Hate crunches? These four dumbbell moves strengthen your deep core muscles without having to get on the floor

When you hear the words core workout, you may feel a chill run down your spine at the thought of endless variations on abdominal crunches. Trust me, I get it.

Sometimes, for me, it’s less about the crunches and more about my reluctance to get down on a gym floor covered in other people’s footprints and who knows what else.

In these cases, unless I see someone approaching with a mop, I choose standing exercises instead.

Thankfully, there are a lot of exercises you can do to target your core using just a set of dumbbells. What’s more, you’ll hit a range of other muscle groups in the process.

The following deep core workout was designed by NASM-certified personal trainer Joe Ghafari, who runs LGBTQ+ fitness retreats with Visiting Wrld.

Give it a try, and let me know in the comments how it goes.

1. Dumbbell squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, resting dumbbells on your shoulders with your elbows pointing forwards.
• Brace your core.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Push through your heels to stand back up.
• Squeeze your glutes, then begin the next rep.

Muscles targeted: Quads, glutes, hamstrings and the transverse abdominis.

“Dumbbell squats are arguably one of the best core exercises in existence,” says Ghafari. “The weight is trying to pull your torso forward, so your deep core and lower back muscles must fire rapidly to keep your spine aligned and upright.”

2. Dumbbell hammer curl to shoulder press

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing.
• Keeping your upper arms close to your torso, bend your elbows to lift the weights to your shoulders.
• Pause briefly, then press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are fully extended.
• Slowly reverse the movements back to the start, keeping your body as still as possible.

Muscles targeted: Biceps, anterior and lateral deltoids and rectus abdominis.

“Pressing weight overhead shifts your center of gravity,” says Ghafari. “Your core has to act as a rigid pillar to prevent your lower back from arching.

“This exercise teaches your abdominals how to stabilize your spine under a vertical load.”

3. Dumbbell front raise and Y raise

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

How to do it:

• Stand holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing you.
• Keeping your arms straight, raise the dumbbells in front of you to shoulder height, then lower them slowly.
• For the next rep, raise the dumbbells outward at a 45° angle, then lower them slowly. That’s one rep.
• Alternate between the front raise and the Y raise.

Muscles targeted: Anterior deltoids, lower traps and core stabilizers.

“As you move the weights further away from your body, the leverage changes, and the weight tries to pull you off balance,” says Ghafari.

“Your core has to fight hard to prevent your torso from swaying backward, making this a stealthy anti-extension core drill.”

4. Dumbbell side bend

Sets: 3 Reps: 12-15 each side

How to do it:

• Stand holding a relatively heavy dumbbell in your right hand, with your left fingers lightly touching your left temple.
• Keeping your chest up and shoulders square, bend to the right from your waist, sliding the dumbbell down your leg.
• Ensure you don’t lean forward or backward.
• Use the left side of your core to pull your torso back to the starting, upright position.
• Complete all the reps on one side, then switch sides.

Muscles targeted: Internal and external obliques, quadratus lumborum.

“This exercise directly targets the spine’s lateral stabilizers,” says Ghafari.

“Having strong obliques isn’t just about aesthetics; it prevents lateral shear forces on your spine during everyday activities and lifts.”