Ab Endurance: A Strong Core for 2025

As we head into December, it’s the perfect time to focus on one of the most essential areas of fitness: abdominal strength. Often overlooked in favor of more visible muscle groups, your core muscles play a critical role in overall body function, stability, and injury prevention.

A strong core supports good posture, helps with balance, and improves your ability to perform everyday activities, from lifting groceries to sitting at a desk. It also serves as the foundation for most exercises—whether you're lifting weights, running, or practicing yoga. When your abdominal muscles are strong, you create a more stable base for movement, reducing the risk of strains or other injuries.

With the New Year just around the corner, many of us start thinking about fitness resolutions. Whether you're aiming to improve your endurance, lose weight, or build strength, preparing your body with a solid core foundation is key to long-term success. Core exercises, such as planks, crunches, and bicycles, not only activate multiple muscle groups at once, but they also help increase your overall strength and endurance, making it easier to tackle more challenging workouts down the road.

December Monthly Challenge Instructions:

Track your total repetitions and/or total sessions for the core challenge over the course of the month and the different exercises you complete for variety. Bonus points awarded for consistency by hitting as many core challenge days each week (e.i. 2-4 sessions per week).

Beginner:

• Crunches: Perform standard crunches, aiming for a set number in one minute. Start with 20-30 reps and gradually build up.

• Dead Bugs: Lying on your back, position your legs into ‘table-top’ and reach your arms to the ceiling. Simultaneously lower one hand overhead to the ground and the opposite heel to the ground (bent or straight leg) while keeping the lower back pressed into the floor. Both sides are 1 rep.

Intermediate:

• Bicycle Crunches: Alternating chest-to-opposite knee crunches to engage the obliques. Count reps for 1 minute. Both sides are 1 rep.

• Plank with Knee Taps: Hold a plank position and tap each knee to the ground alternately, engaging the core throughout.

Advanced:

• V-Ups: A combination of a sit-up and leg raise, targeting the entire core. Perform as many as possible in one minute.

• Oblique Twists: Sit in a V-sit position, holding a weight or medicine ball, and twist side to side as quickly as possible for 1 minute. Both sides are 1 rep.