Ahead of his attempt to break the world record for the World's Largest Core Fitness Circuit Class this weekend, former World Ironman Champion Guy Leech is sharing his tips on how to strengthen and shred your core.
In his fourth, world-record attempt, Leech is expecting up to 1,000 hardcore crunchers to join him, together with Arnold Schwarzenegger at the 2015 Arnold Classic Festival and Expo on 14 March.
Core strengthening is considered one of the most important areas of any physical training. Regardless of whether you want to be a worldclass athlete or fitness model, a strong core can help maintain good balance and posture, as well as decreasing the risk of back pain and injuries.
Guy shares his go-to exercises for strengthening your core.
1. The Plank
“The plank works the entire core including the upper and lower body muscles all at once,” Leech says. Simply lie down on your stomach, and then lift your body off the floor with your forearms and toes, while keeping your elbows at 90 degrees. Try to keep your body straight without arching your back. Leech explains: “the longer you can hold a plank, the stronger you will get, and the more resilient your lower back will be to injuries".2. V-Sit Hold
“This exercise is great as it not only works to strengthen the core, but also helps drastically improve balance,” Leech says. Start on your back, and then bend your legs and back up at the waist as you extend your legs and arms off the ground into the air to form a 'V'. Hold this position for as long as you can. “For a slightly more advanced version, drop your legs closer to the ground and hold your feet a few centimetres off the floor for a few seconds, before releasing.”3. Twisting Crunch
As one of the most effective crunch workouts, the twisting crunch will target all your stomach muscles in one, simple movement. Just assume a standard crunch-position, and then raise your torso to a 45-degree angle from the floor, and then twist from side to side, each time driving the opposite elbow to the opposite knee. For an extra challenge, Leech suggests: “Try extending your legs and pretending to peddle a bicycle as you continue to twist".4. Ball Roll-Ins
Ball roll-ins are great to target the central and lower abdominal muscles. Start with your hands on the ground and the tops of your feet on the top of a large, exercise ball. Keep your hands in place and bend at the knees to bring the ball up toward your chest. Hold this position for a second and slowly roll the ball back out. “With this one, it's important to focus on squeezing your abs throughout the movement and avoid just using your hip flexors to pull the ball in,” Leech says.5. Work In Short Bursts
The final tip, which can be applied to any kind of core exercise, is to execute every part of the movement explosively. Scientists have shown that performing abdominal exercises at a fast tempo activates more muscle than doing them slowly. “This is most likely because in order to speed your movements, your muscles are required to generate higher amounts of force,” Leech explains.
Guy Leech will attempt to break the world record for the World's Largest Core Fitness Circuit Class on 14 March at the Melbourne Convention And Exhibition Centre.
