4 Simple Core Exercises to Try if You Are Over 50

When you get to a “certain age,” you start to realize how important core strength is. I’m not talking about 6-pack abs, I am talking true core strength and support. While having a 6-pack looks pretty, it’s going to fall short when you are running up and down stairs, or picking up a laundry basket. Not to mention if you cough or sneeze without crossing your legs (IYKYK).

Read more about your core in Tuesday’s post.

Core strength comes from a group of muscles:

• Pelvic floor
• “6-pack abs” (Rectus abdominis)
• “Lower abs” (Transversus abdominis)
• Twisting muscles (Internal and External Obliques)
• The Glutes (Gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus)
• The muscles along the spine (Erector Spinae group)
• Hip flexors (Iliopsoas, Tensor Fascia Latae, Rectus femoris)

When this group of muscles is strong, you are better able to navigate your day with more stability and less pain. Walking, carrying things, lifting things, and general maneuvering becomes easier and you’re less prone to injury. Here are three of my favorite core exercises (though I have many) that you should do every day to create core strength and stability.

If you don’t do anything else, focus on your core. A lot of “age related” pain, like lower back and hip pain, is caused by having a weak core. When you strengthen your core, it takes the pressure off your lower back and hips so that they don’t strain when you move. Whether you play a sport, exercise, or just live your life, paying attention to your core can make all the difference.

**I created a video where you can follow along through all four exercises at the bottom of this post.

Pelvic Tilts

This exercise strengthens the pelvic floor and Transversus abdominis to stabilize your pelvis in every thing you do. This little exercise can prevent “leakage” and improve sexual function as well. It’s a small movement that, when done correctly, can make a huge difference in your core strength and overall posture. The pelvic floor is the foundation of the torso. If your foundation is weak, nothing is supported.

Start on your lying down on your back. Bend your knees and rest your feet on the floor. Start in a neutral pelvis, where you have a small space under your lower back. This is the same curve you have when you stand. The back of the pelvis is on the floor, but the lower back is slightly off the floor.

Inhale, then as you exhale, engage the pelvic floor and the lower abdominals and press your lower back into the floor. Pull the pubic bone toward the navel to flatten the lower back. Don’t use your legs or glutes. They stay relaxed. This movement is all abs. Inhale to release the pelvis back to neutral. Repeat this action 5-10 times, focusing on the pelvic floor and lower abdominals doing the movement.

If you push with your legs or squeeze your glutes to tip the pelvis, you bypass the abdominals. If you’ve had lower abdominal surgery, it may be difficult to feel the transversus muscles working. Place a hand on the area between your pubic bone and navel and see if it engages when you tilt. If so, great! If not, slow down and try to isolate these muscles to create the tilt.

Plank pose

Plank pose/Phalakasana is one of the best poses for strengthening not only your core, but your whole body. This pose supports your posture, your lower back, and if you only do one of these poses, this is the one to do. There are many ways to modify this pose and I go into a lot of detail in this post:

Ask a Yoga Teacher: Plank Pose

Things to keep in mind about Plank pose:

• Your body should be in a straight line from your head to your heels (or your knees if you do Half Plank). If you don’t use the legs, you will feel it in your lower back and bypass your core.
• Feel the whole front of your body lifting, as a unit, into the back of your body. The body should move in one piece toward the ceiling. Don’t bend at the hips.
• Keep the head in line with the spine. Your eyes should focus about 6” or so in front of your fingertips. If you are looking at your feet, chances are you’ve also disconnected from your core. Most likely you are hanging into your shoulders.
• Hold for as long as it feels stable, try for 5-10 breaths (maybe 3 to start). Take one more inhale, then lower your knees and sit back in Child’s pose to rest. Holding one more inhale is how you build strength. The mind often quits before the body does. Always listen to the body.

Locust pose/Salabhasana

It is essential to strengthen the muscles along the spine, as gravity pulls us in the opposite direction. Backbending poses that resist gravity, like this pose, are especially good in this respect. Plus they are safer than poses where it’s possible to shorten the lower back. You work within your range of motion.

Start lying down on your belly, forehead on the floor. Bring your arms alongside your body with the palms on the floor. Engage the pelvic floor and lower abdominals, aiming your tailbone toward the floor. As you inhale lengthen the top of your head forward to lift your head and chest off the floor. As you exhale, engage the glutes to lift the thighs off the floor.

You can hold here with your hands on the floor, or you can lift them as well, slightly squeezing the shoulder blades together. Stay up for 5-10 breaths, then release. Repeat a couple of times, then take Child’s pose.

Slow Bicycles

This final exercise supports all of the rotational movement we do in daily life. You twist when you drive, looking over one shoulder. You might twist loading and unloading the dishwasher. If you play golf, tennis, or softball, you definitely twist and this exercise will create more power for your swing or serve.

Start on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor. Inhale. As you exhale, do a pelvic tilt, pressing your lower back into the floor using your pelvic floor and Transversus abdominis muscles. Raise one knee at a time over your hips, and place your hands behind your head.

Inhale. As you exhale, twist to the right. You can either keep your legs as they are or extend your left leg forward. Inhale to return to center bending both knees again. As you exhale, twist to the left, keeping the legs still or extending the right leg forward.

Repeat this exercise 5-10 times on each side. The movements should be as slow and controlled, connecting your breath with the movement. Keep your elbow wide so you don’t pull on your head. Let the obliques turn your rib cage to either side. The more you use your core, the more strength you build. Pulling on the head just creates neck pain. The hands are there to support your head, not to create the movement.

Practice video

Here’s a video to guide you through all four exercises. Please rest when you need to.

More Support!

I teach Mindful Core every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:15-9:45am EST. These classes use the wisdom of Yoga and Pilates to mindfully strengthen all of your core muscles. By the end of the class you’ll feel energized, strong, and ready to take on the day! Click the button to see the full schedule of classes, including Mindful Core!

In March I will be launching Yoga for the Lower Back! This online, self-study course will guide you, step by step, to increase your core strength, improve your mobility mindfully, and help you understand why your lower back is cranky so you can do something about it.

Click the button below to be notified as soon as the course launches! I am offering a free one-on-one online session to anyone who purchases the course during the first week! Signing up to be notified does not require that you enroll in the course.