5 Moves for a strong core

Having a strong core will not only leave you with a bikini ready body but it will also give you the right posture and keep your vital healthy. Your core just isn’t just consist of yours abs; it contains your body’s powerhouse.

Here are 5 moves that will strengthen your core better than ever:

• Reach up

Muscles worked: Core, back, glutes, quads, full body.

Reps: 2 sets of 10

Start on your back, lift your upper and lower body off the mat as you push your abdominals down toward your spine with your back flat on the mat. Now roll up as you reach your hands toward your feet and hold as you balance for a second; spinal roll down slowly to starting position.

• Window Washer

Muscles worked: Core, shoulders, thighs, glutes, hamstrings, full body.

Reps: 3 sets of 10 on each side.

Start in the perfect plank position. Let one foot rest on the top of the other as you cross your legs. Now lift the leg as you swing it sideways toward your shoulder and tap it on the floor. Let it sit; now lift the leg again and take it back to starting position. Repeat and then swap to the other side.

• Scissor Split

Muscles worked: Core, abs, glutes and thighs

Reps: 30 reps on each side

Lie on your back. Curl your head and shoulders off the mat and hover your legs a few inches off the ground. Reach your hands toward your feet and lift one leg to the sky, bending your knees slightly as you alternate your legs in a scissors motion, pulling your abdominals toward your spine.

• Oblique Crunch

Muscles worked: Core, oblique, shoulders, and chest.

Reps: 2 sets of 10 on each side.

Start in the perfect plank position, wrists underneath shoulders. Lift one leg up and hold. Bend that knee and pull into your waist as you crunch in your oblique. Kick the leg back to its starting position. Repeat on the same side and then swap.

• Twist

Muscles worked: Core, quads, obliques, chest, and shoulders.

Reps: Side to side is 1 rep. Do 30 reps.

Sitting upright and place a 10-pound weight in your hands. Make a C-curve with your spine and lift your legs. Twist your torso side to side while holding the weight, twisting your lower body in the opposite direction. Remember to keep your back straight all the while.

These moves require no equipment and so you have no excuse not to strengthen your core.