Strong core muscles are essential for a healthy body. These muscles not only stabilize and support movement, but also facilitate breathing, protect internal organs, and help maintain posture and balance.
I love core-strengthening movements like planks and sit-ups, but lately I’ve gotten tired of them. While scrolling through Instagram looking for inspiration, I discovered a fitness influencer fiona judd I decided to try out my recent standing core routine.
How to do Fiona Judd’s standing core routine
This routine requires one moderately heavy dumbbell. I found my 15 pound dumbbells to be adequate, but if you’re just starting to exercise, I recommend using lighter dumbbells.
Judd’s routine consists of six exercises, each performed for one minute. Unilateral exercises should be performed for 30 seconds on each side. The goal is to complete 3 rounds in total.
- dumbbell overhead march
- standing bicycle
- windmill
- Hello to RDL (Romanian Deadlift)
- woodcutter
- dumbbell side bend
my point
(Image credit: Future/Jennifer Rizzuto)
The next day my obliques were sore.
Standing bikes, windmills, lumberjacks, and side bends all target your obliques, the muscles that make up both sides of your torso. Unsurprisingly, when I woke up the next morning, these areas were sore.
I don’t treat pain as an indicator of good training, and I know that it doesn’t necessarily correlate with strength level. But I think the DOMS I experienced in my obliques showed me that my core routine needed a reboot.
I liked that it included exercises for the gluteus maximus.
Although the terms core and abs are sometimes used interchangeably, the core actually includes many mid-range muscles, including the glutes. Although these muscles are often lumped together with the muscles of the lower body, they play a vital role in stabilizing the pelvis and protecting the spine.
I was really happy to see that Judd incorporated glute exercises (a combination of Halo and RDL) into this workout. This now feels like a more comprehensive core routine.
Ideal for intermediate exercise
Judd has modified some of the exercises to make them accessible to a wide range of fitness levels. However, some moves are very advanced, such as the Windmill and the Halo/RDL combo. Some verbal or written clues might have helped, but unfortunately Judd remains silent. You will have to rely on her demonstration for guidance.
That’s why I think this routine is best suited for people who are already familiar with these movements.
Why change your core training?
When most people think of core training, they probably think of mat-based exercises like crunches. These movements are popular for a reason, as they’re great for building strength and stability in muscles like the rectus abdominis (famous for creating a six-pack shape) and the deeper transversus abdominis. .
Getting down on the mat and doing some core training is beneficial, but you also rely on your abdominal muscles when you stand, walk, run, and lift. By training your core in a variety of postures and in all aspects of movement, you challenge your muscles in a functional way and build versatile strength and endurance.
buy adjustable dumbbells
Do you need equipment for this routine? The roundup below shows the best adjustable dumbbells we tested at the lowest prices.
