Thought that all your core exercises have to take place either on the floor in the supine position? Think again. Fitness trainer, Roxanne Russell, says that if you want to build serious core strength and move your body better, with less pain, then you should start with this upright kettlebell workout.
“Unlike crunches, standing ab work trains your core the way it’s meant to work!” she writes on her post. What she means by this is that the exercises will often move your body through a greater range of motion, rather than just one fixed position, or just forwards and backwards, like when you crunch. This extra challenge to balance and stability helps us move more efficiently in daily life while keeping our spine protected – the core’s real purpose.
For this workout, you’re going to do each exercise for 40 seconds on, 20 seconds off. If you don’t have a kettlebell, you can use a dumbbell instead, or just find something heavy from around your house that you can hold comfortably. Use the time given to complete each exercise with good form and control, don’t get caught up about how many reps you do, just do them properly. Once you’ve completed one round, rest for 2-3 minutes, then repeat the workout one more time. Here’s what you’re doing:
- Overhead marches
- Around the world
- Windmills
- Halo
- Wood chops
If these exercises don't sound familiar to you, then make sure to check out the video above (it's super quick), for a little breakdown. Enjoyed this core session and are looking for similar workouts? Here's a speedy 8 minute one, perfect for bolting onto the end of longer workouts. Alternatively, if you are after a floor core workout, this Pilates one will leave your midsection on fire. We do have good news though, there's still no crunches involved.
