Can’t do a plank? A Pilates instructor shares three beginner-friendly alternatives that still build core strength

Planks are often seen as the gold standard for building core strength, but they’re not the only way to do it.

Jenny White, Pilates instructor and founder of The Kai Life, says there are other options that still train stability and control.

“There are many reasons why someone can’t do a plank, including being a beginner and not having built up the core strength yet, being postpartum, or having limitations like an upper-body injury or sensitivity in the lower back,” she says.

Give the moves below a try. Practiced consistently, they can help you build core strength just as effectively as a plank.

1. Dead bug

Reps: 10-15

• Lie on your back, with your knees raised and bent to 90°.
• Extend your arms up over your chest.
• Engage your core to gently press your lower back into the floor.
• Slowly extend one leg forward, keeping it just above the floor, and lower the opposite arm behind your head.
• If your lower back rises off the floor, stop lowering your leg just before your back lifts.
• Return to start with control and then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

How it helps: “Dead bug allows you to build true core stability without holding your full body weight [as you would in a plank],” White says. “It teaches control before requiring load.”

2. Glute bridge march

Reps: 5-6 each side

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Press your feet into the floor and lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees.
• Keeping your core engaged, lift one foot off the floor, bringing your knee toward your chest.
• Place your foot back on the floor, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

How it helps: While this might feel like a glute-focused move, it integrates your core and teaches anti-rotation stability.

3. Supine heel slide

Reps: 8-10 each side

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Engage your core to keep your pelvis steady.
• Slowly slide one heel forward along the floor until your leg is almost straight.
• Pause, then slide it back in with control.
• Repeat on the other side.

How it helps: “This movement strengthens the deep core—especially the transverse abdominis—without putting pressure on your wrists, shoulders or lower back,” White explains.

“It teaches you how to stabilize your spine, which is exactly what a plank demands, just in a more accessible position.”