These exercises can strengthen core muscles
What's the story
If you're looking for a way to add some spice to your workout routine, African martial arts may just be what you need! With an interesting history, African martial arts also offer unique techniques that can help get you in shape. Rooted in tradition, these exercises build strength, flexibility, and endurance. Here are five core exercises inspired by African martial arts to step up your fitness game.
#1
Dynamic leg swings
Dynamic leg swings are great for enhancing flexibility and balance. This exercise requires you to swing one leg forward and back while standing up straight. It helps in loosening the hip joints, increasing mobility, and warming up the body for strenuous activities. Doing dynamic leg swings regularly can improve your coordination and lower body strength.
#2
Ground-based push-ups
Ground-based push-ups emphasize upper body strength and core stability. This variation, unlike traditional push-ups, necessitates the need to remain in contact with the ground with forearms or fists while pushing up from a prone position. This exercise effectively targets the chest, shoulders, triceps and core muscles. Including ground-based push-ups in your routine can improve muscle endurance.
#3
Rotational lunges
Rotational lunges put a spin on regular lunges by adding a twist of the torso while you step forward or backward to lunge. The exercise not only improves core engagement but also flexibility of hips, while targeting major muscular groups including quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, all the while giving you cardiovascular benefits when performed at higher intensity levels over time.
#4
High knees with arm movements
High knees with arm movements provide a full-body workout, engaging legs, arms, shoulders, back, and abs all at once. Perfect for squeezing maximum out of your training without any gym equipment, this exercise involves lifting knees alternatively to chest level while moving arms overhead and sideways. This yields a dynamic movement pattern that elevates heart rate and burns calories efficiently.
#5
Plank variations
Plank variations provide several benefits, including strengthening core muscles, improving posture, and increasing overall stability, balance, control, etc. The standard plank position can be modified in several ways (side planks, forearm planks, single-leg planks), each targeting different areas within the abdomen. Helping you develop a stronger midsection over time, practicing these variations regularly will yield noticeable improvements in terms of appearance as well as functionality in day-to-day activities.