Monday was the last day of this edition of The Core Is The Core 30 Day Challenge. What is this challenge you ask? It’s my response to the many other “core” challenges out there that tend to be all about the abs. Not that there’s anything wrong with abs. But there’s more to the core than abs. Lots more. But I’ll stop ranting in honour of those of you who’ve read my rants on this before. For those who are still curious what The Core Is The Core is about, you can read all about it here, and maybe even sign up for the next edition (Starting November 1st).
Now for the results!
A huge congratulations and shout out to the 9 people who completed at least 28 days of daily core exercises and thus get added to the Winner’s Circle. I’ve included first or nickname (if that’s what was given) or first name and initial only (if full name was given) as I don’t know for sure if they want to be identified by full name on the interweb. But hopefully they and their friends know who they are:
- Zuweina
- Tom M
- Swatty
- Suzanne M
- Sara
- MarieDee
- Madeleine
- Julian H
- Jocelyn H
Why is it in reverse alphabetical order? Call it the will of the person whose last name starts with a V. My blog; my list order. 🙂
Well done folks! Seriously – that’s impressive! Those of you reading this who haven’t tried might think this is an easy challenge, but we actually had 60 registrations, so we’re talking a 15% completion rate. It’s not a hard challenge in the sense that it doesn’t take long each day, but it turns out consistency is tough!
Each time I hope more and more people will complete it, but honestly I’m still happy for those of you who start but don’t finish as I recognize it’s not a simple task. Certainly those who get 15 or more days in – that’s awesome. That means you’re contributing 15 days toward a stronger, healthier core. So great!
I like to peak at the submissions to see what exercises get done the most. If you were wondering, here is the top 3 in each category:
Anterior core (aka for the six pack):
- Plank
- Curl Up
- Dead bugs
Lateral/rotary core (aka your sides):
- Side plank
- Bird dogs
- Shoulder taps
Posterior core (aka your butt):
- Glute bridge
- Single-leg glute bridge
- Deadlift
Core Plus (aka exercises that aren’t usually classified as core but really require a lot of core):
- Push-ups
- Squats
- Split Squats
Wondering what these exercises are? Google is probably the fastest way to find out, or you can sign up for the next The Core Is The Core 30 day challenge and learn by receiving our daily core exercise email.
Elsbeth Vaino, BSc., CSCS, FMS is a personal trainer in Ottawa who enjoys spreading the word about the value of training the whole core; not just the abs. If you live in Ottawa and are looking for a trainer, give her some consideration.