Core Workout | Bodyweight
| Parts | Exercises | Sets | Reps/Duration | Rest Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | Light Mobility - Joint # | 1 - 2 | 5 - 30 | none - 2 min |
| Warm-Up Set/s | 1 - 2 | 1 - 8 | 2 - 5 min | |
| Primary | Rectus Abdominis Exercise | 1 - 3 | 4 - 8 / near failure | 3 - 5 mins |
| Obliques Exercise | 1 - 3 | 4 - 8 / near failure | 3 - 5 mins | |
| Spinal Erectors Exercise | 1 - 3 | 4 - 8 / near failure | 3 - 5 mins |
| Parts | Exercises | Sets | Reps/Duration | Rest Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | Light Mobility Drill | 1 | 5 - 30 | none - 2 min |
| Warm-Up Set/s | 1 | 1 - 8 | 2 - 5 min | |
| Rectus Abdominis | Reverse Crunches | 2 | 4 - 8 / near failure | 3 - 5 mins |
| Spinal Erectors | Back Extensions | 2 | 4 - 8 / near failure | 3 - 5 mins |
| Obliques | Heel Taps | 2 | 4 - 8 / near failure | 3 - 5 mins |
| Parts | Exercises | Sets | Reps/Duration | Rest Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | Light Mobility Drill | 1 | 5 - 30 | none - 2 min |
| Warm-Up Set/s | 1 | 1 - 8 | 2 - 5 min | |
| Rectus Abdominis | Lying Leg Raises | 2 | 4 - 8 / near failure | 3 - 5 mins |
| Spinal Erectors | Arch Body Pulses | 2 | 4 - 8 / near failure | 3 - 5 mins |
| Obliques | Russian Twists | 2 | 4 - 8 / near failure | 3 - 5 mins |
| Parts | Exercises | Sets | Reps/Duration | Rest Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-Up | Light Mobility Drill | 1 | 5 - 30 | none - 2 min |
| Warm-Up Set/s | 1 | 1 - 8 | 2 - 5 min | |
| Spinal Erectors | Reverse Hyperextensions | 2 | 4 - 8 / near failure | 3 - 5 mins |
| Rectus Abdominis | Tuck Hanging Leg Raises | 2 | 4 - 8 / near failure | 3 - 5 mins |
| Obliques | Side Plank Raises | 1 each | 4 - 8 / near failure | 3 - 5 mins |
Workout Information:
Description:
This workout routine is designed primarily to build and strengthen the core muscles, specifically the rectus abdominis, obliques, and spinal erectors. You may notice that all of the exercises are dynamic movements. This is because static/isometric exercises lag significantly in terms of growth stimulus compared to dynamic exercises. However, they are better for improving stability and overall strength development. That being said, you are free to remove, change, or add some isometric exercises for stability purposes.
Most importantly, this routine prioritizes stimulus and fatigue management, ensuring you can recover for the next training session while removing unnecessary work and further limiting fatigue.
Warm-Up:
To properly warm up for this routine, you simply need to warm up the muscles around the joints that are will be involved in the exercises like the hip, shoulder, and wrist joints by moving them around with intent or doing some named mobility movements. Then, do some warm-up sets for the main exercise. For example:
Light Mobility Drill: Hip Circles -> Shoulder Circles -> Wrist Circles for a round or two with enough reps for you to feel them working.
Warm-Up Set/s: You can either do an easier variation or modified version of your first exercise, or do your exercise with some reps far from failure.
Just make sure that whatever you do is just enough to work and warm up your muscles, not tire them, so you can perform your best in your working sets.
Exercise Selection:
Above all, make sure that the exercise is primarily working the core muscle groups. Then, determine if you can perform the exercise and go near or until failure within the recommended rep range, while also considering the stability aspect of the exercise. While it is okay to use an exercise where you can perform higher rep ranges, it's not advisable nor efficient if your goal is hypertrophy—a major limitation of purely bodyweight training.
If you're strong enough to go far beyond the recommended rep range and you don't have a choice at the moment to change the exercise or simply prefer not changing it, you can continue using it and go near or until failure, just like when performing it within the specified rep range. Just know that there will be some unwanted differences in terms of growth stimulus and fatigue.
Proximity to Failure:
While it is okay to go until failure, especially at the start when you don't yet know what that feels like and want to avoid undertraining, it's generally recommended to use it sparingly and instead leave 1-2 repetitions in reserve (RIR).
Training Frequency:
Depending on your recovery rate, you can perform this routine 2-3 times per week.