You made it to Week 3 of the SELF Better Together Challenge! And today we’re doing a core strength workout. Do a little happy dance, pat yourself on the back, or treat yourself to a new pair of leggings. You’re halfway through our four weeks of workouts, and that’s a big milestone you deserve to be proud of.
Before we dive into our workout, let’s go over what core strength is and why building it is so important. Contrary to popular belief, your “core” is not just another name for your abs, or your rectus abdominis. Your core is actually a muscle group, which contains your abs, but also includes a number of other important muscles too: the transverse abdominis (the deepest internal core muscle that wraps around your sides and spine), erector spinae (a set of muscles in your lower back), and the internal and external obliques (the muscles on the sides of your abdomen).
When you want to work your core, then, it’s important to perform a variety of moves that target all of these muscles. (That’s why we generally recommend against solely relying on crunches to build core strength. Also, that would just be plain boring. And, in fact, potentially dangerous!) Another fun thing to note about core movements is that some of them are super “sneaky,” meaning they work other parts of your body too—sometimes, seemingly focusing on strengthening just those muscles—when in reality they’re also working your core. That’s why we love today’s workout—the pop-squats will add in some cardio and lower-body work, while, as its name suggests, the glute-bridge march will hit your glutes.
One more thing: Let’s revisit why a proper core strength workout is so important. (We’ll make it quick, we swear!) A strong core will give you better balance and posture, and can even help reduce back pain. Needless to say, giving this section of your body some love is super important. Okay, Team SELF—ready, set, go!
The core strength workout below is for Day 15 of the SELF Better Together Challenge. Check out the full month of workouts right here. Or go to the workout calendar here. If you haven’t signed up to receive daily emails, do that here.
WORKOUT DIRECTIONS
Do each move below for your selected interval of work and rest. At the end of all the moves, rest for 60 seconds. That’s 1 circuit. Do the circuit 3–5 times. Then try the EMOM finisher.
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Option 1: 30 seconds of work, 30 seconds of rest
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Option 2: 40 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest
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Option 3: 50 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest
EXERCISES
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Pop Squat
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Tuck-Up
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Bird-Dog Crunch (Right Side)
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Bird-Dog Crunch (Left Side)
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Glute-Bridge March
30-10-10 EMOM FINISHER
Do each move below for 10 reps as fast as you can. If you finish in under 60 seconds, rest. At the start of the next minute, repeat the circuit again. Continue in this way for 4 minutes.
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Jumping Jack x 30 reps
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Squat Pulse x 10 reps
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Push-Up x 10 reps