Help Your Core

Your core is the perfect place to start if you have a goal of being healthier. The often ignored and very often difficult to target core area, which includes your abdominal muscles, obliques, and lower back, is the center of power for your body. Any explosive move you need starts and ends with a powerful core. There are a lot of things you can do to help, but starting with your abs and lower back is the foundation of any centralized strength in your body.

Using a variety of ab workouts will help you strengthen the most visible, and arguably most important part, of your core. Hanging knee raises are a great workout for your lower abs, the hardest part of your stomach to target. A decline sit up is a nice option if you happen to have a bench available, but remember to only bring your sit up to about a seventy degree level to prevent your muscle from retracting. If you’ve got a good contraction, try to keep it for as long as you can, the fatigue in your muscle is exactly what you’re looking for. To get your obliques, you might try a weighted side bend with a plate to supplement your move or a twisting sit up from a regular or decline position. Getting cut up obliques is really important to your overall core strength.

Targeting your lower back may also be very beneficial if you want to feel stronger in your middle. I like a weighted back bend to really focus on my lower back. It may only be a ten or twenty pound supplement, but a back bend can give you the lower back burn you’re looking for. One caution though. Don’t bring your back passed one hundred and eighty degrees, especially with weight aboard, because you may be putting some undo stress on pretty fragile real estate. Remember to not overdo it. You don’t need a ton of weight in this exercise, just a good set of quality reps.

Strengthening your core is imperative to becoming explosive. Working out is part of the program, but eating right is just as important. Watching your calorie intake and ensuring you’re getting the essential fatty acids in your diet (not just your regular fats) can get you over the hump to having a healthy and strong core. Using a fat burner supplement of course can target that stubborn layer of fat over your abs. Take some whey protein or creatine if you want your muscles to increase in size and strength. And include a multivitamin as part of your daily nutrition to maximize your global health. A multivitamin provides the recommended daily allowance of up to a couple dozen of your essential vitamins and minerals, which will no doubt serve to square up your core.

Getting a flat stomach and a strong core is on everyone’s mind. There are a number of exercises you can use to target the right muscle groups that make up your core, but you’ll never get where you want to go unless you can improve your diet and incorporate the right supplements (fat burners, multivitamins, whey protein, and creatine). Hard work and the right supplement are always the recipe for greater health.

For more info on multivitamins, visit Top Form Vitamins.