For most people who started with calisthenics, the goal is to get a great-looking body and be able to control your body. Both can be accomplished through the gain of core strength. Having a clean looking six-pack makes you look good, and core strength is crucial for body-controllability.
Therefore, in this post, I will cover how to gain and achieve inhuman core strength. You will have an understanding of how to train and which exercises are important.
let’s dive into it!
Benefits of core strength
Frequently training your core will benefit you in many ways. Besides that, a strong core is related to a six-pack, a common goal for a lot of people. There are many other amazing side-effects. Other benefits of a strong midsection:
Improved posture
Often bad posture is caused by muscle imbalances in your core and back. By strengthening your core, you will compensate for these muscle imbalances. An improved posture will be the result.
Improved balance
When balancing, the core is the center of gravity. Your abs are engaged working to maintain the balance. Your balance will improve if you train your middle regularly.
Prevents injury
The core is the stabilizer in your body. When you train your core frequently, you will gain core stability. Therefore, you will be more resistant to injuries.
Understanding the core
The core is much more complicated than you think. Many people think when you are talking about the core, you are talking only about abs. As a matter of fact, your abs are only a section of the core. It is a composite of a couple of other muscles besides only your abs.
Different core sections
When talking about the core, we are talking about the whole midsection. This means the front muscles, side and back muscles, and even muscles under your front muscles.
- The rectus abdominals, These are the muscles known as the abs or six-pack, the front muscles of your core.
- The transverse abdominals, Under the rectus abdominals, you find the transverse abdominals. The muscle goes completely around your waist. You should see it as the stabilizer of the core. It is like a weight belt you use during squatting.
- The lower back, also the lower back is part of your core. Just like the transverse abdominals, it provides stability and balance.
- The serratus anterior, This part of your core is located near your ribs and under your arms.
- The internal and external obliques, The obliques are located at the sides of your core. The main functions are the trunk rotation, Turn right or left, and stabilizing. When you are at a low-bodyfat percentage you can see the fine outer lines at the sides of your core.
Calisthenics core/ab exercise to increase core strength
As you can see, the core consists of various muscles. There are more than just a few exercises if you want to target every muscle. I have made a list that includes every important exercise for each muscle group.
Rectus abdominals
Sit-ups and different variations
Crunches
leg/knee raises
Bicycle crunches
L-sit holds
Transverse abdominals
Planks
Hollow body holds
The exercises mentioned above are both static exercises, this means you need to hold a position for a period of time. The training of the transverse abdominals is all about keeping your core tight and controlling your breathing.
Obliques
Russian twists
Windshield wipers
Side planks
Side oblique crunch
lower back
Superman holds
Bridges
Donkey kicks
These exercises may seem easy, but it is still important to exercise your lower back. You will improve your posture and avoid lower back pain (especially later in your life) if you strengthen your lower back at an early age.
Dragon flags
After some time of training your core, you will reach a new strength level. If this happens, you need to progress to more challenging exercises. The Dragon Flag is, in my opinion, the best core exercise. However, it is extremely difficult. It takes some time before you mastered it.
The dragon flag was the signature move of the well-known Bruce Lee, who was distinctive with his amazing core strength. Yet, This badass move is not easy. Before you can start practicing this skill, you will need a base strength. But, once you achieved this move, you will see how many benefits it has.
Basics for increasing core strength
It is even possible to train your core through basic calisthenics exercises. Calishtenics is notable by the fact that the core is involved in almost every calisthenics exercise. So, this means you are actually training your core while doing push-ups and pull-ups, etc.
Advanced skills
Advanced calisthenics skills such as the front lever, planche, and human flag have one thing in common. You need a whole lot of core strength to do them. By training for these skills, you constantly need to use your core. Just like basic exercises, you are simultaneously training your core while you are focusing on other exercises.
Frequency
The muscles in your core are just like any other muscles. They need enough exercise(at least two times a week). Some people claim that you should train your abs every day, but rest to recover is just as important. Therefore, exercise your core three times a week. This way, your mid-section will have enough rest and simultaneously enough exercise to grow.
Stretching for more core strength
Besides exercising and resting, you should also stretch your core a few times a week, for example, on rest days. Stretching your core has many benefits, improved mobility/flexibility, which will prevent injuries, and it will speed up the recovery, beneficial if you work out a lot.