Whether you’re in the gym or doing a home workout, targeting your core is key. Your abdominal, hip, gluteal, and lower back muscles are important for providing stability in a variety of activities. There are two types of exercises that benefit this area of the body: static and dynamic. Here’s what you should know about what these terms mean and how to incorporate them into your routine. 

What Static Core Exercises Are

Also called isometrics, these exercises strengthen your core while keeping the rest of your body stationary. Holding a pose is a type of resistance training that causes small contractions in the muscle that improve strength. This helps you focus your attention on the area, builds stability and stamina, and reduces the likelihood of straining or injury. These exercises can also help individuals with a limited range of movement due to injury or illness maintain their fitness level. Examples of static core movements include all varieties of planks, chair holds, and leg lifts. 

What Dynamic Core Exercises Are

Dynamic core exercises engage most or all parts of the body to reach your full range of movement. They work out multiple core muscles at the same time and may get your heart rate up to improve cardiovascular health. Examples of these core exercises include cable pulls, medicine ball drills, and squats. 

Why You Need Both

Cross-training — that is, practicing both static and dynamic core exercises — is the best way to achieve your goals, whether you’re looking to add muscle bulk or shed pounds. While isometric exercises don’t torch as many calories as dynamic ones, they boost lean muscle mass, which means you’ll be able to work harder and longer at dynamic movements or cardio activities. Even better, the more muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn at rest. Incorporate both styles into a single gym session, or focus on one type on alternating days. 

Whether you’re new to fitness or are trying to kick your workouts up a notch, visit Life & Elite Fitness in Snohomish, WA. This gym offers small and personally tailored classes, from intense, heart-pumping mixed martial arts to weight training. They even offer digital training programs that will help you stay on track. Learn more about their gym packages and pricing online, or call (206) 450-0964 to sign up.