Core workouts for beginners: 4 ways to increase fitness & keep a healthy spine

Core workouts for beginners are easy to come by, but a good one is more difficult. I see people training their core every day and most of them are not achieving what they set out. When I speak to them, they tell me they want to increase their fitness whilst reducing the risk of injury. Unfortunately they are using mainstream workouts and exercises. To achieve what they want they must step out of mainstream fitness.

Activate many muscles

Mainstream core workouts and exercises focus on single muscles. This works against the fitness of your core, to build core fitness you must activate many muscles. This means choosing different exercises like the ones from the video above.

The difference between rehabilitation and fitness

“No pain no gain” is another mainstream fitness myth. Core workouts that increase fitness shouldn’t trigger pain. If you are experiencing pain in your back from core exercises, stop. This pain means you have a health problem and it needs rehabilitating. Fitness training on the other hand demands overload and to the risk of failure. This increases your risk of injury and you need a solid foundation, this is where good core workouts come in.

The influence of bodybuilding

Focusing on single muscles and “no pain no gain” are influenced by bodybuilding. Their goal is to have big muscles and not a healthy and fit core, therefore we have to take a different approach.

Reduce risk of injury and increase fitness

In some respects over these work against each other so we have to find a balance. In the video above I share with you the method I use to help people reduce risk of injury and increase fitness.

1. Eliminate/ recognise pain triggers
2. Select safe exercises
3. Build endurance
4. Improved movement

Use this method to help you create better core workouts. If you would like to find out more about my Core Online Training Program that uses this method please click here.