5 Leg Exercises That Also Work Your Core

One of the best ways to build up the core muscles qucikly is to find ways to incorporate them into your regular exercise routine.

For example: You can use your glutes in lower body exercises to target your midsection. That way, you will not just blast your glutes but also work your abs and obliques. If you do not want to be sore the next morning, plan for an active recovery day between leg days.

Here are a few lower body exercises to target the abs and obliques. When you do them, don't be surprised if your core is sore the next morning.

Goblet Squat & 4 Other Leg Exercises for Powerful Core

Incorporate these five simple moves into your other exercise routine to work on your abs:

1) Goblet Squat

Goblet squats are a great lower body exercise that targets the quadriceps and glutes while also working the core.

To make the move more challenging, hold the weight on just one side of the body — now you need to stabilize yourself even more.

How to do it:

To do this exercise, you will need a kettlebell, bench and some space to move around.
Start by standing shoulder-width apart with your toes slightly out.
Sink backward, and spread your knees apart as you descend below parallel.
Maintain a flat lower back as you drive through your heels at the bottom of the movement.

2) Barbell Overhead Squat

If you can’t do a squat, or if you have shoulder problems, poor upper body mobility, or are worried about holding weight overhead, try the overhead squat.

It’s a total body exercise that strengthens everything from the arms and shoulders to the glutes and hips. The core keeps everything aligned, stable, and balanced.

The squat is performed by holding a barbell at shoulder width and squatting to the floor. Proceed as follows:

Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, and point your toes at 30 degrees.
Squat down till your knees are below your hips, which will place them in line with the ankles.
Stand up, and repeat as many times as possible while maintaining perfect form.

3) Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

Romanian deadlifts are great for building strength in the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.

However, when you do them one-legged, they can also help you develop stronger glutes and core. That’s because the stabilizing muscles will have to work overtime to keep the trunk from twisting as you bend over on one leg.

How to do it:

Start with a lighter weight, focusing on form rather than going for heavy weight.
Rest a dumbbell across the back of one leg, and keep your knee bent as you lean forward, driving your hips back and pulling the leg behind you.
Raise back up, and squeeze at the top of the movement.

4) Box Squat

It may look simple but is a tough exercise to do. To do it, lower yourself down, and rise up, but use your core muscles to ensure you don't fall over.

For this exercise, you need a bench or box about knee height. Proceed as follows:

Start by facing away from the bench. Lift one leg, and sit back onto the bench.
Lift one leg off the floor, keeping the other leg on.
To make the exercise harder, lower the bench, or use dumbbells in each hand.

5) Bulgarian Split Squat

Bulgarian split squats are often used to build quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings, but they can be helpful for core building as well.

To do the exercise:

Start by placing your back foot against either a bench or another elevated surface and leaning your torso slightly forward.
Slowly bend your knees, bringing your back knee closer to the floor; pause there for a moment.
Drive through your heel back up and to the starting position.

Do Leg Workouts Help with Core?

When you do leg exercises, the core gets stronger. Stronger core helps you balance better, which prevents falls. It also help you move better and feel more confident, as you know that if you have to move fast or change directions suddenly, you will be able to do it without falling.

During this move, your legs and hips are in motion, which helps increase hip strength and flexibility. Your low back is involved too, which strengthens the entire core area.

Takeaway

For many, upper body workouts may be more enjoyable than lower body ones, but don’t let that stop you from trying the aforementioned leg exercises. That’s because the glutes and hams provide a big boost to the core.

While the exercises might not feel like they work the abs and obliques directly, they will get a workout just by trying to maintain your balance. So if you want to get great results fast, remember to do the aforementioned lower body exercises the next time you hit the gym.