10 Core Strengthening Exercises For Beginners To Try At Home
A strong core is key to overall fitness - it helps improve posture, stability, and balance while cutting down the risk of injury. Whether you're new to working out or just looking to level up your core strength at home, these beginner-friendly moves are a great place to start.
Planks and leg lifts are simple but super effective for hitting your abs, obliques, and lower back. Stick with them, and you’ll feel stronger and more confident in no time. So, here are 10 core strengthening exercises for beginners to try at home:
1. Abdominal Crunch
The rectus abdominis muscles, also referred to as the six-pack abs, are the focus of an abdominal crunch, making it a great core strengthening exercise. You must lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent. Then, you must raise your shoulders off the floor while maintaining a flat lower back.
By using the abdominal muscles, this exercise helps strengthen and define the core. Because of its accessibility and ability to effectively target the ab region, crunches are a popular workout for many.
Steps To Do:
- Place your feet on a wall while lying on your back, bending your hips and knees to a 90-degree angle.
- Make the muscles in your abdomen tight.
- Lift your shoulders and head off the ground.
- Instead of locking your arms behind your head, cross them on your chest to prevent straining your neck.
- Take three deep breaths and hold.
- Go back to the beginning and do it again.
2. Bridge
An excellent exercise to incorporate into your lower body training regimen is the bridge. Try a bridge, also known as a back bridge or a glute bridge, to increase the power of many core muscles at once.
To strengthen your glutes and improve your core stability, try this workout. This simple exercise addresses a variety of issues, including stiffness in the back, lower back pain, and inactivity in the glutes.
Steps To Do:
- Bend your knees and lie on your back.
- Maintain a neutral back posture that is neither arched nor driven into the ground.
- Avoid cocking your hips. Make the muscles in your abdomen tight.
- Lift your hips off the ground until they are parallel to your shoulders and knees.
- Take three deep breaths and hold.
- Go back to the starting position and do it again.
3. One Leg Abdominal Press
A basic yet powerful core exercise, the One-Leg Abdominal Press works the deep core muscles, enhances stability, and strengthens the lower abs. It's a fantastic choice for novices since it emphasizes controlled motions over speed.
Without the use of any equipment, this exercise includes pushing one leg against your hands while engaging your core to create resistance. It reduces lower back tension while promoting strength.
Steps To Do:
- Bend your knees and lie on your back.
- Maintain a neutral back posture that is neither arched nor driven into the ground.
- Do not tense your abdominal muscles or tilt your hips.
- Lift your right leg off the ground until your hip and knee are bent at 90 degrees.
- On your right knee, place your right hand.
- Using your core muscles, lift your leg toward your hand while pressing your palm into your knee.
- Hold for three deep breaths while maintaining a straight arm.
- Using your left hand and left knee, repeat from the beginning.
4. Plank
The plank is a strenuous exercise that strengthens your core muscles as they are a fantastic way to strengthen your core. When practicing a plank, you keep your body in a straight line with just your forearms and toes for support.
Among other muscle regions, this posture engages your abs to hold the position while also working the shoulders, glutes, and lower back.
Steps To Do:
- Start in the plank position with your toes and forearms on the floor, face down.
- Your elbows are precisely beneath your shoulders, and your forearms are facing forward.
- Your head should be comfortable and fixed on the floor.
- Use your abdominal muscles to pull your navel toward your spine.
- Maintain an erect and sturdy torso and a straight body from your ears to your toes, without bending or sagging.
- Hold this position for 10 seconds and drop to the floor.
- Increase the time until you reach thirty or sixty seconds.
5. Superman
The Superman workout is a simple yet powerful core-strengthening technique that works the abdominal, gluteal, and lower back muscles. It helps enhance posture and spinal stability while lowering the risk of lower back discomfort by simulating the superhero's flying pose.
By using your core and raising your limbs off the floor, you strengthen your entire body and engage important muscles that support your spine.
Steps To Do:
- Keep your head relaxed and your spine neutral by looking in front of you rather than up.
- To keep your spine stable, tighten your core muscles.
- Raise your arms and legs a few inches off the ground at the same time.
- Maintain a neutral head and neck position.
