Can I Work My Core Every Day?

If you're determined to tighten and tone your midsection, you might be wondering if you can do a daily core workout. Your core includes muscles around your hips, abdominals and lower back, so it makes sense that you want this area to be strong.

In order to reduce back pain, improve balance and maintain proper flexion, extension and rotation you need to include core exercises in your overall fitness routine 2.

Knowing that a strong foundation is key, the next step is to determine how many days of training are needed to elicit change, which leads to one question: Can doing daily core exercises help these powerful muscles perform at the top of their game?

Tips

If you're exercising on a regular basis, there's a good chance you're already engaging your core. That's because your core is involved in most, if not all, of the movements you're doing. But doing a focused core workout every day might not be necessary and may even lead to overtraining.

Should You Do Daily Core Exercises?

Your core muscles can handle a lot of training, but as with any other muscle group, they need rest. This means, if you're doing focused core work, such as:

• [planks
  
• plank jacks](https://www.livestrong.com/article/500440-what-does-the-plank-exercise-benefit/)
  
• crunches
  
• hip rotations
  
• it's a good idea to take a day off between workouts
  
• especially if you have sore abs

They get tired and sore just as your legs do after an intense squat session.

How Often Should You Train Your Core?

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The good news is, if you're doing compound strength-training movements such as:

• squats
  
• deadlifts
  
• overhead lifts or heavy carries or participating in fitness activities that require a lot of rotation
  
• flexion of the trunk
  
• you are already training your core

However, including three or more days of dedicated core exercises can help improve performance and reduce injuries.

Examples of Core Exercises

• Front planks
  
• Side planks
  
• Plank jacks
  
• Single-leg hip bridge
  
• Plank with leg raise
  
• Glute bridge
  
• Dead bug
  
• Bird dog
  :