Top 5 exercises for improving core stability and balance
What's the story
Improving core strength and stability is key to optimizing overall fitness and preventing injuries. These exercises target the muscles in your abdomen, lower back, hips, and pelvis, helping to build a strong and stable core. Including these exercises in your routine regularly can greatly enhance posture, increase athletic performance, and make everyday activities feel easier and more efficient.
Plank
Plank variations for strength
The plank is a basic but highly effective exercise that works the whole core. Begin in a position on your elbows and toes, ensuring your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Activate your abdominal muscles by drawing them in toward your spine. Maintain this position for 20 to 30 seconds to start, progressively increasing the duration as your strength improves.
Single-leg
Balance with single-leg stands
This exercise enhances balance and strengthens the muscles surrounding the knees and ankles. Stand on one leg, ensuring a slight bend in the knee of the standing leg. Hold this position for thirty seconds before alternating legs. For added challenge, attempt this exercise with your eyes closed or while standing on a cushioned surface.
Twist
Strengthen with Russian twists
This exercise strengthens the obliques, improving rotational power—a key aspect of many sports. Sit on the ground with your knees bent and feet hovering just above the floor. Lean back a bit to activate your core, then rotate your torso from side to side while holding a weight or medicine ball. Do two sets of 15 reps each.
Bird Dog
Enhance stability with bird dogs
Bird dogs target lower back strength and abdominal stability. Start on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips. Reach one arm forward while extending the opposite leg back, keeping both parallel to the floor. Hold for five seconds, then switch sides. Perform two sets of ten repetitions per side.
Bosu squat
Improve coordination with BOSU ball squats
Doing squats on a BOSU ball, a half-sphere stability ball, engages your core more because the unstable surface makes those muscles work harder to keep you balanced. Stand on the flat side of a BOSU ball with feet hip-width apart, then perform squats as usual while maintaining balance throughout each repetition—aim for two sets of 10 squats to start.