The Core Workout For Men Made Simple

A Core Workout For Men

Home workouts were a good idea two weeks ago, but now they’re getting a bit boring. That means it’s time to push your fitness routine to the limit. It’s time to break out of the quarantine funk and see some gains today.

Welcome to the core workout massacre. Have you been doing the same old core exercises for weeks now? Do you think you’re gonna consistently see gains from doing the same amount of sit-ups and crunches every week? Well, you’re wrong. You need to add some variation to the traditional core routine.

Breaking Out of the Home Workout Rut

Switching things up during your workout can keep you interested, keep you focused and make you universally stronger. Sometimes, I fall short of my own fitness goals and I must admit that the dreary monotony of self-isolation has kept me from training consistently.

I hate it.

It’s like I’ll get a week of solid workouts from home and then blow everything the next week on Netflix binges and delivery pizza. Sound familiar? When that happens to me, I like to do something out-of-the-box, something downright crazy to reinvigorate myself.

I call them massacres. They’re short, brutal workouts that feel so good. It’s how I whip myself back in line and jumpstart my fitness routine. I needed one this week and you might need one, too.

Massacres are a great way to break out of your lame, same old home fitness rut. A new type of workout can help you break through a workout plateau or get you back in the spirit of a consistent workout routine.

After you’re done…no…after you survive this core workout massacre, you might feel more invigorated to renew your fitness goals once again. You might learn something about your own level of fitness. Believe me; you’re stronger than you think. Now, prove it to yourself!

What Powers Your Core?

This is the core workout massacre routine. It focuses primarily on the muscles that strengthen and support your mid-section. I’m talking about your abdominals, your obliques, your pelvic floor, even your glutes, lats, and traps.

Your core muscles help you move your body efficiently and safely. Nearly every single body movement depends on your core muscles. These muscles promote balance when you swing a golf club. They help you generate power for a big jump. They even help improve your posture.

Unfortunately, this core workout massacre isn’t for strength training beginners. You should have at least an intermediate level of fitness awareness and experience. These exercises are meant to fully tax your muscular endurance.

Related: What is Muscular Endurance?

If you are a beginner and looking for some ways to work out from home, then check out this eye-opening article about basic home workouts. This might give you a great starting point for home workouts. Then, you can check back in for more advanced fitness tips.

Why Core Bodyweight Exercises?

I have a few different massacre style workouts, but the core massacre is one of my favorites. Cores exercises are one of the most basic strength building exercises, but it’s also one of the most effective. At the most basic level, you don’t need any equipment or memberships to reap the benefits. Your own bodyweight provides the resistance.

If you’re just starting out with strength training, then core exercises are one of the best ways to gauge your fitness level with low impact. If you are more advanced, then core exercises can help supplement your ongoing fitness routine. With just a few subtle tweaks to your form, you can target different muscle groups and scale the intensity of the exercise to your personal fitness goals. You can’t beat that.

I really like compound exercises because that’s the way our body generally moves. Our bodies often do two things at once or several different movements in rapid succession. Functional fitness mimics movements that your body does in real word applications.

Just think about the mechanics of jumping, swimming, or running. It involves the coordinated movement of different muscle groups at the same time. That’s one of the reasons why this core workout circuit has so many compound movements.

Note:

As with any form of intense exercise, be sure to consult with your healthcare professional before you begin any new exercise regimen. You might not be able to perform the full amount of repetitions for each exercise but try to do at least 10 to 12 reps and at least 2 sets.

Otherwise, this would just be a regular core bodyweight workout and it wouldn’t push you to the limits. Also, be sure to drink water throughout the course of the workout and take at least a 2-minute break between exercises.

So, if you’re still with me, then it’s time to fire up your favorite fitness playlist and prepare for some punishment.

The Warm-up

The core massacre is going to heavily tax your muscles and your stamina. So, you’d better not skip the warm-up. Trust me, you’ll regret it later.

Start with some dynamic arm rotations. This will bring more flexibility and range of motion to your arms and shoulders. It loosens up your rotator cuff, promotes blood flow and helps to prevent injury. Swing your arms forward and backwards in broad, circular motions. Keep the motion smooth and swing your arms for about 30 seconds in each direction.

