Quick Core Workout

One of the primary obstacles I hear from my clients around regularity with their fitness efforts is having a lack of time. As a father of three kids, time is certainly a challenge for me. However, I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to spend hours working out to see results — you’ll reap benefits if you simply have an intentional plan that you’re consistent with.

I developed 30×30, the newest addition to Life Time’s suite of digital weight loss and training programming, complimentary for members, with this in mind. It features 30 workouts over 30 days, each around 30 minutes in length.

In the program, I have you focus on a different muscle group each day so that by the end of the week, you’ve worked your total body. To give you an idea of what the workouts are like, try this one you’d see as one of your core days.

Priming Set

Rounds: Two
Reps: 10

Workout

Rounds: Three
Reps: Eight

Quadruped Overhead Reach

• Place your hands and knees on a mat, forming a tabletop position.
• Shifting your weight to your hands, lift your knees off the ground while keeping your toes planted.
• As your knees hover the ground, slowly lift one arm straight up overhead, finishing when your bicep reaches your ear.
• Return your hand to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

Dead Bug + Hold

• Lay on your back. Lift your legs, bending to a 90-degree angle at your knees. Lift both arms straight up to the sky.
• Pressing your low back into the ground, simultaneously lower your right arm overhead and left leg down towards the ground. Hold for three seconds.
• Bring your right arm and left leg back to the starting position.
• Repeat on the opposite side with your left arm and right leg.

Dumbbell V-Sit

• Assume a seated position on a mat. Lean back about 45 degrees and lift your feet one to two inches off the ground, with your knees slightly bent.
• Keeping balanced on your tailbone, grab a light dumbbell in one hand.
• Pass the dumbbell to your other hand under your elevated legs.
• Continue to pass the dumbbell back and forth while maintaining balance and keeping your feet hovered over the ground.

Resistance Band Plank + One-Arm Row

• Place a resistance band around a low anchor point.
• From the ground, move back from the anchor until you feel tension in the band.
• Get into a low plank position, on your elbows with your feet wide and back straight.
• Grip the band handles with your right hand.
• Keeping your hips and chest square to the ground, pull the band into your body, driving your elbow back toward your hip.
• Repeat for reps.
• Once reps on that side are complete, switch to complete with your opposite hand.

Boat Pose + Hold

• Lay on your back.
• In one fluid motion, lift your knees towards your chest and your arms to the side of your legs, straight out from your shoulders, raising your upper and lower body off the ground.
• Balance on your tailbone and hold for three seconds.
• Return to the starting position. Repeat.

Resistance Band Pallof Press to Overhead Reach

• Place a resistance band around a waist-height anchor point.
• Face perpendicular from the anchor spot, grip the band handles with both hands, and walk out until you feel tension in the band.
• Keeping your shoulders down and arms straight, press the band away from your body.
• As you brace your core, lift your arms up overhead, keeping your arms straight.
• Bring your hands back down to the starting position. Repeat.

Cool Down

Rounds: Two to three
Time: One minute