Park the planks—a Pilates instructor says these five core exercises should replace your old routine in 2026

Popular core exercises like planks can be a valuable part of your routine. But Brittani Johnson, a certified Pilates instructor with BetterMe, says they may not train your abs effectively for everyday activity. Her five-move core workout solves that problem.

“Planks are solid for building endurance,” she notes. “These moves take it further. Instead of just holding still, your core has to stay stable while your body is moving.”

Her workout utilizes everything from balls, bands and even the wall to bring some variety to your core training. “Adding just one piece of equipment can not only provide that extra challenge, but it can also point out some of our individual imbalances,” says Johnson.

“With that awareness, you can put more focus on areas you may need to improve upon while actually working the core the way it needs to work in real life,” she adds. “That’s how you build a core that’s genuinely strong and protected, not just rigid from holding a position.”

How to do the five core exercises

You’ll need a mat, a Pilates ball, a loop band, and a section of bare wall for this workout.

Johnson recommends doing the exercises for three sets of eight to 10 reps. You can do the three sets of an exercise one after the other, or “for those who like variety and feel bored easily, I would recommend doing it as a circuit,” she says.

“[These exercises] could be done every day if someone wanted to, as they’re low impact and the abdominals are a small muscle group that recover quickly,” Johnson notes. “However, if you do all the reps and sets recommended, it's not really necessary to do any more than twice a week.”

The exercises are:

1. Wall tap
2. Suitcase crunch
3. Oblique crunch
4. Corkscrew
5. Three-point leg drop

1. Wall tap

Video: BetterMe

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side

• Get on your hands and knees facing a wall, with your hands directly under your shoulders.
• Engage your core.
• Step your feet back one at a time, extending your legs, so your body is in a straight line from head to heels.
• Lift your right arm off the floor and tap the wall in front of you, keeping the rest of your body as still as possible.
• Place your right hand back onto the mat.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Benefits: “This movement introduces a dynamic stability challenge that requires the core and shoulder stabilizers to prevent the hips from rotating as the base of support shifts,” says Johnson.

2. Suitcase crunch

Video: BetterMe

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, and your arms extended behind you.
• Engage your core.
• Lift your arms, head, shoulders and feet, bringing your knees and chest together, reaching your hands towards your feet.
• Reverse the movement to the start with control.

Benefits: “This synchronized movement integrates the upper and lower abdominal regions, demanding higher coordination and muscular compression than a traditional crunch,” says Johnson.

3. Oblique crunch

Video: BetterMe

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Place a Pilates ball between your knees.
• Engage your core.
• Drop your knees to the left, keeping your torso and shoulders on the mat.
• Place your fingers lightly on the back of your head.
• Squeeze your abs and lift your head and shoulders off the floor.
• Lower with control.
• Do all your reps on one side, then swap sides.

Benefits: “The addition of the ball squeeze engages the adductors and pelvic floor, which assists in stabilizing the pelvis while specifically targeting the internal and external obliques,” says Johnson.

4. Corkscrew

Video: BetterMe

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each direction

• Sit upright with your back about six inches away from a wall, and your legs extended in front of you on the mat.
• Place your hands on the floor by your sides.
• Engage your core.
• Lean back onto the wall.
• Lift your legs off the mat.
• Circle your legs in a clockwise motion.
• Reverse direction, circling your legs in a counterclockwise motion.
• Continue, alternating direction with each rep.

Benefits: “This rotational trajectory moves the core through multiple planes of motion, engaging the deep transverse abdominis and waistline stabilizers more effectively than linear leg raises,” says Johnson.

5. Three-point leg drop

Video: BetterMe

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10

• Place a loop resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees.
• Lie on your back with your legs extended and arms by your sides.
• Engage your core.
• Lift your legs as high as you can.
• Keeping your legs pressed out against the band, lower your legs to just above the floor in three distinct phases, pausing between each phase.
• Go straight into the next rep without letting your legs touch the floor.

Benefits: “By segmenting the descent, the exercise eliminates momentum and forces the lower abdominal wall to maintain intense isometric tension at various angles of resistance,” says Johnson.

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