CORE 

Since your core literally holds your body together,  a strong core is essential to your health and well-being.  Strengthening your core will benefit your lower back, obliques (sides) and your life.  

A caveat to doing core exercise if you have lower back injuries or pain; please contact a physician before proceeding with these exercises.  Limit your range of motion as well by, for example, only crunching so your shoulders and maybe your upper back is off the floor. 

Crunch
The basic core exercise is a crunch, often called a situp.  The form is shown to the left.  Start lying flat on the floor with knees bent and feet preferably flat on the floor. The kettlebell is held over the core and you then  situp.  Although maybe not so simple!

Cautions

• As mentioned above, full crunches put a lot of stress on your lower back.  If you have back issues, limit your range of motion to what you can do without pain.  For example just lift your shoulders off the floor or just the upper back or just come part way up to sitting.
• DO NOT "thunk" your back into the the mat - come off the mat and return to the mat with a gradual motion, rolling your spine into and off the mat.  You spine is an amazing structure, don't hurt it with shocks!

If you want more

• Hold the kettlebell over the head when you sit up.  Hold it steady so you don't use momentum to do the crunch.
• Add a twist.
• Hold the feet up.

If you want less

• Just come partway up, for example just lift the shoulders or possibly the upper back off the mat. 

Reverse crunch + modifications
I love doing reverse crunches and the modfications shown in the pictures to the left.  
Start by lying flat on your back, lower back should be pressed into the mat, knees up, kettlebell over your core. 
Contract your abs and pull the knees in to the kettlebell.  You can also add a second movement of pushing the feet to the ceiling.  Feel that deep core engage!
As shown in the pictures you can also do a chest press with two hands (shown) or with one hand (not shown) for increased focus on the stabilizers. 
​
The final progression for reverse crunches is wide legs.  Do the reverse crunch with the kettlebell press but take the legs wide, like you are doing an inverted jumping jack, as you crunch in - OH YEAH!
​Cautions

• Even more pressure on the lower back so use caution if you have lower back issues.

If you want more

• The wide leg crunch is an interesting challenge to take the legs wide and balance on your upper back. 

If you want less

• Just crunch in rather than also pressing the feet towards the ceiling.  

Bicycles
Bicycles provide the opportunity to get a little aerobic exercise while exercising the core.  The pictures show a bicycle with a kettlebell bottoms-up. You can hold the kettlebell over you abs or chest and pump the legs or, as shown, extend the kettlebell over the hip of the leg that is out for more.
 
​For the bicycles, keep the pace up - a minimum of 100 "pedal" strokes per minute.  Adding the kettlebell extension over the leg that is out is much slower but a lot harder. 

​Cautions

• Pump the leg as low to the floor as possible - my leg is parallel with the floor in the pictures.  If you can't  hold the legs that low, pump the legs further off the floor but work towards the goal of dropping the leg parallel to the floor. 
• If you push the kettlebell out over the extended leg, be aware of your back.  With a heavy kettlebell, my back and upper body have a strong tendency to come off the floor.  As long as it is flat, your form is OK but make sure you are lowering it gently so it doesn't "thunk" into the floor. 

If you want more

• Extending the kettlebell over of the leg that is out is an interesting challenge.  

If you want less

• Slow down the bicycle
• Don't use the kettlebell.  

V-sits
Typically the last exercise before cool-down is a kettlebell core twist or a kettlebell V-sit, also called a Russian twist. 
Simply sit up, legs extended and twist side-to-side with the kettlebell bottoms up as shown in the pictures. 
THEN, the fun begins - lift the feet off the floor and keep twisting in the V-sit.  
Reps are usually 16 for the twist and 32 (16 each side) for the V-sit.  I want you to feel the obliques when you are done!
​Cautions

• All caveats on lower back apply

If you want more

• Try to keep your knees pressed tightly together.  They have a strong tendency to drift apart during the V-sit 

If you want less

• Leave the feet on the floor.