Stop doing 100s of sit-ups to build strong, stable abs. McGill curl-ups are elite, and here's how to do them

A woman in gym kit lying on a yoga mat.

It's been a few years since I added a regular core practice to my training routine, and I've never looked back. For example, Pilates has built my core muscles to be the strongest, most stable, and most enduring they've ever been, compared with heavy weightlifting, yoga and CrossFit.

One of the best core exercises that really blasts my deeper core muscles is the McGill curl-up, which is a modified curl-up you might see featured in Pilates or other abs workouts. This looks simple, but it protects your lower back while targeting the deep stabilizer muscles in your core. Read on to learn more.