Crunches may be good for sculpting your six-pack muscles, but if you’re looking to build well-rounded core strength that’s going to help you move better, make daily tasks easier, lift heavier and reduce your chances of injury, they’re not the one. This standing core workout, however, will tick these boxes; all you’ll need is a light to moderate dumbbell or kettlebell (a heavy water bottle will also do the trick) and 15 minutes on the clock.
If you are someone who's been blasting out endless crunches, don’t worry, they’re not a terrible exercise – they’re great for your external abdominal muscles. However, they don’t hit those deeper internal abdominal muscles, or the muscles in the lower back and pelvis, which also make up your core muscles, helping to stabilise and support the body. Standing core exercises, however, require you to move the joints through a greater range of motion, challenging your balance and stability more, thus firing up your entire core.
