ABS,
CORE STABILITY, & MED BALL TRAINING
Most
people refer to the core as the abdominal, oblique (sides), and lower back
regions--those areas involved in rotating and twisting. Some refer to it as the
entire trunk/torso and back area--from the shoulders to the hips--all areas
that help to stabilize the spine (because these muscle groups attach to the
spine).
Core training will help an athlete in any sport. Below
are some sample core workouts and core exercises.
CORE STABILITY WORKOUTS
Pick ONE of the following workouts and
complete the entire thing twice (2 sets), with a 2 minute break between each
set. Complete the required amount of
time for each exercise depending upon your level of training.
WORKOUT #1
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Right Plank |
No Rest |
Left Plank |
:30 Rest |
Center Plank |
:30 Rest |
Right Plank Top Leg Out |
No Rest |
Left Plank Top Leg Out |
:30 Rest |
Center Plank
Alternate Leg Raise |
Repeat |
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Basic Level |
:30 |
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Advanced Level |
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Elite Level |
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MAXXED OUT!! |
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WORKOUT #2
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1 Leg Crunch Left |
No Rest |
1 Leg Crunch Right |
:30 Rest |
Bicycle |
:30 Rest |
Alternating Superman |
No Rest |
Butt Raises |
:30 Rest |
Med Ball Twists |
Repeat |
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Basic Level |
:30 |
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Advanced Level |
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Elite Level |
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MAXXED OUT!! |
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WORKOUT #3
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Hanging Leg Raise |
:30 Rest |
Ins-Outs |
:30 Rest |
Supermans |
No Rest |
V-Ups |
:30 Rest |
Outer Crunches |
:30 Rest |
Scissor Kicks/ Over-Unders |
Repeat |
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Basic Level |
:30 |
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Advanced Level |
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Elite Level |
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MAXXED OUT!! |
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CORE POWER & ROTATION WORKOUTS
Pick ONE of the following workouts and
complete the entire thing twice (2 sets), with a 2 minute break between each
set. Complete the required number of reps
for each exercise depending upon your level of training. The first number is the reps for the first
set, and the second number is for the second set.
WORKOUT #1
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Explosive Med Ball
Crunch |
:30 Rest |
Wood Choppers Left |
No Rest |
Wood Choppers
Right |
:30 Rest |
Reverse Crunches |
:30 Rest |
Standing Med Ball
Rotations |
:30 Rest |
Overhead Med Ball Sidebends |
Repeat |
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Basic Level |
:30 |
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Advanced Level |
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Elite Level |
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MAXXED OUT!! |
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WORKOUT #2
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:30 Rest |
Standing Med Ball
Side Toss |
:30 Rest |
Explosive Crunch |
:30 Rest |
Seated Med Ball
Twists |
:30 Rest |
90 Degree
Left/Right Cross |
:30 Rest |
Standing Rotations
with Partner |
Repeat |
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Basic Level |
:30 |
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Advanced Level |
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Elite Level |
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MAXXED OUT!! |
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WORKOUT #3
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Chops |
:30 Rest |
Seated Med Ball
Side Toss |
:30 Rest |
Windmill Twists |
:30 Rest |
Twisting Crunch |
:30 Rest |
Wood Chopper Toss |
:30 Rest |
Overhead Toss |
Repeat |
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Basic Level |
:30 |
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Advanced Level |
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Elite Level |
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MAXXED OUT!! |
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Click
above for a sample workout.
MED BALL
EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Check back for
updates.
Overhead Throw
Standing Side Throw
Kneeling Side Throw
Seated Side Throw
Seated Twists
Over-Under
180/270 with partner
Crunch with
Crunch with
Woodchoppers
Chops
Squat Tosses
CORE/AB EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS
This
section is not completely updated.
Please check back for updated descriptions.
Center
Plank
The plank works your entire core and upper- and
lower-body muscles. Lie down on your stomach. Lift your body off the floor with
your forearms (elbows at 90° degrees) and your toes. Keep your body in a
straight position (without arching your back) and hold.
Center Plank with Alternate Leg Raise
Lift
one foot in the air for added difficulty.
Right/Left Plank
Lie
down on your side. Lift your body off the floor with your forearm (elbow at 90°
degrees) and the side of your foot. Keep your body in a straight position and
hold.
Right/Left Plank with Top Leg Out
Lie
down on your side. Lift your body off the floor with your forearm (elbow at 90°
degrees) and the side of your foot. Keep your body in a straight position and
move your top leg outward away from your body.
Pushup plank
This exercise is the same as the plank, except that you
are in a pushup position. The pushup plank works the core, chest and biceps.
V-ups
Lie on your back and bend at the waist as you raise your
legs and arms into the air to form a “V.”
Keep arms and legs straight. When
you lower, do not allow feet and hands to touch the floor!
Twisting crunch
This is one of the most effective crunch workouts, as it
hits all of your stomach muscle fibers at once. Assume a standard crunch
position, raise your torso to a 45° angle, and then twist from side to side.
Lying windmills
Lie on your back with your arms extended and raise your
legs until they are perpendicular to the floor. Slowly lower your legs to the
side as low as you can while maintaining complete shoulder and back contact
with the floor. Bring your legs back up to center and lower them to the other
side.
Supermans with a twist
Perform a standard Superman: Lie down on your stomach and
raise your torso off the floor with your arms extended in front of you
(beginners may place their hands behind their head). At the top of the raise,
twist to one side, return to the center and twist to the other side. Lower your
torso to the ground to complete one rep. Hold a two- to five-pound weight for a
more advanced movement.
Plank on a Swiss ball
This is a variation of the plank. There are two possible
executions: You can place your forearms on the Swiss ball with your feet on the
ground or you can place your feet on the ball with your forearms on the ground.
Keep your abs and glutes tight, and do not arch your
back. Hold this position as long as possible. Move the ball slightly from side
to side for an advanced movement.
Lying glute
pushup
The lying glute pushup targets
your butt and back muscles. Lie on your back with your feet resting on top of a
Swiss ball. Push through your heels to raise your butt off the floor as high as
possible. Form a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Hold this
position for 60 seconds.
Swiss Ball roll-ins
Ball roll-ins target your central abdominal muscles.
Place your hands on the ground and the top of your feet on top of the ball.
Keep your hands in place and bend at the knees to bring the ball toward your
chest. Hold this position for a second and roll back out. Focus on squeezing
your abs throughout the movement; do not use your hip flexors to bring the ball
toward you.
Stiff-legged V bends
This is exactly the same as the ball roll-ins, but you
must keep your knees straight and move your hips toward the ceiling. The focus
of this drill is completely on the abs; you should be able to feel a strong
medial contraction.
Right/Left Side Plank
Right/Left Side Plank with Top Leg Out
Pushup plank
V-ups
Twisting crunch
Lying windmills
Supermans with a twist
Plank on a Swiss ball
Lying glute pushup
Swiss Ball roll-ins
Stiff-legged V bends
Pelvic Tilt Leg Raise
Windmill Twists
Bicycles
1 Leg Crunch
Supermans/Alternating
Supermans
Butt Raises
Hanging Leg Raise
Ins/Outs
Outer Crunches
Scissor Kicks/Over-Unders
Reverse Crunches
Explosive Crunch
90 Degree Left/Right Cross
Diagonal plate twists
Sledgehammer
Standing Alternating Knee/Elbow touches
Twisting med ball catch and toss
Woodchoppers
Overhead
Sidebends
Lying
Trunk Twist w/ ball
Lying
Trunk Twist-knees bent
Reach
& Catch
Crunches
