Exercises to Strengthening your core/By Gaurav Dawar

From regular exercise like pushups and situps, people generally ignore a core exercise which is equally important for your muscles. It focuses more on lower back, hips, pelvis and abdomen to get better shape of the body. The exercises are effective and help in building your core muscles but you should do it rightly as shared by Gaurav Dawar, Fitness & Nutrition Expert.

Bridge Exercise
One of the simplest exercises you can do is performing it as a bridge. Lie on your back with your knees bent. Inhale, try to engage your pelvic floor, and lift your hips as much as you can. Hold for up to 10 seconds and now slowly lower your hips back down and release your pelvic floor. Do at least 10 times.

Side Planks
All the muscles are actively engaged while performing this exercise so careful in keeping your body straight while doing it. You can shift your weight from both arms only to your left arm and rotate your torso to the right entirely. Raise your right arm straight up towards the ceiling and look up towards your right palm. This will forms the shape of “T”. Try and hold this posture for a few moments and return to the push-up position and repeat the same on the other side too. This entire move makes one repetition of workout. Repeat the exercise within at least for one minute and you will surely feel confident after a month.

Abdominal Crunch
It's very important to work your core. Definitely, a strong back and strong abs are the foundation of all your daily movements, so they need to be strong. You can proceed with lying on the floor on back and bend your knees, place your hands behind your head. Slowly move your shoulders off the floor, keeping neck straight and chin up. Stay for few minutes and lower back down on floor, repeat for ten times.

Do superman Exercise
This is a power-packed exercise to reduce tummy that work with your thighs, abs and lower back too. Following the W lift, twist around and lay your face towards the ground. Then, stretch yourself on the ground by keeping hands and legs straight. Now, you need to lift your chest and thighs off the ground and at the same time balance yourself on tummy. While doing this try to keep yourself as straight as possible. Repeat lifting your thighs and chest off the ground for 30 seconds. This exercise is particularly effectual to tone your belly.

Cat pose stretch exercise
It is a balanced exercise for the back, tones and stretches the muscles of body. Cow position (extend) and cat position (stretch) the body. It is simple and develops flexibility, just place your hands and knees on your exercise mat, inhale and stretch back to little up without moving your knees forming a straight line from your ear to your hip. Exhale and bring back to the same position. Repeat it ten times.

Cow pose extend exercise
To begin with this exercise, place your hand and knees on exercise mat. Extend your head up in the air lowering your back a little down towards floor. Exhale and come back to the same position.

Standing side Bend Exercise
Side bends are perfect for targeting the muscles, which are one of the hardest areas within the abdominal area to strengthen and tone. Start with standing straight, inhale and bend towards side left as much as you can, exhale and come back up to the same position. Repeat the same on right side.

Pilate position
Place your knees and hands on your mat and back straight. Now, raise one of your legs behind off the floor and stretch your opposite arms straight towards front. Hold on for few seconds; slowly come back to the same position.

Leg Raise
This exercise works your abdominal and hip flexor muscles which will improve your ability to get out of bed and maintain your posture and help back muscle pain. Lie on your back straight and bring one of your legs towards your chest. At the same time, keep other leg on the floor. Slowly bring back the leg to the floor and repeat it 10 times.

Straight Leg Raise
Lie on your back straight and move one of your legs off the floor as higher as you can. At the same time, keep other leg on the floor. Slowly bring back the leg to the floor and repeat it 10 times.

(The author is a Fitness & Nutrition Expert and CEO of Flabthugs).