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Crush Your Week: 5 Bodyweight Core Workouts

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Crush Your Week: 5 Bodyweight Core Workouts
Presented by Spartan Training®

It's no secret that a large part of your success in a Spartan race depends on stable core muscles, so this week's workouts, courtesy of Spartan SGX Coach Bassam Saeed, are all about core values.

These five circuit workouts concentrate on the abdominals and obliques, as well as lower and upper body workouts and incorporate functional core strength, metabolic conditioning, and endurance to build a comprehensive core.

What are the benefits of core workouts?

Maintaining a strong, stable core is essential to not only crushing obstacle course races, but also in avoiding injury and staying mobile into older age. The following are great reasons to grab a resistance band and try this week's core workouts.

  1. Improving posture and agility
  2. Reducing back pain and injury
  3. Improving balance and coordination
  4. Reduced risk of falling
  5. Increased mobility into older age

01

Workout: Sweat Machine

One Tabata-style circuit, done for 8 rounds in a 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off style. Rest for 10 seconds between exercises and 0 seconds between rounds. Rest for one minute after 8 rounds, then hold a plank for as long as you can, for as many rounds as you can within 5 minutes. 

Circuit I

  1. Icky shuffle (ladder drill)
  2. Reach for the sky crunch
  3. Burpees
  4. Russian Twist

Circuit II

  1. AMRAP max-hold plank for 5 minutes
02

Workout: Legs of Steel

One circuit done for 3 rounds with 45 seconds of work for each exercised, followed by 15 seconds of rest. Rest 90 seconds between rounds.

  1. Side shuffles
  2. Sumo squats
  3. Flutter kicks
  4. Core windshield wipers
  5. Single-leg bridges
  6. Ab hollow holds

03

Workout: Go Hard or Go Home

One circuit done for 3 rounds with 45 seconds of work for each exercised, followed by 15 seconds of rest. Rest 90 seconds between rounds.

  1. Plank ups
  2. Spiderman push-ups
  3. Heel taps
  4. Shoulder taps
  5. Burpees
  6. Plank

04

Workout: Raising Hell 

One circuit done for 3 rounds with 45 seconds of work for each exercised, followed by 15 seconds of rest. Rest 60 seconds between rounds.

  1. Jumping jacks
  2. Bicycle crunches
  3. Mountain climbers
  4. Burpees
  5. Plank walk-outs

05

Workout: The Grand Finale

A 20-25 AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) with no rests between rounds. As a finisher at the end, hold a plank for 1 minute.

  1. 15 Russian twists
  2. 15 hips raises
  3. 15 alternating heel touches
  4. 15 seated scissor kicks
  5. 15 alternating bird dogs

MORE: How to Do These 8 Great Core Strengthening Exercises

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