Read on to get a list of the 16 best core strengthening exercises you can perform at home with proper technique. You also can check out the core muscles you will target through the core strengthening exercises mentioned below. Continue reading.
What Is The Core? What Muscles Is The Core Made Of?
The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado School of Medicine defines the core as “the group of trunk muscles that surround the spine and abdominal viscera. Abdominal, gluteal, hip girdle, paraspinal, and other muscles work in concert to provide spinal stability.” (10) This means the core includes your belly region, upper back, lower back, hips, sides of the waist, and chest. Here’s the list of all the core muscles: Now, you know that to strengthen the core, you must target all the muscles mentioned above. Let’s get started with the exercises.
Top 16 Core Strengthening Exercises You Can Do At Home
Before any exercise session, you must warm-up. Here’s a 10-minute warm-up session you may follow.
Warm-Up (10 minutes)
Neck tilts – 1 set of 10 reps Head up and down – 1 set of 10 reps Neck rotations (do it slowly) – 1 set of 10 reps Shoulder rotations – 1 set of 10 reps Elbow rotations – 1 set of 10 reps Arm rotations – 1 set of 10 reps Waist rotations – 1 set of 10 reps Spot jogging – 1 min Side lunges – 1 set of 10 reps Calf raises – 1 set of 10 reps Ankle rotations – 1 set of 10 reps
Note: If you have lower back pain, start with the basic core exercise first. Do core activation, core with knee in and out, core with hip knee flexion, and then progress to below exercises that can help you get a strong core.
Core Exercises – 20 minutes
1. Flutter Kicks
Target – Glutes, hip flexors, lower abs, quads, and hamstrings. Sets And Reps – 2 sets of 15 reps Note: If you practice pilates, you can do a variation of this exercise where you lift both (or alternate) legs and touch the ground with the toes.
2. Seated Knee Tuck
Target – Upper, middle, and lower abs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, biceps, and triceps. Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 10 reps
3. Crunches
Target – Rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques, and pelvis. Sets And Reps – 2 sets of 15 reps If you are comfortable with this and looking to raise the difficulty level of your workout routine, you can try reverse crunches. Jessica Morales, a blogger, shares a personal fitness journey of completing 100 crunches daily for six months. She says, “After six months of consistent effort, I began noticing significant changes in my abdominal muscles (i).”
4. Bicycle Crunch
Target – Upper, mid, and lower abs, obliques, quads, and hamstrings. Sets And Reps – 2 sets of 15 reps You can try the pilates double leg stretch exercise to bring in some variation.
6. Vertical Leg Crunch
Target – Upper, mid, and lower abs, obliques, quads, hamstrings, rhomboids, lats, and deltoids. Sets And Reps – 2 sets of 15 reps Note: Hollow body hold is a difficult variation of this exercise where you have to lift your shoulder blades, arms, legs, and head off the floor at the same time and hold the position.
7. Leg Raises
Target – Glutes, lower abs, upper abs, hamstrings, and quads. Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 12 reps Note: The boat pose is a difficult variation of this exercise. To do this yoga pose, raise the legs at a 45° angle and lift the torso to form a “V” shape.
8. Plank
Target – Abs, glutes, quads, shoulders, hamstrings, and biceps. Sets And Reps – 2 planks of 30-60 seconds hold Once you are comfortable and have mastered the basic crunch, you can go for more advanced plank exercises for better core strength.
9. Plank Jacks
Target – Abs, glutes, adductors, abductors, calves, and hamstrings. Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 20 reps
10. Sprinter Plank
Target – Abs, glutes, adductors, abductors, calves, and hamstrings. Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 20 reps
11. Cat And Cow
After doing so many exercises in the plank pose, your back needs to be relaxed. The Cat and Cow Pose that is often practiced in yoga is the perfect exercise for that. Target – Relaxing the back muscles. Sets And Reps – 1 set of 10 reps
12. Jack Knife Crunch
Target – Lower abs, upper abs, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and lower back. Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 8 reps After doing the jack-knife crunch, you can try a difficult variation of this exercise known as V-ups to further improve your core strength.
13. Push-up
Target – Abs, chest, shoulders, and biceps. Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 8 reps Note: The bird dog exercise is a great way to raise the difficulty level of this basic push-up exercise. Raise the alternate hand and leg parallel to the ground and hold it for a few seconds.
14. Russian Twist
Target – Internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, traps, and spinal erectors. Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 15 reps One of the key benefits of seated Russian twists is that the exercise involves all core muscles and can improve your posture significantly. Note: If you want to try a variation and bring balance to your core try L-sits.
15. Inchworm
Target – Abs, lower back, deltoids, glutes, and biceps. Sets And Reps – 1 set of 3 reps Note: Rollouts is a variation of this exercise as it targets your abs and helps in toning.
16. Oblique Crunch
Target – Abdominal and oblique muscles Sets And Reps – 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps on each side Oblique exercises not only strengthen the core but also trim the waistline and improve posture and mobility. They are great exercises to support overall fitness. These are the 16 core strengthening exercises that you can do at home at your convenience. Make sure you stretch and cool down after finishing your workout session. Doing these exercises every other day can help you get the following benefits.
Benefits Of Core Strengthening Exercises
Is walking good for core strength? Walking is a good cardio exercise and will help burn calories. However, it is not the ideal workout for strengthening the core. How can I strengthen my core while sitting? You cannot strengthen your core by sitting. You have to activate your core muscles by doing exercises that target the core muscles. Does core strengthening help back pain? Yes, correct and supervised core exercises can help reduce back pain. For example, the dead bug exercise helps with lower back pain. However, make sure you talk to your doctor and make your trainer aware of your back pain. What is the appropriate repetition tempo for core-strength exercises? As a beginner, try 2 sets of 8 reps. Increase it to 3 sets of 8 reps. Later, 3 sets of 12 reps. The sets and reps also depend on the type of exercise you do. Why are core exercises so hard? Unlike the other body parts, the muscles around the abdomen are immovable. Hence, any movement of the hands or legs puts pressure on the core – making such exercises more challenging. What problems can a weak core cause? Weak core muscles can lead to poor posture and affect the sense of balance. Also, they can lead to lower back pain and weakness in general. How long does it take to strengthen a weak core? Research suggests that strengthening a weak core can take about 8 weeks. But once strong, your core can help improve your balance, increase endurance, and improve your running economy (11).
Illustration: Best Core Exercises To Improve Your Strength
Are you looking for an exciting fitness adventure designed for kids and teens? Check out the video below to discover a fun and engaging core strength workout that will help kids build a strong foundation to improve their overall fitness.
