Strengthen Your Core Muscles And Reap The Benefits
If you want to be better at virtually everything, then you need to strengthen your core muscles. When most guys head to the gym, the last thing they’re thinking about is working their abs. Most will brag about how much they can bench or squat, and toss around heavy weights all day, but few will give the abdominal muscles the attention they deserve.
Although it’s awesome that you can bench 400 pounds and that you can squat 500, there is no other area of your body more important than the core. The core muscles are arguably the most important muscle group of the body, they help you to jump, twist, and even lift heavier. And after all of that, they look pretty good too- once you’ve shred the layer of fat that surrounds them.
In fact, if you ask most women what their favorite body part on a man is, most of them won’t say muscular arms or a big chest, they’ll say toned abdominal muscles. So, stop neglecting your core, do exercises to strengthen the area and reap the benefits. What benefits you ask? Well, for starters, here are 10:
You Can Do Them Anywhere
Unlike performing a heavy squat or bench, you don’t need any equipment to exercise your ab muscles. You can work your abs in the park or immediately after you roll out of bed. But, as your core becomes stronger, you may want to invest in some weight so you can increase the resistance.
You’ll Become a Better Athlete
One thing that all successful athletes have in common, no matter their size, is an incredibly strong core. Most sports require you to twist, turn, and change direction quickly and efficiently. And a strong midsection will allow you to do so, both rapidly and effortlessly. But not only that, because your core is the foundation of your entire body, a powerful core can increase the strength in your shoulders and legs, too.
You’ll Have Better Stability and Balance
If you’d like to improve stability and balance, start strengthening your core. A stronger core allows every muscle in your body to work together, which will improve how well you perform on your feet. Whether you’re a high school athlete or a weekend warrior, you’ll notice a big difference in your performance when you commit to a weekly core workout.
They Will Get Ripped
Tell a woman how much you can bench or squat and she’ll likely roll her eyes, but show her your ripped core and watch her eyes light up. Sure, you should definitely be proud about being able to move around a lot of weight, but if you want to look better and sexier, then a set of toned abs is what you want.
They Will Make Doing Chores a Breeze
Whether you’re cutting grass, shoveling snow, or mopping a floor, every one of those tasks will involve your core in some way or another. A stronger midsection will not only allow you to perform your weekly duties easier, but will also prevent injury.
They Will Help You to Perform Your Job Better
A strong core will not only improve your performance at a job that involves physical activity, but it will help you at a desk job too. If your day at work consists of plenty of sitting, you may experience back stiffness or pain after a long day at work. A stronger midsection will help to absorb most of the strain that your back can experience while siting for long periods, allowing you to be pain-free at the end of the day.
They’ll Improve Your Lifestyle
Daily activities like lifting groceries out of your car or moving some furniture around your home, will be far easier to do if you have a strong core. Have you ever noticed how much your body relies on your abdominal muscles when you lift something heavy? Strengthen the area and you’ll notice a big difference in how your body feels when doing daily activities.
They’ll Help Your Back
Most people who have constant back pain have a weak core, and strengthening the core muscles can help eliminate back pain. The core and the back work together when you’re lifting, standing, and even sitting for long periods. So when your core isn’t strong enough to support the back, it can make the back susceptible to strain and injury.
They’ll Prevent Bad Posture
A lot of people have bad posture, and it can affect many areas of your body negatively, especially your back. Bad posture can even create long-term back problems causing the spine and discs of the back to age prematurely. A strong core promotes good posture, allowing you to say goodbye to back pain and stand taller.
They’ll Help You to Get Into Amazing Shape
As I told you earlier, the core is the center of the universe, when it comes to your body. And an improved core means that you’ll improve in every other area as well. No matter what exercise you’re doing, whether it’s the bench press or running a marathon, every physical activity that you do involves your core in some way or another. And once you strengthen the core, you’ll be stronger in all of these other areas as well.
The next time you go to the gym, try to focus more on your core. There are a ton of different exercises that you can do, you don’t have to drop down and do the classic sit up every chance you get. Planks, crunches, and hang raises are just some of the varieties of core related exercises that you can choose from. And as you get stronger and more flexible, you can challenge yourself with some of the others that only can be done by guys with superhuman core strength.
So do yourself a favor, and do more core work when you go to the gym. Doing so will not only benefit you in essentially every area of your life, but they’ll look great when you take your shirt off too. If you learn how to strengthen your core muscles effectively, you’ll reap the benefits for the rest of your life.
