Getting a healthy, stronger and better body requires a strong core. You need strong core muscles to maintain a healthy, strong and efficient body. The good news is, you don’t have to do hundreds of sit ups or spend all your time in a gym to get a strong core. Strengthening your core does not require any fancy gym machines.
All you need is twenty minutes a day, three days a week doing some body weight exercises where ever you are. It’s a fact that most machines you find in the gym stabilize your body during the exercise so you are not using your core to get the most benefit.
Most people hate doing core exercises because it’s the area they’re weakest in. But these could be the exercises people may need to concentrate on the most. So the key is to find some body weight exercises that you can do anywhere without any equipment at all.
Here’s some of my favorite body weight exercises that can be done to strengthen the core muscles. No equipment needed and the most important thing you have to pay attention to is making sure the exercises are performed correctly. Having the correct form allows you to develop the strongest core muscles possible and helps make you perform better, no matter what you’re doing.
These exercises are a little hard to do, but they’re not impossible and since no equipment is required, you should be able to include them into your schedule and commit to twenty minutes a day, three days a week. Another very important thing to do is to suck your belly in and hold it in during the exercise.
I usually do these in the order listed because they seem to flow better that way, but there is no exact order to do them. You can do any of them or all of them. The most important thing is to take the time and do them.
1. 
The plank: this can be done with your elbows on the floor or your hands in a push-up position. The goal is to hold this pose for one minute (or until your abdominal muscles tell you it’s time to stop) for 3 reps with about thirty seconds between reps. Keep your body in a straight line and avoid letting your middle sag toward the floor. I like to hold the pose and count until I reach my failure point and try to increase the count each time. You can make it more difficult by lifting one foot off the floor. Perform 3 reps for each side.
2. 
The side plank: This also can be done with your elbow on the floor or your hand in a push-up position. The push-up position is a greater challenge and I don’t recommend it if you don’t have good balance. This is also one that you want to hold for time or count and do it three times each side. As you gain strength and balance, try lifting the top leg and make sure you keep your body in a straight line.
3. 
The reverse or upward plank: Just like the regular plank but more difficult, this can be performed with your hands or your elbows on the floor. Using the hands is a lot more challenging than the elbows. My recommendation is to do the elbows first then switch to the hands. Try for the same time or count that you do for the regular plank. As you get stronger, try lifting one leg parallel to the floor and hold that for your time or count. It’s important to keep your body straight to strengthen those abdominal muscles. Try not to let your butt sag toward the floor, push it up to make the exercise easier.
4. 
Hip abduction: This not a very difficult exercise and it can be done several different ways.
The main thing is to remember with this is that the leg goes toward the back slightly so that your hips and shoulders stay in a straight line. If your leg comes forward the exercise will be easier but that works differently than what it is supposed to.
You should perform this exercise 20 to 30 times with three sets each side. As you get stronger, increase the number of reps in each set.
Body Weight Exercises
These exercises can be very challenging and as previously stated, correct form is everything to get the most benefit. Do each of them to the best of your ability while concentrating on doing them correctly. Hold the exercise or pose as long as possible and increase the time or count as your core gets stronger and you get more experience with the exercise.
The core is an often overlooked in a weight loss program, but is a vital area for successful weight loss. No matter how much weight you lose by restricting what you eat or by dieting, you can’t get a strong core without exercise. And there are no machines available that can duplicate the strength you’ll get by performing these exercises at home twenty minutes a day, three days a week.
The hardest part is just getting exercise on a consistent basis.