6 Core Workouts at the Gym

 

Core workouts at the gym can be highly effective in targeting and strengthening your abdominal muscles, obliques, lower back, and hip muscles. Here's a sample core workout routine you can do at the gym:

1. Plank:

   • Start in a plank position with your forearms on the ground and elbows directly beneath your shoulders.
   • Engage your core muscles to keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.
   • Hold the plank for 30-60 seconds, or as long as you can maintain good form.
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2. Russian Twists:

   • Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
   • Lean back slightly and lift your feet off the ground, balancing on your sit bones.
   • Hold a weight or medicine ball with both hands and twist your torso to the right, then to the left, while keeping your core engaged.
   • Repeat for 10-15 reps on each side.
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3. Hanging Leg Raises:

   • Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and feet together.
   • Engage your core muscles and lift your legs straight up towards the ceiling, keeping them together.
   • Lower your legs back down with control.
   • Aim for 10-12 reps.
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4. Cable Woodchoppers:

   • Attach a handle to a cable machine at shoulder height.
   • Stand sideways to the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold the handle with both hands.
   • Pull the handle across your body in a diagonal motion, rotating your torso as you do so.
   • Return to the starting position with control.
   • Perform 10-12 reps on each side.
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5. Medicine Ball Slams:

   • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a medicine ball overhead.
   • Engage your core muscles and slam the ball down towards the ground as hard as you can.
   • Catch the ball on the rebound and repeat for 10-15 reps.
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6. Side Plank:

   • Lie on your side with your elbow directly beneath your shoulder and legs stacked on top of each other.
   • Lift your hips off the ground, forming a straight line from head to heels.
   • Hold the side plank for 30-60 seconds on each side.
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7. Dead Bug:

   • Lie on your back with your arms extended towards the ceiling and knees bent at 90 degrees.
   • Lower one arm and the opposite leg towards the ground while keeping your lower back pressed into the floor.
   • Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
   • Aim for 10-12 reps on each side.
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Perform each exercise in a circuit fashion with minimal rest between exercises. Complete 2-3 rounds of the circuit, resting for 1-2 minutes between rounds. Adjust the number of reps and sets based on your fitness level and goals.