- Hold for three to five seconds at the peak.
- Repeat after carefully lowering yourself back to the beginning position.
6. Bicycle Crunches
A great core exercise that engages several muscle groups at once, such as the obliques and deep abdominal muscles, is the bicycle crunch. Its thorough involvement of the core, which enhances strength and definition, accounts for its appeal.
The bicycle crunch is a practical and accessible workout choice because it doesn't require any special equipment and can be done in almost any place. In addition to strengthening the core, this workout improves rotational stability and coordination.
Steps To Do:
- With your head and shoulders slightly up, lie flat on your back.
- Make sure your elbows are open and place your hands loosely behind your head.
- With your knees bent at a 90-degree angle, raise your legs to a tabletop posture.
- Extend your right leg at a 45-degree angle and twist your body such that your right elbow is close to your left knee.
- Switch sides, straightening your left leg while bringing your left elbow to meet your right knee.
- For the required number of repetitions, keep up the regulated pedaling action.
7. Russian Twists
The Russian twist is a vigorous workout that works your shoulders, obliques, and core. These important areas are strengthened by the circular action, which increases power and stability. Despite its apparent simplicity, it demands a great deal of inner control and involvement.
Athletes frequently use this exercise to increase their rotational power, which is helpful in a variety of sports. Maintaining correct form is essential to preventing injuries and maximizing its benefits. As your core strength increases, progressively increase the number of repetitions.
Steps To Do:
- Start by lying on your back with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle and your feet slightly off the ground.
- Hold a weight over your chest with both hands, like a dumbbell or medicine ball.
- Using your abs, raise your torso to a 45-degree angle with the floor.
- Rotate your body slightly to the right while keeping your arms straight and extended.
- After a moment, reverse the movement and twist to the left.
- Repeat the exercise alternately until you reach the desired number of repetitions.
8. Deadlift
A key component of any strength training program, the deadlift is a basic compound exercise that efficiently targets many muscles at the same time. The posterior chain, which includes the hamstrings, glutes, and back muscles, is the main muscle group that this exercise works.
In addition to gaining a lot of strength, deadlifts will help you develop better posture, functional movement patterns, and overall power.
Steps To Do:
- Place your feet beneath the barbell.
- Get a shoulder-width hold on the bar by bending over with hinged hips.
- Bring the bar close to your shins.
- Straighten your lower back and raise your chest.
- Breathe deeply, hold it, and lift the weight to stand.
9. Hanging Leg Raises
One of the greatest exercises for strengthening your complete core and focusing on your lower abs is the hanging leg raise. Also, this exercise strengthens the grip and forearms. A hanging leg raise may be done with very little equipment. A pull-up bar or other object to grasp and hang from is all you need.
When holding your equipment, you should utilize a pronated grip, which means your palms should be facing away from you. By engaging your lower abs before lifting your leg, you may maintain a neutral pelvis or a modest posterior tilt, which is essential for effective muscle activation.
Steps To Do:
- Start hanging by using an overhand grip on your pull-up bar or other equipment.
- By leaning your pelvis toward your ribs and using your glutes, you may activate your lower abs.
- Maintaining a hollowed stance and braced lower abs, slowly bring your legs nearer your chest.
- To go back to the bottom position, slowly drop your legs.
- Continue until the required number of repetitions is reached.
10. Dead Bug
The dead bug is an exercise that works the muscles in the abdomen and strengthens the core. You may complete the workout with just your body weight and no further equipment. The exercise has been appropriately termed "dead bug" since the position is similar to a bug on its back.
Steps To Do:
- Place yourself on your back with your legs at a 90-degree angle at the knees and your arms straight up toward the sky.
- Raise one leg straight and bring it down toward the floor until your heel is approximately an inch off the floor. At the same time, bring the other arm down until it is parallel to the floor.
- Return the lowered arm and straightened leg to their initial positions, with the knee bent at a 90-degree angle and the arm straight up.
- Repeat the same motion with the opposing arm and leg. Thus, if you dropped your left arm and right leg during the first repetition, you would now do the same with your left arm and leg.
- For as many repetitions as you like, continue switching between legs and arms in this fashion.
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