This article is for those aiming to have a strong core, something that’s so important for a lot of the movements we talk about here. I think very few people are choosing the most effective exercises to do when training core, so that’s exactly what I’m going to talk about in this article.

For those looking to have visible abs, I go over the topic briefly near the end of the article, so feel free to scroll down if you want to read about that.

Here’s the full youtube vid - this one’s a quickie! 4 mins :)

Let’s get straight into it!

Perhaps you already knew there are much better exercises out there than sit-ups. How about the plank? While these two exercises are a good start, they aren’t the best use of your abs/core training time.

In fact, the best way to train your core is the same that is required for the rest of your muscle groups: progressive overload. What does progressive overload mean? It literally means that, in order to develop your muscles, the load you place on them needs to get heavier, and heavier, and heavier.

In order to achieve this, then, we need to choose exercises that we can create a clear road map and path of progression with.

All that being said, which exercises work best? Here we go.

Exercise 1: Core Slideouts

For Core Slideouts, you’ll need a slippery surface - for me my floor at home works just fine - and something to put your feet on that can slide on it - in my case, a towel works fine.

To perform the Slideout, all you’ve gotta do is put your hands flat on the floor with your feet down, like the start of a pushup position, and then slide your feet backwards as far as you can.

With this exercise, as your feet slide out further and further, your arms will start to extend out in front of you. After sliding out, slide your feet back to the starting position.

If you slide out so far that you can’t come back, you’ve slid too far. So, try to slide out as far as you can each time, while still being able to slide back in. With more and more training, you’ll be able to slide further, further, and further as your core gets stronger and stronger.

One thing that’s cool about Core Slideouts is that it is auto-regulative, which is a fancy way of saying that, as you get stronger, the exercise will simultaneously get more difficult all on its own.

With the Slideouts, it is important to remember that you should slide out as far as you can each time to maintain consistency. Eventually, you’ll be able to make it almost alllll the way to the ground, with your arms almost straight out in front of you like you’re flying. It is fair to put on a Superman costume at that point while performing the exercise.

Sets and reps

3-5 sets of 5-10 reps will be fine for this exercise.

Core Slideouts - Rings

Core Slideouts can also be done with rings - such as those used in this video! Note: whereas with Towel Slideouts, your feet will be moving and your hands stay planted, with Rings Slideouts, your feet stay planted and your hands move out in front of you.

If you do perform Slideouts with rings, you can make them more difficult by lowering the rings, and by walking further away from the rings’ anchor point, i.e. making your body more parallel to the ground.

Exercise 2: Leg Raises

Leg raises are my next go-to for core exercises, and are a much better choice than Sit-ups in my opinion.

With Leg Raises, here is something to keep in mind: bent knees = easier, straight legs = harder

As soon as you can do about 10 leg raises with straight legs while lying down on your back, you should start to do them in a vertical position.

You can progress to doing them using two sturdy chairs like I do at home, or dip bars at the park, or two tables - whatever thing you’ve got two of and that are the same height and sturdy works!

Here’s a list of leg raise progressions in order of increasing difficulty:

Laying down, bent knees
Laying down, one leg straight/one leg bent
L Sit/Hands-supported, bent knees
L Sit/Hands-supported, one leg straight/one leg bent
L Sit/Hands-supported, two legs bent concentric, two legs straight eccentric (negatives)
L Sit/Hands-supported, two legs straight
Hanging, with the same progression as exercises 3-6 in the L-Sit position

Take a look at some leg raise progressions

Sets and reps:

When you’re able to comfortably do 3 sets of 10 reps of one progression, you can move on to the next one. Eventually, you can move on to some pretty fun and advanced maneuvers that really smash your core.

Eventually you can move on to doing these one-armed, windshield-wiper style leg raises

How To Get a 6 Pack

Ahhh, here is a key distinction!! How to get a strong core, versus how to have visible abs.

Having a strong core, and having visible abs, are two different things.

Training your core and abs muscles will help your abs be more visible, but only to a certain degree. If having visible abs is your priority, you must take a few other things into consideration.

These are:

Body fat percentage
Genetics

Body fat percentage

For most men, abs will start to become visible at 10-12% body fat and below. For most women, abs will start to become visible at 16-20% body fat and below. If you are significantly above this range, it doesn’t matter how much you train your abs, they won’t be visible.

Genetics

Genetics also has an effect on abs’ visibility for men and women. For example, some people have an additional abdominal intersection which allows certain of us to have an 8 pack instead of just a 6 pack. Genetic factors also mean that some people may be lucky and have visible abs at a slightly higher body fat percentage than normal, for example.

What’s that mean for you?

If having a strong and developed core is your main priority, train hard and consistently using the exercises I recommend above.

If, additionally, you’d like to have your abs be visible, make lowering your body fat percentage a priority as well, through healthy eating habits and or meal planning/timing. I’d also suggest incorporating some cardio that you enjoy into your weekly exercise program. Remain consistent in those and the visible abs will come; and when they do come, they will be more developed from the training you’ve been doing.

As for the training aspect of that equation, if you’re looking to get more serious about your training in the new year, consider trying out my app, where you can follow hypertrophy or skills-based programs from beginner all the way to advanced, or you can hop in somewhere in the middle.

Either way, happy training, and let me know how these exercises go for you, if you have a different favorite exercise, or what your favorite way to burn fat is!

How To Train Your Core Properly