(Video) 5-Minute Core Workout for Runners

This short workout will give you a strong core, which is essential for runners to avoid injury. Strengthening your core muscles helps give you better stability, balance and power.

Contrary to what some people think, the "core" doesn't just mean your abs - it also includes your back, butt, hips, and groin muscles. This short workout will work all of these muscles and more, for a firm, strong core - which is good whether you're a runner or not.

It's only 5 minutes long, so you can do it anytime, anywhere, but it will really make you burn!



  
Like this? Check out this great workout for runners!

Book Review: Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence

It isn’t that often that a truly new fitness idea comes around, but with Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence by Eric Goodman and Peter Park, you’ll find a totally new approach to improving your health and fitness.

Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence

This book is the collaboration between two fitness and wellness experts that teamed up to create a fitness book that focuses on strengthening the back instead of the abdominal muscles to enjoy true core fitness.

Peter Park is one of the top fitness trainers in the United States and has worked with top athletes and celebrities including Derek Fisher, Lance Armstrong, and Kelly Slater. He is the co-owner of Platinum Fitness Summerland and has over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry.

Dr. Eric Goodman is a chiropractor who also works as a strength coach and personal trainer. His understanding of the back has led him to create a program that improves the body’s ability to heal and move with ease.

This dream-team of exercise scientists brings a new approach to fitness that helps create more flexibility, improved endurance, along with more power. If you’ve been disappointed by fitness programs that leave you feeling unbalanced and in pain, this program can teach you techniques that will turn those problems around.
You don’t have to be a body builder to know that fitness can be difficult. Many programs that focus on core fitness focus only on the abdominal muscles. The idea is that by strengthening them you’ll improve your fitness.

But with Foundation: Redefine Your Core Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence, you’ll find an approach that focuses instead on the back. By strengthening this area of the body you’ll have fewer problems with balance, back pain, and you’ll strengthen your entire body.

Often people who have back pain have a very tough time getting in shape. In spite of doing sit-ups and crunches, they never can seem to get relief. But by using the exercises in this book, you can become free of the pain and actually improve your fitness levels.

People who have had back injuries, surgery, and other back problems will be able to follow these easy instructions to strengthen the back and alleviate pain. Having a strong back creates a foundation upon which the rest of your fitness can be built.

If you’ve ever experienced back pain you know that it can affect the way the rest of your entire body moves. And back pain can be chronic, persistent, and debilitating. But by following a program of strengthening and stretching the back, you can have relief and be able to move with freedom once again.

When you’re getting started with an exercise program, you can quickly burn out - especially if  you experience pain and injury related to your back. But with this program you’ll experience the opposite – less pain and more flexibility.

As you follow the Foundation program you’ll gain balance and strength, and exercise will actually become easier for you. With a solid foundation and understanding of musculoskeletal structure and fitness, these two experts present a whole new way of becoming fit. By strengthening the back, all fitness areas become feasible.

In this book, not only will you learn the roots of back pain and dysfunction, but you will also learn how to fix these issues. The book includes tons of information, but probably the most valuable part for me was the workouts.

The book includes 3 different workouts - the Basic Workout of 5 basic exercises for beginners to help strengthen your back and core, the Moderate Workout of 7 exercises to further strengthen your back, reduce pain, and prevent injury, and the Intense Workout - 10 exercises that help improve on the foundation that you have built in the previous sections. Each exercise is accompanied by detailed photographs and instructions that are clear and easy to follow.

The book also includes some bonus exercises that you can add into your routine when ready, and create a healthy lifestyle to achieve true fitness and health.

Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence is a great book for anyone who wants to get in shape but struggles with issues of back pain and imbalance.

With this book you can learn exercises that strengthen your core by focusing on your back. When your back is strong and healthy, all fitness activities become easier to perform and you can truly improve your fitness and wellness.

If you have a job that requires you to sit all day, have a lot of stress, or have experienced an injury or surgery, this book can help you to get the relief you desire. It goes beyond traditional exercise programs to create a program focusing on strength and wellness for your back.

You’ll also benefit if you want to get in shape, but pain has kept you from doing so. Many people who have followed this program find that their back pain has completely disappeared allowing them to improve their fitness for life.

This approach is based on science and the experience of two industry professionals who really know what they’re doing.

You can have Foundation: RedefineYour Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence delivered to your home, your Kindle or Kindle reader and you can find it here on Amazon.com.

Benefits of The Exercise Ball

By now, you’ve probably seen an exercise ball.  They’re those things that look like giant playground balls that you see people rolling and stretching on at the gym.  If you’re like me, you’re probably hesitant about using one of these balls.  You may be worried about looking silly or can’t actually figure out how they work.  Well, next time you’re at the gym, why don’t you try one out?  You’ll probably find the benefits well worth it.

An exercise ball. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What most people consider to be the biggest benefit of using an exercise ball is its ability to strengthen your core muscles.  These are the muscles in your abs and back - the muscles you work so hard to tone up with crunches.  When you do exercises on a ball, your abdominal and back muscles are constantly working to make adjustments and keep you balanced.  Unlike traditional exercises, the ball works the muscles on the front and back of your body at the same time, promoting a more balanced and healthy physique.  Even if you’re targeting a different area, your core muscles are still getting exercise.  Plus, there are tons of exercises you can do on a ball that focus on strengthening and toning these muscles even more. 

If you slump at a desk all day and find that your back, neck, and shoulders are sore at night, you can definitely benefit from an exercise ball.  By toning your core muscles, exercise balls can do wonders for your posture.  When your core is toned, the muscles keep working after you’re done working out, helping you sit up straight.  You can get this benefit even without working out by replacing your desk chair with an exercise ball.  This way you to maintain proper posture to stay on the ball and work your core at the same time!  If you don’t think your workplace will allow you to sit on an exercise ball at your desk, they make exercise ball chairs that provide the same benefit with a more professional look.

Executive Ball chair (Photo credit: FunnyBiz)

Have you had a previous injury to your back, knee or hip?  Do you worry about exercising because it might aggravate your condition?  An exercise ball can help.  The ball can be used to support your body while you stretch or build muscles.  Those with back injuries may even be able to find some relief from pain by lying on the ball and gently stretching the back muscles and vertebrae.  These balls are so good for helping relieve strain and preventing future injury, they’re often used by physical therapists for back rehabilitating back injuries.

If you find it hard to bend, move, and even touch your toes, an exercise ball can help you improve your flexibility.  It can help you stretch yourself farther, but it can also provide support so you can stretch certain muscles more safely.  Their ability to help stretch you out is one of the biggest reasons physical therapists swear by these balls.

Exercise balls can provide great benefits for those suffering from "sitting disease," and slowly becoming crippled by a sedentary lifestyle. Use one in your workouts, at your desk, and at home, and you'll reap the benefits over time, with more flexibility and strength, and less pain.


Grab An Exercise Ball Today: