Powerlifters benefit from core exercises as they help stabilize the spine, improve posture, and enhance performance in key lifts such as the squat, deadlift, and bench press. Below is a list of our favorite core exercises tailored for powerlifters, along with detailed instructions on how to perform each one:
1. Planks (Front and Side)
- Muscles Worked: Rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, obliques, lower back.
- How to Perform:
- For the front plank, get into a push-up position but rest on your forearms and toes instead of your hands. Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Engage your core and glutes to prevent your hips from sagging.
- Hold this position for 30-60 seconds or longer, maintaining a neutral spine.
- For the side plank, lie on your side with your elbow directly beneath your shoulder, legs stacked. Lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from your head to feet. Hold for time.
- Why It’s Effective: Planks enhance overall core stability, which is crucial for maintaining proper form during lifts like squats and deadlifts.
2. Ab Wheel Rollouts
- Muscles Worked: Rectus abdominis, hip flexors, shoulders, lower back.
- How to Perform:
- Start on your knees (Important! Start on your knees!) with an ab wheel in your hands, positioned directly under your shoulders.
- Slowly roll the wheel forward while keeping your core engaged and avoiding excessive arching of your lower back.
- Roll out as far as you can while maintaining control, then pull yourself back to the starting position.
- Perform 8-12 repetitions.
- Why It’s Effective: Rollouts simulate the bracing needed during heavy lifting and strengthen the core through an extended range of motion, directly improving core stability in compound lifts.
3. Hanging Leg Raises
- Muscles Worked: Rectus abdominis, hip flexors, obliques.
- How to Perform:
- Hang from a pull-up bar with your arms extended and your legs together.
- Engage your core and slowly raise your legs, keeping them straight, until they are parallel to the ground or higher.
- Lower your legs under control back to the starting position.
- For a more advanced variation, try to raise your legs up to the bar.
- Perform 8-15 reps.
- Why It’s Effective: This exercise strengthens the lower abdominals and hip flexors, which help maintain control during squats and deadlifts.
4. Dead Bugs
- Muscles Worked: Rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, obliques, lower back.
- How to Perform:
- Lie on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your legs bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Slowly lower your right arm and left leg toward the floor while keeping your lower back pressed into the ground.
- Return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite arm and leg.
- Perform 10-12 reps on each side.
- Why It’s Effective: Dead bugs promote anti-extension and anti-rotation strength, which is critical for bracing during heavy compound lifts like squats and deadlifts.
5. Pallof Press
- Muscles Worked: Obliques, transverse abdominis, shoulders.
- How to Perform:
- Attach a resistance band or cable at chest height.
- Stand sideways to the anchor point with feet shoulder-width apart, holding the band/cable handle with both hands at your chest.
- Press the handle straight out from your chest while resisting rotation of your torso.
- Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for 10-12 reps per side.
- Why It’s Effective: The Pallof press challenges your core to resist rotation, which is important for maintaining stability and control in lifts like deadlifts and squats.
6. Farmer’s Carry
- Muscles Worked: Entire core, obliques, traps, grip strength, legs.
- How to Perform:
- Pick up a pair of heavy dumbbells or kettlebells and stand tall with your shoulders back and core braced.
- Walk forward in a straight line for a set distance (e.g., 30-50 feet), focusing on maintaining a strong posture and keeping your torso stable.
- Turn around and walk back to the starting point.
- Repeat for 3-5 sets.
- Why It’s Effective: Farmer’s carries work the entire core while under load, simulating the bracing required for heavy lifts. They also improve grip strength, which is essential for deadlifts.
7. Weighted Decline Sit-Ups
- Muscles Worked: Rectus abdominis, hip flexors.
- How to Perform:
- Secure your feet under the pads of a decline bench and hold a weight (dumbbell or plate) against your chest.
- Slowly lower your upper body down to the bench while maintaining control.
- Engage your core and lift your torso back up to the starting position.
- Perform 8-12 repetitions.
- Why It’s Effective: Weighted sit-ups increase the strength of the rectus abdominis and hip flexors, which help with core strength during heavy compound movements.
8. Suitcase Deadlifts
- Muscles Worked: Obliques, quadratus lumborum, lower back, traps.
- How to Perform:
- Stand with a dumbbell or kettlebell placed next to one foot.
- Hinge at your hips and lower down to pick up the weight with one hand (basically like a one-handed deadlift).
- Stand up tall while keeping your torso straight and resisting any lateral flexion (leaning to the side).
- Lower the weight back down and repeat for 6-8 reps on each side.
- Why It’s Effective: This exercise mimics the demands of core stability during uneven loading, which can help improve strength during squats and deadlifts.
9. Russian Twists
- Muscles Worked: Obliques, transverse abdominis, hip flexors.
- How to Perform:
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet slightly off the ground. Lean back slightly while holding a weight or medicine ball.
- Twist your torso to the right, bringing the weight beside your hip, then twist to the left.
- Perform 10-20 repetitions on each side.
- Why It’s Effective: Russian twists target the obliques, which help with rotational strength and stability during lifts that require core control.
10. Cable Woodchoppers
- Muscles Worked: Obliques, transverse abdominis, shoulders.
- How to Perform:
- Attach a cable or resistance band at a high anchor point.
- Stand sideways to the cable with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Grab the handle with both hands and pull it diagonally across your body from the high anchor point to the opposite hip, rotating your torso as you do.
- Return to the starting position and repeat for 8-12 reps on each side.
- Why It’s Effective: Woodchoppers improve rotational strength and core control, which can be beneficial for overall torso stability during compound lifts.
11. Stir the Pot
- Muscles Worked: Rectus abdominis, obliques, lower back, shoulders.
- How to Perform:
- Start in a plank position with your forearms on a stability ball.
- Make small circles with your forearms, moving the ball in a controlled manner.
- Circle in one direction for 30 seconds, then switch directions.
- Perform 2-3 sets.
- Why It’s Effective: This exercise engages the entire core, particularly the transverse abdominis, while challenging stability.
Incorporating these exercises into a powerlifting routine will help improve core strength, stability, and overall lifting performance. They sure have helped us, and with 11 to choose from, things should stay exciting for a while.
