Stir the Pot Exercise for Core Strength, Spinal Stability and Athletic Control Basic planks can be useful, but eventually many active adults need a greater challenge. The stir-the-pot exercise is an advanced core-stability drill performed with the forearms on a stability ball. Instead of holding completely still, you make controlled circles with the arms while the trunk resists movement. That combination increases the demand on the abdominal muscles, shoulders, hips, and spin

You may be able to hold a regular plank—but can your core keep you stable when your body is loaded from one side? That is where the side plank becomes especially valuable. Running, golfing, skiing, cycling, lifting, and field sports rarely challenge your body in a perfectly symmetrical position. One leg accepts your weight. Your torso rotates. Your arms and legs generate force in different directions. Your core must keep your spine and pelvis controlled through all of it. Sid