Move on to some torso twists. Don’t just place your hands on your hips. Extend your arms out to your sides and when you twist your torso to the right, swing your left arm over the front of your body and your left arm behind your body. And vice versa. This is a dynamic motion that pushes the range of your torso twist just a bit further.

Now, it’s time to get your heart rate up. I prefer to jump rope because it’s a compound movement. It takes some coordination and works multiple parts of the body. Your wrists are rotating and you’re bouncing on the balls of your feet.

The Massacre – 6 Core Workout Variations in 2 Sets

Bicycle Crunches

V Sit-ups

Scissor Crunches with Flutter Kick Variation

Push-ups with Alternating Knee Touch

Superman Hold

Plank with Alternating Arms and Legs

Here’s a bit more detailed instruction on these exercises:

Bicycle Crunches

An ACE Fitness study found that bicycle crunches were the best ab workout for fat burning and getting rid of the spare tire. So, it’s only right to start out this massacre with them. Start out by lying on your back with your legs extended and your arms up near your head.

Now, start to pump your legs back and forth in a cycling motion. Start to twist your mid-section as you cycle so that your elbows almost touch your knees. Your left elbow aimed at your right knee and vice versa. Don’t try to count individual repetitions. Just cycle crunch for about 2 minutes. This works your lower abs and obliques.

V Sit-ups

For this exercise, start out lying on your back. Your arms and legs should be straight out. Now, you want to lift your legs and arms straight into the air. Keep your elbows and knees locked as you try to touch your fingers to your toes.

Think of the V shape while doing this exercise. Keep your back, legs, and arms as straight as possible. This exercise works the entire range of your abdominal muscles if you don’t get sloppy with your form. Perform 10 to 15 repetitions and try to avoid slouching your mid-section.

Scissor Crunches with Flutter Kick Variation

This is a variation that combines two different core exercises. These are both great core exercises in of themselves, but when done together like this, they take you to your limit. Start out by lying on the floor with your legs straight. You might want to couch your hands beneath your hips, palms down to avoid straining your back.

Now, lift your legs to about 110-degrees and start scissoring them back and forth. You can play with the height a bit and how far you open your legs. A 90-degree angle adds a leg stretch, but taxes your abs a bit less. The closer you put your legs to the floor, the more you’ll feel it in your lower abs.

Now, scissor your legs for a count of four. Then, lower your legs to just before they reach the floor and quickly criss-cross your legs in a flutter kick pattern for a count of four. So, the scissor kick alternates your legs vertically while the flutter kick moves your legs horizontally. Try to do 7 to 10 sets in this pattern.

Push-ups with Alternating Knee Touch

This exercise is something like a mix between a push-up and a mountain climber. You start out in the raised push-up position with your arms about shoulder-width apart. Then, you lower your upper body down into a push-up and rise again.

Then, you touch your left knee to your right elbow and then your right knee to your left elbow. Your knees cross underneath your upper body, twisting your mid-section. This works your obliques as well as your chest and abdominal muscles. Go for 12 to 15 repetitions.

Superman Hold

This exercise might not seem that difficult as a warm-up, but when you toss it in after all the other exercises, it’s really challenging. Start out lying on the floor in a prone position with your arms straight out in front of your head. Then, lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor, holding them in place for 10 to 15 seconds.

Keep your chin tucked for the duration of the hold and then slowly lower your arms, chest, and legs back to the floor. You’ll really feel this exercise in your glutes and lower back.

Plank with Alternating Arms and Legs

Lastly, move on to the plank with alternating arms and legs. This isn’t a difficult hold for a warm-up, but it’s absolute murder as a finisher. Start out on your hands and knees or in the push-up raised position.

Lift your left leg and your right arm without moving the rest of your body. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds and then return to the starting position. Then, alternate sides by lifting your right leg and your left arm for 10 to 15 seconds. This exercise is all about stability and balance. It taxes your upper and lower abs, your obliques, and your glutes.

Now, repeat this entire set of six exercises.

Congratulations! You survived the massacre!