Steel Mace Dead Bug
To perform the steel mace dead bug, you will want to think about a couple of things. The first being that your hands always stay above your shoulders, because of the offset load the mace will want to drift away from you. As you alternate extending your legs away from your body, you will want to drive your lower back into the floor and draw your belly button towards your spine. Don’t forget to switch sides so that you can stay even from left to right!
Battlerope Clock Drops
To perform a the battlerope clock drop, you will need to first find the perfect spot to put your hands on the rope. The reason this exercise will trump regular Russian twists is because you have 2 lines of tension. The first being your hands pulling on the rope, and the second being your legs falling away from you. Making sure that your hands stay above your shoulders on the rope, you will slowly let your legs fall to your side. The idea is like “ringing out the towel” except the towel is your obliques and abs. Use the rope to help pull your legs back up and repeat!
Kettlebell Windmill
Kettlebell windmills are the best replacement for side crunches. You will get into a half kneeling position. Position the kettlebell above your head. Your goal will be to try and get your opposite hand to the floor. You may only be able to start with finger tips, but the ultimate goal would be to go down all the way to the elbow. Make sure your butt stays tight through the whole range of motion as well. No shifting of the hips please!
Club Stir The Pot
Probably the hardest move to perform due to the amount of body awareness required. In this movement you have to understand that your hips and shoulders can move independently of each other. You will want to lock in your hips by squeezing your butt as hard as you can. Rotate the shoulders as far as you can so you can feel the obliques firing off. Once the abs are engaged you will extend the club away from your body and rotate in the opposite direction as far as you can (without rotating the hips). Then pull the club in. Repeat in the opposite direction.
Side plank with a Thread The Needle
The goal with this movement is to maximize the distance your hand travels. Set up into a side plank position with your elbow underneath your shoulder and your butt tight. You can always go to your knees if the side plank is too difficult. Once in this position you will use your other arm to reach between your elbow and hips as far as you can. Once the max distance is found, then reach the arm up to the sky as high as you can. Remain in control of the movement the whole time.
These are my top 5 favorite unconventional core exercises. Remember, while performing these movements, your core needs to stay engaged. Keep the ribcage down, and tailbone tucked between your legs. The movements can be very easily butchered if you go too fast, so make sure that you remain in control through the entire range of motion. Try a week free on us so that we can show you how to improve your quality of life using unconventional training!