What Is The Best Exercise For Developing Core Strength?

By Howe Russ


Buzz phrases like core strength and functional training can often be heard in gyms these days, however recent studies yielded a surprise champion exercise recently when they looked at the ultimate move for developing a tighter, leaner core. The best core exercise was found to be something which dates back years into the golden era of bodybuilding.

In fact, most gym users are so sure that the greatest core developmental exercise is a body weight move they would place money on it, such is the tendency for trainers to label body weight training with buzz phases like 'engage your core' and 'functional training'.

But surprisingly, the greatest exercises for strengthening your midsection is barbell front squats.

Not only is this gym based barbell work, but it's an exercise which is consistently overlooked by gym users in favor of trendy mat-based exercises which do little to stimulate anything other than the abdominal muscles. You see, developing a strong core does not mean simply blasting your abs with thousands of crunches. The core is made up of muscles which surround the spine from front to back, therefore it would be very foolish to only focusing on the front ones, right?

A great study published by the Journal of Strength And Conditioning Research was conducted in England in 2011. The researchers compared the effects of front squats against the superman exercise, an awesome body weight move which places incredible stress on the midsection.

In a shocking twist of events, front squats were found to yield a 5% increase in core strength over the superman.

Furthermore, this finding occurred using an empty bar in a bid to keep things fair against a body weight exercise. As more weight was added to the front squat the gains got greater and greater. While adding resistance to a body weight move can be tricky, with a front squat it is as simple as loading more plates on to your barbell.

By hitting the erector spinae muscles very hard, you will build a very strong and tight midsection without needing to do countless crunches.

Some of the fads which come and go in the fitness world cause confusion. There is a very common misconception that building core stability simply involves hitting your abs on an exercise ball instead of doing crunches on the floor. This is not the case. Ignoring these foolish trends and taking proven principles from old school methods like bodybuilding, explosive strength training and HIIT is the optimal way to build a well-rounded physique.

Overall, the best core exercise is going to change upon personal preference, of course. However, if you like to base your training on the latest scientific studies then front squats should become an integral part of your leg training program.




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