I used to have a waist under 30 but two years ago it started to increase and touched 32, the biggest i have had, so i started the core training spending 15 minutes daily doing different core exercises with increasing level of difficulty, and after six weeks i am back to 28 and regained the six pack. If anyone interested, could share the exercise routine,
By far the most important core exercise is the plank.
others:
The body saw
hollow body rock/dead body rock/pendulum
the jack knife sit up
high boat to low boat - also called in and out
half kneeling wood chop with dumbbell (not cable) and it?s opposite golfers swing
panther shoulder tap (a variation of superman)
Dead bug
Lying side bend with dumbell (i support my wt on wrist, not elbows)
Leg raise (hanging version)
the wheel barrow
rock climbers
skating windmills (fast and explosive)
these are not easy exercises but really work up your core in relatively short time.
i had a low carb diet with lots of fluids, nothing special
I will do the plank every day and then pick up three more from the list covering upper, lower and side obliques and do three minutes non stop of each exercise with one min break in between, and gradually reduce the break time. By the end of six weeks you should be able to do five exercises non stop back to back each taking three minutes and total 15 minutes
How many sets of plank did you do and how long did you hold the plank position ?
You said the most important exercise is the plank, will doing only the plank help?
I can hold the plank position for around 60-80 seconds.
Hold the plank for as long as you can do. I could do for three minutes but i have been doing them for long time. I think the trick is intensity, doing different exercises with progressively lesser and lesser rest period in between till you can manage to do multiple exercises for 15 min daily one after other.