hey what's up muscle and strength coach Myers here and I'm here today to talked
about one my favorite subjects and that's core strength now I can't tell
you how many times I've seen guys that got that toned six-pack but their abs are
weak most guys have a fundamental
misunderstanding of how to train their abs we're not just going to do things
that are going to target one area and just try to tone the abdominals we're
going to try to build strength and power across the entire midsection so today
I'm going to show you 10 of my hardest core exercises that're going to put you
to the test okay the first exercise we're going to start with is the
weighted plank now I love the plank in general it's my favorite core exercise
because it engages all the muscles in the core and really helps to build
stability now by plate loading it you're going to be able to really put your
strength to the test not just build endurance in the core if you want to
have a strong squat a strong deadlift you better have a strong stable core
the second of my most challenging core exercise is the ring layouts now the
most important thing to keep in mind on this and many other of these exercises
is to really keep your abdomen engaged don't let your hips sag throughout the
movement when you start to lay out on those rings if you let your hips get low
you're going to strain your lower back so you've got a really concentrate on
keeping your abs tight
now number three on my list is what I like to think of is the evil older
cousin of the AB wheel this is a barbell rollout very similar movement now if you
can master it from your knees if you want to step it up a notch and you think
you got what it takes you're going to try it from your feet very challenging
move and when that weight gets out there it's not just going to roll back you've
got to pull it back next up on my list we have walk outs you're going to start
in a push-up position keep those abs tight you're going to walk your hands
out as far as you can and then walk back the goal is eventually get to where your
nose will touch the ground and nothing else number five on my list is a barbell
sit-up now it's important to note you're not going to put your feet under
anything you just got to use your core strength anchor yourself in start with
that bar on your chest and as you explode up extend the bar overhead
now number six on my list is what I like to call plate layouts you're going to
start in a push-up position with your feet on a small plate now you need to be
on a surface where it's going to slide you're going to keep your abs tight
drift back and layout now if you're a beginner or this stuff is new to you
you're going to let your elbows hit the ground first and then pop back up as you
get more advanced you should be able to lay all the way out without your arms
touching the ground
okay number seven on my list is what I call a barbell climb you're going to start with a
45-pound bar your feet wide and you're going to climb down to the bottom and
then back up now like many of my favorite core exercise we're not just
working the muscle of the core this is really going to tax your lats and test
your forearm strength as you're climbing back up okay number eight on my list is
90-degree toes to bar now most of you probably have done regular toes-to-bar leg
raises what I like to do is after I go up I'm going to come back down and stop
at 90 degrees that way I'm not using any momentum at the bottom and I'm taking
the psoas out of the position of being the prime mover keeping those abs tight
coming back up to the bar back down to 90 degrees number nine on my list is the
l-sit pull-up one of my biggest pet peeves in the gym is when I see you guys
doing pull-ups and they're kipping swinging do an l-sit legs straight out
keep the core engaged and it's going to take any momentum out of the equation
okay last but not least number 10 on my list is what I call medicine ball wheel
barrels now everyone remembers doing a wheelbarrow race when you're at summer
camp when you were kid well imagine that camp was run by ninja warriors this is
probably the type of race you would have had you're going to start with your feet
on a medicine ball and you're going to walk your hands out and move your feet
at the same time to keep the ball up with you now if you're really advanced
put your hands on the medicine ball and your feet on the medicine ball and see
what you got
okay muscle strength there you have it that was my 10 hardest core exercises
don't be content to just do the same old tired ab routine put yourself to the
test and develop real core strength now get out there and get after it