I have a strong love/hate relationship with corework. Often my female friends will remark on some guy's arms, (easily noted, even in t-shirts, remarkably accessible for a casual feel, visible even wearing *most* clothing) but in another confession, killer abs do it for me every time. Maybe my slight fetish is from understanding the amount of WORK that goes into developing that kind of muscle development and core strength. Perhaps it's my personal obsession with keeping a trim waist, or maybe it is simply just a hot button for me. Whatever the reason, tight, toned tummies turn me on. (Yes, alliteration intentional.)
So in my personal pursuit of perfection and preventing a pooch (ok, I'll stop...) I have found a couple of exercises that kick my butt! First, I started, but did not complete, Jillian Michaels Six Week Six Pack. Not because I wimped out (though it is killer hard!) but because all the planks and shoulder weight bearing exercises were so hard on my shoulder that I was awake at night with the pain. No pain, no gain was a workout mantra I've heard before, but not to the extent of sacrificing function. So my dreams of washboards have remained dreams. Until these workouts!
Yes, some planks and side planks were involved, but there were plenty of other variations that didn't involve weight-bearing on my shoulder and definitely got the old insides burning!
The core isn't relegating merely to those deep-cut lower abdominal "V" muscles that make even grown women drool like overzealous St. Bernard puppies at feeding time, but also involve the legs, the low back, and all the structurally-supportive muscles used for posture, balance and movement.
With that in mind, many balancing postures, leg lifts and full-body motion exercises will aid core strengthening. Rather than simply pounding out crunches ad nauseum (literally!) there are an enormous range of movements capable of engaging the abdomen, obliques, low back and more. Bridge Pose, Bow Pose, Low Plank or Chaturanga, side planks, and cross arm-to-leg reclining twists will heat up that core.
And, for inspiration, you can always chant my personal motivational mantra: "Bikini, bikini, bikini!"
With laughter in my heart and fire in my belly,
Namaste!
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