or five-second hold if you wanted to take things slower. This would still work on your core and help build up your muscle strength considerably. You could even look to extend one leg or arm at a time if you feel your balance can’t handle the bird dog crunch.
Getting Active
Core exercises push your body to its limits. It makes the body tougher, more muscular and improves the fundamental movement to have a more enjoyable and active life. Beginner exercises target the core and strengthen the legs, back, arms, and shoulder muscles. Even with limited movement, many exercises can improve your core. This is especially important when you haven’t done much physical activity recently as you can start noticing your body becoming weaker. The above exercises are great core exercises for beginners and may help you too.
Building Core Strength With The Help Of BHRT
Building strength and muscle can be challenging for men and women, especially if you have a hormonal imbalance. For building muscle, your anabolic hormones play a critical role by stimulating muscle growth. For strength building, other essential hormones include cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and glucagon. These hormones help increase the availability of glucose (your body’s source of fuel) and support strength training.
If you have a hormone deficiency, then chances are you are not utilizing all of your body’s strength and ability to build muscle. Finding a treatment plan to boost your testosterone, IGF-1, growth hormone, estrogen, and cortisol levels can help maximize your workouts. This type of treatment is called bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) and is prescribed by a physician or qualified telemedicine provider such as EVOLVE.
Before starting BHRT, a full hormone panel test may be required to ensure the physician has the information to create a safe and effective treatment plan. Once patient care specialists have reviewed your hormone levels, the physician will prescribe you medication to help you improve body strength, stamina, and the ability to build muscle mass. Want to learn more or get started with BHRT telemedicine? Contact EVOLVE patient care today!
