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СWorking on the core muscles is not only essential for good looks, but also for your health. In this article, we will talk about core muscles and how to develop them. So without any further ado, let us begin. Core Muscles: What Do They Consist of? To put it simply, core muscles consist of two main groups, which are central and peripheral. The central muscles resemble a sac that protects internal organs by covering the abdominal cavity. In other words, we need these muscles to keep the vital organs safe. In fact, if we didn’t have these muscles, a slight kick in the abdominal area would cause significant damage to vital organs. Central muscles can be divided into several parts, which are: Front - abs Lateral parts - oblique muscles and the surrounding muscles Back - the muscles that support the spine Upper wall - diaphragm Lower wall - pelvic floor muscles The second group of core muscles, the peripheral muscle group, consists of the trapezius, the latissimus dorsi muscle, the pectoralis muscle, the buttocks, and the muscles of the shoulder girdle. These muscles are essential for our posture and back health, which means that developing those is rather important for everyone who wants to be healthy and look beautiful. Both central and peripheral core muscle groups are extremely significant for our health, posture, as well as the way we look. Therefore, in the next paragraph, we are going to talk about the best exercises for strengthening these muscles. Best Workouts for Strengthening Core Muscles So we made it pretty clear that developing core muscles is important for pretty much everyone. So what exercises can you do to strengthen these muscles? Well, here they come: High plank Supine toe tap Hollowman Bird Dog Crunches Bicycle crunch Superman Warrior crunch Supine leg lifts Elbow to knee Bridge Mountain climber V-sit V-ups Side plank Plank shoulder taps Turkish get-up Elbow plank twists As you can see, there are many workouts that will no doubt help you develop core muscles and eventually become healthy and fit. So why don’t you grab your fitness mat and try at least some of these useful exercises to see their effectiveness yourself? Wrapping Up Not only are core muscles essential for beautiful abs, but also rather important for your back health and posture. Furthermore, these muscles protect your internal organs, which is a pretty important feature. Therefore, if you regularly train but you always avoid core exercises thinking they are not as important as the workouts for your legs or arms, you better stop doing that because core muscles are perhaps the most important muscle group in your body.

Sure, everyone familiar with running knows the importance of strengthening the foot and ankle ligaments. The other thing is that sometimes it's hard to spend 5-10 minutes preparing for ankle exercises: we get dressed, lace up our shoes and run down the street. This is unfortunate. After all, good elastic ligaments can reduce the risk of leg pain. And strong ankle muscles can improve lower back and even shoulder strength when you're running or just walking. Of course, there are plenty of good exercises to help you strengthen your ankles, so without further ado, let's take a look. Stretching Sit on the floor and straighten your leg in front of you. It's important to make sure your big toe, little toe, and heel stay in the same direction as you extend your foot. Only then the muscles will be strengthened and stretched in a balanced manner so that you don't walk and run with your foot falling out or in. While pulling your foot apart, stretch your toes as much as possible, as if you were lengthening them, without tucking them under your feet. Repeat 15 times. Rolling Pose From a seated position, place your feet in front of you and bring your feet as close to yourself as possible. Spread your knees and keep your feet together. Keeping your feet in this position, place your hands on the floor, bend your body forward and lift your pelvis off the floor and try to stay in this position for a while. If you feel your potential, you can roll to the left and to the right, touching your feet with the palms of your hands. Rising and falling Exercise It is traditionally recommended to do these on a ladder, but doing them slowly on a flat surface will give good results. Raise your toes as high as you can, keeping your heels in the air, then bend your knees so your heels are forward. Place your heel on the floor and then straighten your leg. It is very important to make sure your knees and ankles don't flip or drop. Dumbbell Squats Deep squats are good for developing the ankles, and when combined with dumbbells or barbells (if you have trained enough), this exercise is even more effective. Start with dumbbells that you can lift 15 times without dropping to the floor. 2-3 kg is suitable for beginners. Bodybuilders need to lift more weight to develop their leg muscles. Make a deep squat as follows: stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides, holding a dumbbell, or if you are doing the exercise with a barbell, place it in front of your chest or behind your head. Sit down with your knees bent and your hips on the floor. Keeping your back straight, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Keep your knees straight over your feet at all times and do not extend your knees further than your toes. Return to the starting position. Perform 2 sets of 10-15 squats each. Lunges Keeping your torso straight and your shoulders back, step forward and sit until both knees are at a 90-degree angle. Your knees should not protrude over your toes. Do a series of two on each leg and repeat 10 times. Final Words Strengthening your ankles is crucial for professional and amateur athletes alike, so whether sports are your life or you're just exercising to stay healthy, in is necessary to work on your ankles.

After the abdominal muscles are prepared, the obliques are the next step. The obliques are several groups of abdominal muscles on either side of the main body. The external obliques are at the top and the internal obliques are at the bottom. Training them with functional exercises includes flexion, twisting, and other rotational movements. In order to properly exercise the lateral muscles, however, it is important to remember that most oblique exercises also involve the other abdominal muscles, especially the medial transverse muscles. Therefore, you need to engage certain areas of the abdominal abs in a conscious manner. Lateral twists The basic exercise for the abdominal obliques is the lying lateral twist. Begin with lying on your side with your arm bent at the elbow to support your head. Extend the elbow toward the leg slowly, performing a purposeful contraction of the abdominal obliques. Prone lateral push-ups This exercise is fine for developing the neuromuscular links between the abs and the brain. Lying on the back, pull your left elbow in a slow tempo towards the opposite knee. Perform 12-15 reps on each side, and try to achieve a special burning feeling. Lateral push-ups on a fitness ball The advantage of this exercise is that you achieve a wide range of motion by bending your body slowly and controlling each movement over the ball. As you lift, feel your side abdominals twist and stretch as you descend. Place your arms behind your neck and do not move them apart. Cross contacts Make sure that your legs are straightened up while you are lying on your back. Place your hands on the back of your head and lift your head and shoulder blades slightly. Then do a twisting motion, extending your legs with the opposite arm straight. Perform the same movement for the other side. Repeat at least 20 times. Lift your hips Make sure you are lying straight on one side. Your feet should be lying on top of each other and your free arm fixed at the waist. You need to lift your torso so that your body line is completely straight at peak amplitude. At the apex, pause briefly to emphasize the work of the obliques. As you lower your torso, your thighs are only gently touching the ground and the muscles are not fully relaxed. Developed obliques provide the framework for your abs and make them look amazing, so if you really want to have a great abdomen, you should work both your abs and obliques.