Dynamic Core Exercise for Strength & Stability

In this tutorial, I am discussing and demonstrating the use of a kettle bell to perform a favourite dynamic core exercise for strength and stability.

What do we mean by dynamic core exercise?

Traditionally, workouts involve static exercises, allowing us to work on only one, or at least a limited number of muscle groups at the same time. Dynamic core exercises use movement patterns that engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously offering a much more efficient and effective way to train core muscles for strength and stability.

How to perform this dynamic core exercise for strength and stability?

As you’ll see in the video, this exercise involves moving the kettle bell around the body. This is known as ‘around the world’.

When you’re performing this, you’re aiming for a sort of anti-rotation movement, so you're trying to keep the body nice and solid and let your arms do the work.

You’ll feel that each position of the rotation is working the different muscles in slightly different ways. And you should feel it particularly on the side, or the lateral musculature. As you continue to bring the weight round, you’re activating the pecs and the lats, with the lats supporting the internal and external obliques and the QL as you build all the way around the Torso.

What’s the progression for this exercise?

In terms of progression I like to add another little element to the move as you come round to the front. It’s a sort of a throw and a catch.

Try this once you’ve mastered the basic move.

Start at the back and come up to the shoulder with some momentum, then ‘catch’ the kettle bell at the top with the other hand. When you do this, you’ll get a little bit of an extra activation at the top of the lats, in the shoulder, the arm and also the torso.

It should be quite noticeable.

Watch the video from around 01:20 for a demonstration.

By repeating this down, up and around pattern, you’re moving the tension as the weight moves. You’ll notice a little pulse at the top and at the bottom of the movement to control the weight.

The great thing about this exercise is that it is working all the way around the torso, literally 360°.

What are some other kettle bell around the world variations?

There are a couple of variations to this around the world movement.

Firstly, there’s around the world with a catch as explained above.

Secondly, try alternating which direction you are moving the kettle bell around the body. Move first clockwise and then anticlockwise, for example. This means you've got all the muscles activating and then you get an extra pulse as you get to the front and switch directions to pull it back around. You’ll feel this in the lats, the shoulders, the pecs and the obliques. And even better, you will also get a little bit from the legs making it more of a full body exercise.

This is a great dynamic core exercise to help boost your core strength and stability by challenging your core in motion, improving balance, coordination, and functional strength.

Will you try it today?