Five core exercises to go!

With the holidays around the corner, many of my personal training clients will be away from the gym.  My dedicated clients often feel guilty when missing a workout, so I find myself giving them homework assignments that they can do with absolutely no gym equipment available to them at all.  So for my loyal blog readers, or even the random fitness reader who strays across my website, I wanted to share my five favourite core exercises you can do anywhere.  All you need is a comfy yoga mat and a little downtime. Now you will never miss a workout!! No excuses. 

1. Bicycle Crunch - Muscles targeted: obliques, abs, rectus femoris. Bring opposite elbow to knee, fully extending the other leg, alternate sides. Aim for 3 sets of 15 reps.   

2. Glute Bridge - Muscles targeted: gluteus maximus/medius, hamstrings, erector spinae. Extend hips in air, hold up to 30sec, repeat 3x.

3. Mountain Climbers - Muscles targeted: triceps, traps, abs, hip flexors. Hands and feet on the ground, alternate knees into chest, fully extending legs in alternating pattern.  Aim for 3 sets of 30 seconds. 

4. Plank - Muscles targeted: abs, obliques, glutes, quads, deltoids (shoulders). Keep body straight, glutes low, only forearms and toes touching the ground.  Aim for 30-60 second hold, repeat 3x.   

5. Superman - Muscles targeted: erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings. Imagine you are superman flying through the air, by lying on the mat face down, inhale to prep, then exhale yourself up into back extension. Hold for 10 seconds, repeat 3x. 

Stay strong my friends.