Standing exercises demand the most from your core musculature. If you're seated or lying down, your body uses whichever surface you recline on to create stability and the core gets lazy.
Those factors make the standing overhead press the unlikely king of core exercises.
- Grip the bar as it rests on your clavicle.
- Take a deep breath to create abdominal pressure and activate the muscles of your inner core.
- Tighten your glutes to lock your hips in place and tighten your abs to keep the rib cage down.
- Contract the core hard, press the weight up, and hold the weight overhead.
- Your inner core, abs, and glutes should feel tight and locked before letting the weight down.
Think about the core through the lens of this movement. The muscles are placed under high tension and trained heavily, but they don't cause any movement.
This makes the overhead press the best core-strengthening weapon in a lifter's arsenal. Make sure you hit this lift on your shoulder day.
Big lifts done with heavy weight with good form are the best core training exercises. That's not to say, however, that there isn't room in every program for ancillary core training. To construct an effective core training program, we have to incorporate the functions discussed previously: anti-flexion, anti-extension, and anti-rotation. Big lifts done with heavy weight with good form are the best core training exercises. That's not to say, however, that there isn't room in every program for ancillary core training. To construct an effective core training program, we have to incorporate the functions discussed previously: anti-flexion, anti-extension, and anti-rotation.