Despite how it seems, keeping your exercise routine consistent and simple is still the best way to get results in the long term, and the same goes for strengthening your core. After all, a sustainable routine is a successful routine.
I reached out to Nick Higgins, a yoga teacher and co-founder of Hotpod Yoga, who wholeheartedly agrees. “I like to keep things simple and consistent through the week,” he says. “For my abs, boat pose is my go-to…For glutes, I love bridge pose.” Two yoga postures that are known for their strengthening benefits and ability to improve posture and ease back pain.
Here’s how to do both poses, and the benefits according to a yoga teacher.
What are the exercises?
Here are the two yoga moves Higgins recommends for beginners.
1. Boat pose
“It fires up the core and really connects breath and focus,” Higgins says. The boat works your deep stabilizing core muscles, and depending on the variation you try, can also strengthen your hips and legs.
For a more difficult variation, extend your legs and point your toes. For extra support, place your hands on the mat next to your hips.
- Sit on your mat with your knees bent and feet flat on your mat
- Lengthen through your spine, keeping your back straight without hunching
- Slightly lean back and engage your core muscles. Draw your shoulders down away from your ears
- Lift your legs away from the mat into a tabletop position at 90 degrees
- Extend your arms alongside your legs
- Hold and breathe.
2. Bridge pose
“For glutes, I love bridge pose,” says Higgins. “It strengthens the whole back body while opening the hips and chest.” The key to bridge pose is to squeeze your butt as you hold the position while driving through your feet.
Don’t allow your knees to flare outwards or cave inwards; keep them over your heels and try to form a straight line from knees to shoulders, tucking your chin toward you as you do.
- Lie on your back on your mat with your entire spine supported
- Bend your knees and place both feet on the mat, hip-width apart
- Rest your arms by your sides
- Engage your core, then slowly lift your hips toward the sky as you peel your back away from the mat
- Squeeze your glutes at the top
- Press through your heels, draw your knees forward and lightly press into the mat with your hands
- Hold
- Slowly lower your hips to the mat, starting from the top of your spine and finishing with your butt.
How often should you do the exercises?
“I’ll usually move through both a few times a week, often in the heat, which helps the muscles switch on and makes the whole thing feel more meditative than mechanical,” Higgins says. But don’t worry if you don’t have access to a hot yoga studio, as you can easily do these at home on your mat without heat.
You could perform a few rounds, holding each for several breaths at a time. Alternatively, hold for a set time, such as 30 seconds, then rest and repeat for several rounds.
Yoga is just as much about using your breath as it is about movement. Inhale and exhale through your nose, using expansive breaths rather than restricting them to your chest. This will improve core engagement and ensure you are using your diaphragm properly; breathwork also improves posture.
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