3 Great Core Exercises Men Over 40 Should Do Every Day

As the years fly by and you pass the age of 40, you will start seeing your body deteriorate faster than it did before. You will find that it has become much harder to build muscle and maintain strength while keeping your fat content and cholesterol levels down. Therefore, you need a training regimen that helps to maintain the muscle mass you earned to ensure that you can enjoy a good lifestyle for years to come.

Your abdominal area is where force and balance are generated, which makes it one of, if not the most important muscle group in your body. Without a strong core, you won’t be able to perform advanced workouts effectively, which will affect your long-term well-being. With that said, here are three of the best core workouts you need to do consistently to ensure that you have a strong and healthy body going into your golden years:

Superman

The Superman is an exercise that works the lower back muscles, which can help to improve your balance and reduce the risk of injury. The lower back area is prone to aches and pains, especially when it comes to older adults with poor posture. The Superman will help to reduce these risks by strengthening the muscles in the area. To perform a Superman, you will need to lie down on your stomach on a flat surface, lifting your hands and feet slightly off the ground. Raise both your hands and feet up to make a wide U shape. Hold the pose for a couple of seconds, then slowly bring your limbs down, making sure that you don’t touch the ground. That’s one rep! If your stomach feels uncomfortable on a hard surface, try laying down on a soft towel.

If you find doing the Superman with both limbs simultaneously too difficult, start by alternating between your right leg/left arm and your right arm/left leg. This will make it much easier, but you may have to increase the reps to build up your strength. As a start, you should aim to do three sets of five every day.

Segmented Abdominal Rotations

Segmented ab rotation is a great way to train your obliques, which are the core muscles that help you to keep your balance during side-to-side motion. To do this exercise, you will need to sit down on a flat surface, keeping your feet in front of you. Then, slightly lift your legs up to make a V shape with your body. Put your hands forward, then touch the floor on the side of your body on either side. Place your hands back in the starting position and do it on the other side. That’s one rep. You should aim to do three sets of five reps as a starting point.

In the beginning, you will find that keeping your legs up can be a challenge. If you find it too difficult, you can drop your legs down to the floor to rest for a few seconds and then lift them back up. If you feel as if your core has gotten stronger, you can make it more challenging by adding weight to the rotation by holding on to a medicine ball or a dumbbell.

Bent Knee Hollow Hold

Forget crunches – this is where core training is at. The bent knee hollow hold is a workout that’s designed to improve your core strength and stamina, as you will have to hold a position that tests your core strength for a time. To start off, lay down with your back, with your hands and legs touching the floor. Then, lift both your knees up, holding them above your hips. Lift your back up, making sure that your shoulder blades aren’t touching the floor. Hold this position for at least 12 seconds for one rep. We recommend that you do this for 3 sets every day. You can expect to feel sore from this exercise, especially if you haven’t worked out in a long time.

If you find that 12 seconds is not enough, you can increase the time or attach some weight to your ankles to make it more challenging. We help with fitness for men over 40, get in touch & look at our other posts for more tips.