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You might be used to hitting the floor to train your abs. But don’t think the floor is your only option. In fact, adding standing core exercises could be the ticket to a stronger, more efficient midsection.
While traditional exercises like sit-ups or crunches work your core muscles, they don’t teach your core to brace. “The purpose of the core is to help stabilize your thorax to the pelvis during movement,” says Jason Shaw, metabolic specialist and certified personal trainer at Life Time Burr Ridge in Illinois. Plus, traditional ab exercises like these can stress your hips and lower back.
So what should you do instead? Because those abdominals function primarily as stabilizers, some of the best core exercises are stability-focused fundamental movements, says strength and conditioning specialist
