Sports Performance

Core and Abs Exercise Technique

Movement Video Series: Core + Abs Exercise Techniques

Join EXOS Performance Specialist Julius Charles in these practical training sessions to work on your exercise technique. We will break down common core and abs movements into digestible parts to help you upgrade your form, improve your skill, increase your strength, and gain confidence in the gym.

Elevated Bear Position Pull Throughs

Not only is this a great exercise to strengthen your core and challenge your stability, but this will also burn your shoulders and quads.

Cues:

  1. Hands under the shoulders
  2. Knees under the hips
  3. Neutral spine
  4. Raise your knees off the ground 2 inches
  5. Pull your item across your chest

Plank with Row

Upgrade your planks and challenge your upper body along with your core. this exercise focuses on core stability and upper body pulling, focusing on keeping the hips and torso from rotating, while pulling weight upwards.

Cues:

  1. Keep your dumbbells underneath the shoulders
  2. Feet wide to decrease difficulty. Feet narrow to increase difficulty
  3. Stay tall & long, and tuck your hips
  4. Pull dumb bell weights through your rib cage (alternating)
  5. Don't allow your hips to rotate

Plank with Shoulder Tap

Upgrade your planks with a little extra movement to challenge your core and shoulder stability. This exercise is an anti-rotation movement, focusing on keeping the hips and torso from rotating as you move.

Cues:

  1. Keep the hands under the shoulder
  2. Feet planted into the ground (wide or narrow) depending on you level
  3. Keep your glutes tucked in and don’t let them rotate.
  4. Alternate tap each shoulder

Alternating Leg Lowers

Follow along with Coach Julius to improve your leg lower technique to develop a strong core.  This is a great home exercise you can do to strengthen your lower abs and core strength. 

Watch this video to see how to do proper, safe, and effective alternate leg lowering.

Cues:

  1. Smash your back into the ground (posterior pelvic tilt)
  2. Legs straight off the ground
  3. Smash your hands into the ground
  4. Alternate one leg down at a time.

Tips:

  • Go as low as you can while keeping your lowering back on the ground.
  • If you start to feel your back coming off the ground bend knees (shorten the lever)
  • You can also add Weight to this movement (hold weight above chest)

Dead bugs

Follow along with Coach Julius to improve your dead bug technique. This is a great anti-rotation home exercise you can do to strengthen your core and improve your stability. This exercise will also help relieve low back pain.

Watch this video to see how to do proper, safe, and effective dead bugs.

Cues:

  1. Smash the lower back on the ground (flip your pelvis to your nose)
  2. Bring legs off the ground 90 degrees
  3. Arms over your chest in line with shoulders
  4. Opposites start the movement right arm/left leg reaches out (while keeping low back on the ground)
  5. Control movement all the way through

Tip:

  • Take this exercise to the next level by squeezing an object between your arms and knees.

Proper Planks

Follow along with Coach Julius to improve your plank technique and develop a strong core.  Learn some easy cues and find out where your elbows, feet, and hips should be to get the most out of this exercise.