Description of Core Exercises for Losing Weight

Training the core muscles helps improve balance, stability and helps promote faster and more efficient fat loss. You don’t need special equipment to exercise your core muscles. Any exercises that work the back and abdominal muscles together work your core in an efficient way and help tighten your abdominal muscles, all while working to improve your total fitness and reach weight loss goals. The more muscle that you have built up in your abdomen, the more fat you will burn all over.

  1. Seated Medicine Ball Trunk Rotations

    • Medicine ball trunk rotations work the central abdominal muscles and the transverse abdominal muscles. These keep your stomach tight and help promote muscle strength and fat loss. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet together. Use a light ball, gradually increasing the weight as you become stronger. Sit tall, holding the medicine ball close to your body between your belly button and ribcage. Inhale and exhale, rotating from one side to the other while contracting your abdominal muscles. Imagine that the ball is connected to your body. Inhale and bring the ball to the other side of your body.

    Plank or Hover

    • The plank works the abdominal muscles and the lower-back muscles, which can help draw in the abdomen. To perform the plank, lie on the floor with your hands planted beneath your shoulders as if you were going to do a pushup. Raise your body upward, allowing only your forearms, palms and toes to touch the floor. Keep your body raised up off the ground as if you were holding a pushup in midair. Hold this position for as long as you can, gradually increasing the duration as you become stronger.

    Inchworms

    • Inchworms work the abdominal muscles along with the arms, back and chest. Squeeze your abdominal muscles tightly. Bend forward from the hips without bending your knees, reaching your hands outward, until you're touching the floor. Walk on the floor with your hands forward until you are in pushup position. Perform a pushup, then walk your hands in the opposite direction to return to the starting position.

    Stability Ball Reverse Hyperextensions

    • Stability ball reverse hyperextensions work the torso, back, gluteal muscles, abdomen and hips. Rest the front of your body on a stability ball, placing your hands on the floor in front of you. Squeeze your gluteal muscles and lower back while extending your legs to the ceiling. Lower your legs, then repeat. Perform four sets of 10 repetitions, gradually increasing the number of repetitions as your body becomes accustomed to hyperextensions. Avoid overextending your back.