Images
(10)-
Checking pulse over the carotid artery -
Assessing flexibility in the legs, hips and lower back -
Walking poles -
Proper walking technique - see all
Interactive Graphics
(1)-
Features of a walking shoe
Video
(40)-
Video: Step-up exercise
-
Video: Lunge exercise
-
Video: Squat exercise
-
Video: Abdominal crunch
- see all
Slide Shows
(8)-
Slide show: Golf stretches for a more fluid swing -
Slide show: Core exercises with a fitness ball -
Slide show: Alternative bicycles — See your options -
Slide show: Stretches you can do in your office - see all
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Slide show
Slide show: Core exercises
By Mayo Clinic staff
Core exercises build abs and other core muscles
Core exercises strengthen your core muscles, including abs, back and pelvis. Why bother with core exercises? Strong core muscles make it easier to do most physical activities.
You can do core exercises on a carpeted floor or mat. Breathe freely and deeply during each exercise. Focus on tightening your deepest abdominal muscle — the transversus abdominis — during each exercise. This is the muscle you feel contracting when you cough.
Repeat each of the following core exercises five times. Gradually build up to 10 to 15 repetitions as your strength improves.
Next slide- Laskowski ER (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 18, 2009.
- Krupa NL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 18, 2009.
- Akuthota V, et al. Core stability exercise principles. Current Sports Medicine Reports. 2008;7:39.
- Willardson JM. Core stability training: Applications to sports conditioning programs. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2007;21:979.
