Week 6 of the 6-week Core Strength Program

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the final week of our 6-week Core Strength Program. Whether you’ve blitzed it in 6 weeks or taken 18 weeks to gradually increase your core strength & endurance, you’ve made it to the final week & will no doubt feel much stronger & more in control.

The exercises for Week 5 are;

1. Hands to Feet
2. Leg raises
3. Full Plank with alt arm & leg raise
4. Side plank with leg lifts
5. Core Endurance

Hands to feet is a difficult exercise which combines leg lifts & torso movement in bringing your hands to your feet above your hips, as you lay on the floor. Laying in your back start with arms extended straight back over your head & your legs straight along the ground too. Then slowly lift your legs up (recruiting your lower rectus abdominals) and at the same time flex your trunk & bring your hands up so your hands meet your feet vertically above your hips. PICTURE 1

Leg raises have you lying on your back with legs & feet straight pointing vertically up in the air. Keep your shoulders on the ground & lift your feet straight up & slowly lower your hips back down. The more you control the descent & slower you lower your legs back down the more challenging this will be. Complete 2 sets of 15 (slow).

The full plank with alternate arm & leg raises builds on everything you’ve been working through this program. Good core control & improved plank strength will allow you to lift alternate arm & leg & maintain balance. Keep your hips stationary & move slowly to help maintain your balance. If you need to stop & take short breaks to reset that is fine. As you continue to do this exercise more you’ll become comfortable with only 2 points of contact.

Side plank with leg lifts again requires you to keep your torso still while you lift your leg, however this week your top leg is straight. This will require even greater glut med & core strength. Lift & lower the leg slowly with control & continue for 30-60s. For an additional challenge hold the leg in the air for 3-5s at the top of each lift.

Plank challenge to finish!! You can do this at the start of the week or at the end. We want to see what your maximum plank time has increased to. You know you’ll be better then W1 & W2, but let’s see how well the consistent core strength focused has improved your muscle control, endurance & strength.

Thanks to everyone who has supported the various charities through the 6-week Core strength Program. My body is finally healing & I can do a little more in training, but the core strength focus has definitely helped. I hope you’ve seen good improvements too. Please contact us for more variations or information on the best core strength exercises for you.