Core Exercises

Trunk training splits into two jobs. Flexion movements — crunches, cable crunches, hanging leg raises — shorten the distance between ribs and hips and train the rectus abdominis directly. Anti-movement work — planks, dead bugs, Pallof presses, side planks — trains the same muscles plus the obliques to resist being bent or twisted, which is what they actually do while you squat, press and carry a load.

Both belong in a week: one weighted flexion exercise, one anti-rotation or anti-extension hold, 8–15 sets in total. The abs respond to load like any other muscle, so once 20 crunches or a two-minute plank is easy, add weight or a harder leverage rather than more reps. Move slowly, and keep the lower back down during leg raises — swinging the legs turns it into a hip-flexor exercise. Visible abs are a matter of body fat, not of set count.