Having a strong core can positively impact your life, making everyday tasks feel easier and improving your athletic performance.
Targeting specific areas of the core, like the lower back and glutes, can even help with posture, balance and stability, according to Abbie Watkins, a qualified fitness trainer at OriGym.
Watkins has shared her seven favorite core exercises that strengthen these areas, with a step-by-step guide on how to master each move.
Add one or two of these to your usual workout routine or try doing three to four of the exercises as a standalone core-focused session.
1. Plank
Sets: 3 Time: 30sec or longer
How to do it:
- Start on your hands and knees.
- Place your forearms on the floor, with your elbows under your shoulders, and step your feet back so that your body is in a straight line.
- Hold this position as long as you can without your hips sagging.
According to Watkins, holding a plank helps you build stability across your entire core.
“It’s especially good for improving postural support, which can help reduce back discomfort,” she adds.
2. Bicycle crunch
Sets: 3 Time: 30sec
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with your hands behind your head and your legs raised, knees bent at 90°.
- Bring your right knee toward your chest while twisting your left elbow to meet it and extending your left leg.
- Bring your left knee toward your chest while twisting your right elbow to meet it and extending your right leg.
- Continue, keeping your core engaged throughout.
This crunch variation will target the obliques, located on the side of your torso.
“Strengthening the obliques contributes to better pelvic and lower back stability,” says Watkins.
3. Russian twist
Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12
How to do it:
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Engage your core, and lean your torso back and raise your feet just off the floor.
- Keeping your core engaged, twist your torso to the right and touch the floor to the right of your hips.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Continue, alternating sides with each rep.
- Hold a weight, like a dumbbell or kettlebell, to increase the difficulty, or place your feet on the floor to make it easier..
This is another exercise targeting the obliques on the side of your abdomen.
Watkins says that it can also improve rotational strength, making it easier to reach up and over your body, for example, when stowing flight luggage.
4. Leg raise
Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with your legs straight and your arms resting by your sides.
- Engage your core and slowly lift your legs until vertical, or as close as your mobility allows.
- Pause, then lower slowly with control until just above the floor.
- Keep your abs engaged throughout the movement and your lower back pressed into the mat. If the move is too difficult, try bending your knees.
This move targets your lower abdominal muscles, according to Watkins, counteracting weakness in the area that can contribute to poor posture and a pelvic tilt.
5. Squat
Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and core engaged, feet pointing out slightly.
- Bend your knees and push your buttocks back as if sitting into a chair.
- Lower into the squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor or lower, keeping your knees aligned over your toes.
- Hold the position for three seconds, then rise back up while squeezing your glutes.
This is a fundamental movement pattern that most of us do daily, so practicing it and adding load can help us develop functional strength.
“Squats are particularly effective because they activate the glutes and pelvic floor, which support both posture and everyday functional movements,” says Watkins.
6. Side plank
Sets: 3 Time: 30sec each side
How to do it:
- Lie on your side with one leg stacked on top of the other.
- Place your elbow under your shoulder, then lift your hips off the floor so your body forms a straight line.
- Hold while engaging your obliques, then repeat on the other side.
This is another move targeting your obliques, but it also engages muscles around your hips, such as your glutes. Strengthening these areas can help protect the spine and improve pelvic stability.
7. Glute bridge
Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Press through your heels to lift your hips, squeezing your glutes and engaging your core.
- Hold briefly, then lower slowly to the floor.
This is primarily a glute move, targeting the large muscles in your buttocks, but it will also recruit muscles in your lower back and pelvic floor.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.