In order to get at a more defined midsection, we have to understand what's going on in there. That is, how do the muscles work and what general movements are they responsible for? Once this puzzle is put together, the task at hand is simple - perform those movements!
Remember that the body operates in 3 planes - front and back, side to side, and rotational.
If we were to apply that to our upper body, there must be muscles in there responsible for moving our torsos in each of those directions. So a good core training program manages to hit all planes of movement, thereby leaving out none of the muscles that give us the power of Adonis over women. Now think about what you've been doing for the past 10 years - crunches. If you notice, crunches only work one of these three planes, leaving you weak in two others. Someone's been a bad, bad boy. But, I'd imagine a lot of you are wondering where your precious planks fit into this little scheme. After all, everyone (including the great Stuart McGill himself) touts the benefit of the all-powerful plank for low back health. Well, planks are a form of core exercise that requires you to stabilize yourself against a resistance - in this case gravity. Stabilization exercises are extremely important because it teaches you to fire several muscles in the body in order to prevent the spine from collapsing. Some of the most strenuous (and effective) core exercises require this ability.
Enough Talk - Gimme Some'n to Do!
To be honest, I'm always a bit hesitant to put up exercise routines for the general public. I have no way of knowing your injury status, so before you start this, it would be advisable to consult a physical therapist or chiropractor to make sure none of these exercises are going to hurt you.
"Bah!" you say? Then at the very least, attempt the following exercises; if you're able to complete them with no problem, go ahead and give the core workout a shot.
Plank - 2 mins (place a small water bottle or pilates ball on the small of your back - if it rolls off, you've failed the exercise and must start again)
Side plank - 1 min on each side
Bird-dog - 8 per side (again, with a bottle or ball on the small of your back; focus on keeping the hips stable)
Core workout - A
Perform 3 sets in a circuit fashion
Unilateral Overhead Lunge - this is a regular lunge, with a twist; with one hand, hold a weight overhead as you lunge 10 meters (per leg)
Inch Worm - 10 repetitions; begin with feet together, fingers in front of the toes, and legs almost locked out; walk out with your hands, keeping them in front of you; walk the legs in to meet the hands and repeat
Side planks or Dynamic Side bends (perform with upper body supported on bench and lower body on the floor); 12-15 repetitions per side
Reverse crunch - 12-15 repetitions per sidealways keep the knees bent at around 90°; while lowering the legs, keep the lower back flat on the ground as long as possible; reverse the motion when the feet almost touch the ground, or you feel your lower back arch - whichever comes first
Rest 90s between circuits
Perform this in conjunction with your regular workout (before or after is up to you - long as you finish it!).
Core Workout - B
Two Handed swing - 1 min
Plank (place your elbows on a bosu/stability ball) - 1 min
Crunch with twist (bring elbow to opposite knee) - 1 min
Russian twists - 1 min
Rest 60-90s and repeat for 4 sets; perform in a circuit fashion with no/minimal rest between exercises.
Final Words
You'll want to alternate between A and B workouts, performing it everytime you go in for a regular workout. However, if your workout takes 2 hours (in which case, we have to talk), it wouldn't be appropriate for you to add this in. Best idea would be to take a few hours (6-8) off and come back to finish it off.
Breathing is of utmost importance during these exercises. Generally, try to (forcefully) breathe out all the air from your lungs during the muscle-shortening phase of the exercise. This exaggerates the contraction and elevates the amount of tension produced over the course of the set. That would be a good thing. So try it out, and let me know how it goes.
Good night and good luck.
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