4 strength-building core workouts

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Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• How to work out with bands and chains

• Workouts to firm up your core

• An update on strength legend Bill Kazmaier

Training

Rock the Bands

Bands and chains may have been exotic additions to the gym 30 years ago, but in the modern world, they should be as familiar to you as any Nautilus machine.

If these two dear friends still feel like distant relatives who only show up at your grandmother’s house when the booze is flowing, it’s time to mend fences. These eight exercises make excellent use of chains or bands and can exponentially increase the number of movements you can do during a workout. 

Hooking one or the other to a barbell creates something called “accommodating resistance,” one of Louie Simmons’ pet phrases. You can also really leverage the power of the bands by using the near-ubiquitous pull-apart to create balance in your upper body (or you can wrap a band around your knees to improve your squat technique.) 

Chains and bands are among the most powerful tools you have access to in your training arsenal, but you have to know how to use them.

A Message From Velites

Pack Your Bags, You're Heading to Miami

It's exactly 17°F outside, and you're already over it.

Well, why not grab a friend and your bathing suit and head down to Miami Beach, where it's going to be ☀️ with a high of 67°F and watch some of the top athletes throw down at the Wodapalooza Fitness Festival?

Oh, and you're in luck because Velites is picking five lucky winners who will get a free ticket for themselves and a friend.

How to enter:

1. Follow @velitessport on Instagram

2. Enter your email address

*Winners will be announced on January 20.

Workouts

The Core Result

Everyone knows how important core training is, but (and be honest here), do you typically devote entire workouts to it? Push/pull/legs splits refuse to list it on any of the title pages, and even most body-part splits place core as a sort of afterthought.

Since core work is vital for overall strength and health, the dedicated workouts below should absolutely be the newest addition to your total-body training plan.

Just like lifting weights can help you improve your on-field sports performance, adding our strength-focused core workout to your routine can help with your other lifts, like squats and deadlifts. You can also opt for our simplified bodyweight core workout if you don’t have access to all of that fancy gym equipment. 

You’ve got goals; we’ve got options. Click below to find the core workout that’s right for you.

News

Bill Kazmaier Health Update

Whether you’ve been influenced by strongman, powerlifting, pro wrestling, Mr. Incredible’s jawline, or are just in awe of legendary strength athletes, Bill Kazmaier has probably touched your life in some way.

One of the few men who can legitimately be called “the strongest to ever live,” Kaz (as he is sometimes known) has spent his life in and around strength sports. But after a serious health incident, Kazmaier remains hospitalized in the Philippines and will need immediate life-saving heart surgery.

Bill’s son has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for the emergency medical care for the three-time WSM champion. Kaz, as always, is a beacon of positivity, but help is seriously needed to provide the medical care he needs. The link below will take you directly to the crowdfunding site so you can get more information.

Everything Else

An Opening in Albany

• Get ready to open the top of the limo full of your most attractive friends and shout out, “Hello, New York!” as CrossFit moves the 2025 Games to the capital city of Albany.

• Dive deep into the weeds of shoulder training by reading up on everything to do with lateral raises.

• Decide which popular form of bulking is right for you: the “gorge yourself” dirty bulk or the “maintain diet” clean bulk.