For every part of our training that we love, there’s always one we’re much less enthused about. They’re the exercises we tend to make excuses about skipping because we’re “too tired” or we promise that we’ll “do them tomorrow instead”. It might be biceps, leg press or cardio for you. For me, it’s abs.

I’ve been strength training for long enough to know, deep down, how important a strong core. And yet, as I come to the end of a great lifting session, the last thing I want to do is head over to the mats to do crunches and mountain climbers.

It’s not that I don’t want to build a stronger core, it’s just that ab exercises get repetitive and are, well, boring in comparison to my other training. Plus, they don’t give me that satisfying DOMS that comes after a heavy leg day, just a dull ache in my stomach for the next few days.

But it’s time I got real: training your core really is essential, not just for everyday activities, but also for weightlifting.