Stop Doing Boring Crunches. Try These Core Moves With Your Stroller!

Stop doing those boring crunches! These are some of my favorite CORE exercises that you can do with your little one in the stroller. Remember your core is not just your abs, these exercises work the whole lumbo – pelvix – hip region.

Complete 10-15 reps of each exercise is a circuit then run through the circuit 2-3 times. Scroll down to find the video under the descriptions.

Core Roll Out

1. Hold the stroller with both hands out in front of you and kneel on a mat. Knees hip width apart.
2. Slowly roll the stroller straight forward, stretching your body into a straight position. Tip: Go down as far as you can towards a straight position.  The goal is a straight line from your arms to your knees but only go a far as you can and still be able to pull yourself back up. Breathe in during this portion of the movement.
3. After a pause at the stretched position, start pulling yourself back to the starting position as you breathe out. Tip: Go slowly and keep your abs tucked in tight at all times.

Hamstring Curl

1. Begin on the floor laying on your back with your feet on the front of the stroller.
2. Raise your hips off of the ground, keeping your weight on the shoulder blades and your feet.
3. Extend your legs out straight.  This will be your starting position.
4. Flex the knees, pulling the ball as close to you as you can, contracting the hamstrings.
5. After a brief pause, return to the starting position.

Bird Dog Crunch

1. Begin on all fours, hands below shoulders, knees below hips, and tighten your abdominal muscles, keeping your spine and neck in a neutral position; you should be looking down at the ground between your hands.
2. Slowly extend your left leg behind you while reaching your right arm forward to grab onto the stroller. Keep your hips and shoulders square and make sure your lower back doesn’t arch. This will be your starting position.
3. Pull the stroller in towards the middle of your body and bring your extended knee into meet your elbow.  After a brief pause, return to the starting position.
4. Complete a set number of repetition before repeating on the other side.

Bird Dog Crunch (lateral)

1. Begin on all fours, hands below shoulders, knees below hips, and tighten your abdominal muscles, keeping your spine and neck in a neutral position; you should be looking down at the ground between your hands.
2. Slowly extend your left leg behind you while reaching your right arm forward to grab onto the stroller. Keep your hips and shoulders square and make sure your lower back doesn’t arch. This will be your starting position.
3. Pull the stroller in towards your right shoulder, flexing your elbow out to the side of your body.  At the same time extend your left leg out to the side. After a brief pause, return to the starting position.
4. Complete a set number of repetition before repeating on the other side.

Plank Walk

Throughout the movement be sure to brace the abdominals and squeeze the glutes! Start in a plank position with both feet up on the front of your stroller in the plank position.  Your body should be in one straight line from your feet to the top of your head.

There are a couple of options here:

1. You can hold here for 30s. This is an advanced move, this is a good place to start.
2. You can walk back and forth – performing a set number of “strikes” per hand. Say, 10 strikes per hand forward, then 10 strikes per hand backwards which would equate to one repetition.
3. Go for a pre-determined distance – 10/20 yards, for instance.

Depending on your stroller I might be easier to put your feet up on the back (in the bottom basket) instead of front.  Do what works best for your stroller.