Core training has come a long way from endless sit-ups and crunches. While those exercises aren’t inherently bad, modern training places more emphasis on how the core actually functions – not just creating movement, but controlling and resisting it.

Your core muscles play a key role in stabilising the spine, supporting posture and transferring strength through the body. This workout focuses on challenging that stability, helping you build strength that carries over into everyday movement and other forms of training.

The key is understanding how the body functions and how we can train in a way that improves both performance and how it feels day to day.

Your core muscles play an important role in resisting movement, and this workout is designed to challenge them in exactly that way.

Throughout the workout, focus on maintaining a strong, stable midsection. Think about gently tucking your tailbone if your lower back starts to arch excessively.

Imagine wearing a belt and tilting the buckle slightly up towards your chin.

This helps prevent the lower back from over-arching into extension. If you lose that position, take a moment to reset and go again.

Focus on slow, controlled breathing, directing each breath into your abdomen.

The exercises become progressively more challenging, so listen to your body and rest where needed.

 Exercise 1: Deadbug ISO Hold

Almost all of your back will be in contact with the floor other than your shoulders. Reach to the sky and pull the shoulder blades apart (protraction). Lightly bring just your toes to the floor and hold breathing down into your abdominals. The deeper and longer the breath the better. Remember toes just lightly on the floor, keep the chin tucked, reach to the sky and don’t let your shoulders drop.

Exercise 2: High Plank | Knee To Elbow

Start by stacking the shoulders directly above your hands keeping your arms straight and push away from the floor. Aim to get your knee as close to your elbow as possible and hold keeping the back leg fully extended.

Lots of focus on breathing and keep your shin bone elevated away from the floor or your thigh on your body.

In addition to the hold. You could slowly alternate the knees to the elbow.

3 sets / 45 to 60 seconds each side.

Exercise 3: Single Leg Hollow Hold

Key here is resisting extension in the spine in other words preventing your lower back from arching/extending whilst maintaining a braced midsection. Keep a partial posterior tilt, breath down into your stomach and pull your belly button down into your body. Reach towards your feet if reaching over your head compromises your hip/back position, fully extend one leg and bend the other into the body.

3 sets / 45 to 60 seconds each side.

Exercise 4: High Side Plank | Reach

This exercise will bring balance and length to your body but also challenge it. Keep the supporting arm below the shoulder keep the hip elevated away from the floor and again that slight tuck of the tailbone. I prefer not to stack my feet on top of each other and might bring you more stability doing the same. Reach over the head with your arm and hold.

3 sets / 45 to 60 seconds each side.

Exercise 5: Single Arm High Plank

Start in your high plank position, main difference here is to go wider with your feet to help with a more stable base. Once you feel stable, lift the arm and extend down the side of your body. And with the supporting arm push away from the floor. Again, keep that tailbone slightly tucked and breath.

3 sets 30 to 45 second holds each side.

Exercise 6: High Side Plank knee to elbow

Start with both legs extended on the floor and your shoulder above your supporting arm. Slowly draw your knee to your elbow and hold. Focus on breathing and maintain that slight tuck of the hips. Create more tension by applying pressing into the leg and vice versa.

3 Sets 45 to 60 seconds each side.

To find more inspiration from personal trainer and coach Luke Goulden click here.