When Jess Sims, NASM-certified personal trainer, plans out classes to teach, she puts herself in the shoes (and mind) of the Peloton members. “I really try to think about what will set the member up for success,” she told POPSUGAR during a previous interview. She leads a variety of Peloton workouts including strength, cardio, tread, bike boot camp, and outdoor running classes.
Sims is a proponent of consistency and believing that you’re tough (because you are!). And she’s convinced that everyone is an athlete in their own right. She preaches giving your all even if you only have a short amount of time — her Flash 15 workouts are intense, to say the least — and when it comes to strengthening your core, she has a pair of go-to exercises: plank pull-through and dead bug.
The plank pull-through is one of Sims’s favorites because it is an antirotation move (you’re trying not to move your core as you pull a weight under and across your body). Antirotation, she said, is functional. “When you are bending over to pick something up, that’s antirotation. So [plank pull-through] also helps to prevent injury and really gets the transverse abdominis really deep inside.”
Dead bug also works your deep core. Sims admitted that some people might think dead bug is boring, but “it’s so good for you.” The key, she noted, is drawing your rib cage in instead of flaring your ribs outward. “Otherwise, we start to feel pain in our lower back,” she said.
Ahead, check out how to do each move, and try them during your next workout. They are all about control and will leave you quaking in your core!