Stop Making These 5 Mistakes When Working Out Your Core For A Robust Core

Do you know that a chiseled core has various other roles in your body, apart from the imagery of your physical fitness? 

Yes, you may want to focus on your arms or your legs first and want to take everything one at a time, but trust this, you have to work out every part of your body simultaneously, so you don’t end up with imbalanced muscles, discomfort or pain in joints and other muscles. 

When working out, you must train your full body, including the core.

These core muscles help you to correct any muscle imbalances, bring stability to the body, reduce the risk of injuries, develop efficient movement patterns, and enable you to power through your training and everyday routine.

So, whether it is an easy day at the gym or a very crazy one, you have to make sure to give your core at least 5-10 minutes of an intense core circuit.

Core Training Mistakes During Workout

If you’re reading this article, this means that you know how to work out your core, but are you doing it correctly?

Core exercises are different from other training forms; this is why many people make mistakes. 

Here are a few common mistakes that you might be making when training your core:

Poor Posture 

Maintaining good form is very important whether you’re training your core muscles, upper body, or lower body. 

The poor form causes the other larger muscles to compensate, making the entire exercise waste time. Poor exercise posture happens either because your body is too tired or the exercise is too tough.

If you’re working out in a poor posture, especially when working the core muscles, you will not be able to generate the desired results, and you’ll end up getting disheartened.

Jumping on to Advanced Exercises Quickly

The picture of you doing a plank with added weights without jiggling sounds very nice, but are your muscles ready for it?

When exercising your core muscles, it is crucial to master the basics of the exercise first. If you’re too eager to intensify your workout, you will end up wiggling and rocking, which means you won’t be maintaining proper posture, resulting in larger muscles like legs and back, etc., compensating.

Poor Nourishment 

When building strength and muscles, having a nutritious diet is as important as working out. Core muscles are a bunch of twenty very small muscles that are spread over the stomach, lower back, and hips area. 

These small muscles will not be visible unless you control your diet. To develop the perfect six-pack abs, you must have 15% or less fat on your body overall and be more on the lean side so that you can see evident muscle growth.

Little to No Activity

Many people tend to have a very fat belly, and even if they don’t eat too much, they still end up having a bulging stomach that hides all their abs underneath.

For the core exercises to work effectively, you need to have an active lifestyle. Your core muscles are most engaged when you are walking because then the core muscles have to work to keep your body stabilized and upright all the time. 

So, the more active you are, the more core muscles will be engaged, leading to more calories burning and ultimately reducing the fat belly so your abs can shine through.

Repeating the Same Core Exercises

Just like your body faces a weight loss plateau because it has grown accustomed to the same eating habits, and you end up shocking it by changing your diet plans, the same way your muscle growth also faces a plateau. 

This muscle growth plateau occurs when the body is put through the same exercise routine every other day. To break through this hurdle, you need to ensure you keep on trying various other core exercises, so you can shock your muscles and continue your muscle growth journey.

For example, if you can hold a plank for one to two minutes, you have to start holding your plank for longer durations so your body does not end up hitting the plateau.

How to Avoid These Mistakes

Did you think we’ll leave you hanging by pointing out your mistakes? 

All these mistakes are very common, and therefore you don’t have to worry if you’re guilty of one or all of the above mistakes. 

We’ve got all the solutions for you, so you can start working your core the way it’s meant to be. As they say, realization and acceptance are the first steps towards transformation. 

1. Before you start to exercise, it is very important to understand the muscles you will target. This helps you focus on your workout and engage your muscles consciously so your workout is not wasted.
2. When you’re lying down to exercise your core, make sure you are not arching your back. Your lower back should be in contact with the floor, the belly sucked in, so that core muscles are engaged, the hips squeezed so that it is aligned with your torso and your back, and lastly, your shoulder blades should be together, so your abs are fully engaged, and you can maintain the right posture.
3. Whether you’re exercising your core or any other part of your body, you must learn to listen to your body. It is good to push yourself to work out harder, but it is also important to ensure that you are doing it correctly and that your muscles are ready for it. Jumping on to advanced level exercises directly causes poor posture and results in muscle strain and injuries. You should learn the basics of every exercise and gradually progress your way to advanced level exercises so that your muscles are strong enough to bear the workout.
4. To build a strong core and chiseled abs, it is very important to take care of your diet. No matter how much you exercise, if your diet does not give you the nutrition to help your muscles grow and power through training sessions, you won’t achieve the desired results. Moreover, to grow a robust core, your body needs to have 15% or less fat, as these are very small muscles buried under your stomach. You need to remove processed carbs and sugary drinks etc., from your diet and consume more proteins and healthy fats, so your body has the energy to recover from workouts and help your muscles grow.
5. Another great hack to lose fat and make your body more resilient is to keep moving. Yes, you must keep moving throughout the day to stay energetic and burn off excess fat. When we say to stay active, you should be spending minimum time sitting around and scrolling your phone. Get involved in cleaning the house, taking the stairs instead of elevators, and even stand when you’re working at a desk. All of this will eventually make you more resilient, which is the ultimate goal of core training.
6. Lastly, it is very important to recognize the growth plateaus. Once your body and muscles have grown accustomed to the training, add variations to your routine. For example, if you’re easily doing a 2 min plank, start doing it on unstable places, add some mountain climbers, Pilates, or alternate between side planks and regular planks. 

