At 70, Carrie Sisson says she’s stronger than ever.
‘I’m having the time of my life at 70, and a lot of it is because I’ve always been inspired to get stronger with age – not more fragile,’ the strength trainee and founder of training platform The Carrie Code wrote on Instagram.
She says her strength today is the result of consistent workout habits she started implementing nearly 40 years ago.
‘I would say I really started taking strength training seriously in my 30s, but still didn’t fully understand why it mattered,’ she admitted in another post. However, she now recognises its lasting impact.
‘Every time you train, you are really building stronger bones, muscle you hold onto instead of lose and a body that keeps up with you as the years pass,’ she explained.
‘You can be the friend who can still get down on the floor…and pop back up without help, who carries her own bags through the airport, who says yes to the hike.’
For anyone who wants to put Sisson’s approach to the test, she recently shared the four deep core exercises she’s using this summer to build a stronger midsection.
‘After one month of doing them consistently you’ll find that they’ve gotten so much easier,’ she said in the caption of her Instagram post.
4 deep core exercises Carrie Sisson swears by1. Swiss ball seesaws 
Do 10 reps
- Set up in a high plank, resting your forearms on a stability ball and your elbows directly underneath your shoulders. Keep your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Brace your core and squeeze your glutes to keep your hips level.
- Use your forearms to roll the ball forward as far as you can without letting your lower back drop.
- Pause briefly at the furthest point you can control.
- Roll the ball backwards underneath you, slightly beyond the starting point, pausing again at the furthest point you can control.
- Slowly return back to the starting position, keeping your hips level.
2. Banded high plank leg raises 
Do 20 reps on each side
- Set up in a high plank, with shoulders over wrists and your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Loop one end of a resistance band around one foot and keep hold of the other end under the opposite-side hand.
- Brace your core and squeeze your glutes. Raise your banded leg until it reaches about hip height, keeping your knee straight and hips level. Avoid arching your back.
- Pause at the top of the movement, then lower your leg back to the starting plank position with control.
3. Slider knee tucks 
Do 15 reps
- Set up in a high plank, with shoulders over wrists and your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Place a slider under each ball of your foot.
- Engage your core and keep your hips as level as possible.
- Pull your knees towards your chest by sliding your feet towards you.
- Pause at the top of the movement, bracing your core.
- Slide your feet back to the starting plank position with control.
4. Swiss ball crunches 
Perform to failure
- Sit on a Swiss ball with your feet hip-width apart and knees bent at 90.
- Walk your feet forward until your lower and mid back are supported by the ball.
- Place your hands lightly behind your head.
- Engage your core and curl your shoulders and upper back up, avoiding pulling on your neck. Keep your chin tucked, look at the ceiling and keep your feet firmly planted on the floor.
- Pause briefly at the top while squeezing your abdominal muscles.
- Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position in a controlled manner.
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