Hard-CORE Explore

If there’s one group of muscles you don’t want to ignore, it’s the muscles of the core!

A solid core helps generate power while stabilizing the spine and lowering the risk of back pain, making it easier to do sports and everyday activities that require strength and balance. As efficient as it is effective, this comprehensive midsection workout is designed to enhance the function of the critical torso muscles by targeting multiple muscle groups simultaneously.

With a fresh approach to non-traditional core exercises, you’ll explore untapped reservoirs of strength using intentional, controlled resistance to fire up every angle of your abdominals, obliques, pelvic muscles, and back. Dynamically tying shoulders and legs into the mix you’ll work through standing, quadruped, plank and supine positions challenging the entire kinetic chain of the body and leaving you feeling strong, balanced and centred from the inside out. Grab a mat and light to medium dumbbells and let’s explore the core creatively from 360 degrees maximizing results in minimal time.

Dead Bug

1 set, 10-15 reps on each side
Equipment: 1 light dumbbell

A back-friendly exercise that builds core strength, coordination, and body awareness. Suitable for all fitness levels, the Dead Bug supports the spine and pelvis while strengthening deep core muscles. Adding a weight activates the shoulders and challenges the entire postural chain.

Lie on your back with arms up towards the ceiling, dumbbell in your right hand, knees bent, feet flat on the floor and heels in line with sitting bones. Lift your feet off the floor, until knees and hips are at 90-degree angles and shins are parallel to the floor. If the low back is uncomfortable, posteriorly tilt the pelvis as much as needed to support the weight of the legs and the work of the exercise.
Take a deep breath in and slowly begin to extend your right arm with dumbbell overhead while simultaneously straightening and extending your left leg as far as you can without changing the position of the lower back.
While exhaling, return to starting position.
Repeat on the other side.

Modification: Remove the dumbbell and perform this exercise non-weighted.

Weighted Back Extension

1 set, 10-15 reps on each side
Equipment: 1 light dumbbell

Deceptively challenging, the weighted back extension engages the entire posterior chain. Using one dumbbell with a contralateral challenge, it targets the back, core, hips, and shoulders making it a key part of a complete core workout.

Lie prone with a light dumbbell in your right hand and arms extended in front of the body. Tent your left-side fingertips into the floor to avoid pressing into your left hand too firmly when you lift.
Extend your legs long and straight behind you.
Draw your navel away from the mat creating a strong navel-to-spine contraction.
Inhale and reach left leg and right arm (holding the dumbbell) out and up toward the ceiling simultaneously. Briefly hold at the top, then exhale and lower arm and leg to the mat.
Maintain a still centre and avoid rocking from side to side.
Looking down the bridge of the nose, keep your gaze centred toward the front of the mat to ensure proper cervical alignment of the neck. Focus on length through the torso rather than height of the limbs.

Modification: Remove the dumbbell and perform this exercise non-weighted.

Sliding Push-Pull Plank

2 Sets (one on each side), 8-10 reps per side
Equipment: 1 dumbbell, 1 slider/disc (substitute a small towel or paper plate)

Strengthen and lengthen with a fresh forearm plank. This core staple builds abs, back, shoulders, glutes, and legs, improving posture and stability. Add weight and sliders to engage the lats and obliques for a deeper core challenge.

Ensure you are working on a smooth floor surface. Place the dumbbell on top of a sliding device or disc and move the slider to the top of the mat.
Set up for plank with forearms on the mat and shoulders stacked directly above elbows.
Before you lift to toes draw the navel in creating a strong cement block with your torso. Drive through the toes and lift your knees pressing back through the heels. Optionally, keep knees grounded throughout the exercise.
Reach right hand forward and push the dumbbell and slider forward a few inches. Return right forearm under the shoulder. Then reach your left hand forward and pull back in the dumbbell and slider. Repeat with same (right) hand pushing out and opposite hand (left) pulling in.
Rest in a comfortable stretch position (Child’s Pose).
Repeat on the other side.

Modification: Perform plank from the knees.

Lunge with Rotation

1-3 sets, 8-12 reps on each side
Equipment: 1 medium dumbbell

This loaded, rotational exercise engages legs, shoulders, hips, glutes, and core. It builds strength, boosts heart rate, and improves stamina, mobility, and flexibility. Adjustable range of motion makes it accessible for all fitness levels.

With dumbbell in your right hand, step the right leg forward into lunge position by bending the knee and aligning it over the ankle. Extend left leg behind you and place your left hand down to the floor for support. Hinge forward at the hips so the chest hovers above the thigh and the back remains straight.
Lift your back heel as you extend the dumbbell overhead, opening toward your front right leg and rotating through the torso.
Cast your eyes upward as you lift the dumbbell, then rotate your head down and in line with spine as you lower the weight.
After completing 8-12 repetitions, step your back (left) foot in towards the front foot to return to standing position.
Repeat on the other side.

Modification: Stay higher in the lunge position. Opposite hand remains on the thigh as you row the dumbbell to
the hip and rotate at the rib cage rather than extending
the weight upward and overhead.

Hover Cross-Over

1-3 sets, 8-12 reps
Equipment: 1 or 2 light dumbbells

Chisel and sizzle! No muscle left behind with this cross-body weighted burner. Combining plank stability with loaded movement, this core-stabilizing stinger challenges multiple muscles while boosting stamina and coordination. Fight for every rep!

Set up on hands and knees (quadruped position) with shoulders stacked over wrists and hips over knees. Place one light dumbbell on the mat between the hands and knees.
Elongate the back and dig the toes into the mat. Lift the knees to hover a few inches off the floor. Focus on keeping the hips squared and as still as possible and the knees close to the ground to ensure the core is working as much as the shoulders.
Maintain a relatively flat back throughout the movement.
Find stability in the hover position and focus on tightening the inner thighs toward one another. Keep palms pressing firmly into the floor and slide the shoulder blades down the length of the back while scooping the pelvic floor in and up to avoid leaning to one side.
Reach under with right hand and move the dumbbell out to the side, placing it just beyond the right hand. Return right hand to the floor resisting any rotation in the hips or trunk.
Keep the dumbbell close to the ground to assist with minimizing rotation.
Repeat by reaching under and across with the left hand to move the dumbbell out and to the side placing it just outside the left hand. Return left hand to the floor resisting any rotation in the hips or trunk.

Extension: Place a second light dumbbell between the inner thighs drawing the legs into a narrow stance with feet closer together.

Modification: Keep knees grounded rather than hovering. Focus on minimizing the rotational movement at the hips as you move the dumbbell from side to side.

Photography: Jana Miko Photography