Adding variations will keep your excitement and motivation levels high and help you break through the muscle growth plateaus.

How Can an Ab Mat Help You?

Having a sexy body, a robust core, and especially the chiseled six-pack abs does not come easy. You’re not just supposed to work consistently to achieve it but maintaining a proper form while exercising is of utmost importance. 

A common mistake, as covered above, is poor posture. When working out your abs, your spine is involved, which requires a lot of care because you don’t want to end up hurting your spine.

Let me share the good news with you. There is gym gear that will help you stabilize your core and enjoy an easy range of motion so you don’t end up hurting your spine. 

An Ab Mat is the ultimate solution for all your core workouts; here is how;

When exercising the abs for the perfect six-packs, you need a full range of motion so you can strengthen the abdominal muscles. When doing a sit-up, your core will get properly engaged only when your pelvis is at 10 to 15 degrees and your spine is at a 15-to-30-degree angle.

Only at such an angle, your core will be fully extended while creating tension in the muscles, and this tension is exactly what you need for a good core workout.

This is the exact position an ab mat can help you create. An ab mat helps you create the perfect angle that fully engages the core muscles and creates tension, allowing you to enjoy the maximum benefits from doing crunches.

Furthermore, using an ab mat to work out your core helps you reduce the tension on hip flexors. Remember that feeling you after crunches, where your hips get all itchy and uncomfortable?

That happens because our hip flexor muscles are unable to handle the tension. Using an ab mat helps you target the right muscles, so you can strengthen your core and reduce pressure on your hip flexor muscles as well.

All in all, an ab mat is the perfect gym gear. It helps you engage your core, reduce hip flexor tension, provides the right angle with comfortable support for your training sessions, increases your workout efficiency, provides ultimate spinal support, and much more.

How To Choose the Right Ab Mat for Core Training?

Knowing what an ab mat can do for you is not enough to go out and make the purchase.

You need to know the essential features to look out for when buying ab mats because various mats are being sold, and not all of them provide you the perfect angle to help maximize the core training. 

The perfect ab mats for CrossFit are made with high-density foam that will mimic the spine shape, so you can work out comfortably while lying on your back.

It should have non-slip PU Vinyl covering so that your ab mat does not keep slipping away whenever you’re doing a crunch.

The ideal ab mat should come with a tailbone protector because when you’re lying down on the floor, it’s not just the spine you want to protect but the tail bone as well.

Ideally, it should be 28.5 inches long and 12 inches wide so that your entire body can easily fit on to it regardless of your size.

Conclusion

Core training is one of the most important exercises when working out. Having a strong core is not just about building six-packs; it’s about making your body stable and resilient. Having a strong core enhances your posture in other exercises that require you to engage your core. 

Using an ab mat for your core workout can help solve common mistakes committed while training the core.

You will be able to enhance the workout benefits, improve your posture, keep your spine from getting hurt and be able to enjoy lying down on the floor without having your hip flexors or your tail bone pressing into the floor.

Reference

1. Bliss, Lisa S., and Peter Teeple. ‘Core Stability: The Centerpiece of Any Training Program’. Current Sports Medicine Reports, vol. 4, no. 3, May 2005, pp. 179–83. Springer Link, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11932-005-0064-y.
2. Tipton, Kevin D., and Stuart M. Phillips. ‘Dietary Protein for Muscle Hypertrophy’. Limits of Human Endurance, vol. 76, 2013, pp. 73–84. www.karger.com, https://doi.org/10.1159/000350259.
3. Bliss, Lisa S., and Peter Teeple. ‘Core Stability: The Centerpiece of Any Training Program’. Current Sports Medicine Reports, vol. 4, no. 3, May 2005, pp. 179–83. Springer Link, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11932-005-0064-y.
4. Hibbs, Angela E., et al. ‘Optimizing Performance by Improving Core Stability and Core Strength’. Sports Medicine, vol. 38, no. 12, Dec. 2008, pp. 995–1008. Springer Link, https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200838120-00004.
5. Langford, M. L. ‘Poor Posture Subjects a Worker’s Body to Muscle Imbalance, Nerve Compression’. Occupational Health & Safety (Waco, Tex.), vol. 63, no. 9, Sept. 1994, pp. 38–40, 42.