Core Snack
Core Snack is a two-to-three minute core routine from David Roche of SWAP Running1. The name is the whole idea: it is a snack, not a meal. Three movements, no equipment, short enough to repeat through the day rather than set aside as its own session. Roche built it for himself because he is, in his words, an athlete who otherwise defaults to doing no core work at all.
The 3 movements
All three are done on the floor, back to back, in about two to three minutes. Two of them are dynamic planks — the routine deliberately avoids holding a static plank.
- 25 half crunches. The goal is fully engaging the core rather than building it — this is about muscle recruitment, and you should feel a real burn by the last few.
- 15 to 20 pikes. A dynamic plank: from the plank position you use your core to move your hips up and down. It looks simple and it is not — there is eccentric load here, so expect to be sore the first time.
- 15 to 20 over-the-rainbows, counting each side separately (left is 1, right is 2). Another dynamic plank, this time using the core to stabilise while your hips move side to side.
What it's for
Two things, in Roche's own framing. The first is side stitches: some core strength helps, but he found that anything static — a pure plank — made his worse, which is why all three movements here move. He has not had a stitch since starting it. He also does a little daily core stretching alongside it, arms overhead and leaning back, to keep range of motion through the abdominal wall.
The second is keeping the trunk strong enough to transfer load during intervals. These are not power-generating muscles, but they matter for hip stability, and they are what holds your posture together when you are tired late in a run.
Be clear about the strength of the claim. Roche says this plainly himself: unlike his running and leg-strength guidance, the Core Snack is not built on a body of studies. It is what works for him and for athletes he coaches who struggle to do core work consistently. Treat it as a useful, cheap habit rather than a performance fix. For the honest picture of what core training does and does not do, read Core Work for Runners.
How often
Often, and briefly. Roche repeats it one to four times a day, fitted around other things — the point of it being short and equipment-free is that it does not need a slot of its own. Consistency across the week matters far more here than any single session, which is the opposite of how a heavier routine like Speed Legs works.
It leaves your legs alone, so unlike a lower-body strength routine it does not need to be kept away from your hard days.
Safety
This is general guidance, not individualized coaching. Ease into the pikes especially — the first session can leave you sore for days. Stop if anything causes pain rather than effort, and check with a doctor or physical therapist before starting something new, particularly with any back or abdominal issue, or if you are pregnant or postpartum.
Sources
One running guide a week.
Calm, useful, no spam. Plain-English coaching from the Runsense team, once a week.