Core Exercises - Body Weight & Equipment Options

What are Core Exercises?

Core exercises train the group of muscles around your trunk and pelvis to work in harmony. This includes the abdominal muscles, lower back muscles, hips, and pelvis muscles. These muscles stabilise your spine and pelvis, forming the foundation for all movement.

Importance and Benefits of Core Exercises & Strength

1. Improved Balance and Stability: A strong core helps maintain steadiness in daily activities and sports by stabilizing the spine and pelvis.
2. Enhanced Athletic Performance: Core strength increases power, explosiveness, and efficient force transfer between the upper and lower body.
3. Injury Prevention: A stable core reduces strain on the spine and joints, lowering the risk of injuries in the back, hips, knees, and shoulders.
4. Better Posture: Supports spinal alignment and reduces postural issues.
5. Improved Functional Movements: Makes everyday movements like lifting, bending, twisting, and reaching easier and safer.
6. Boosted Agility and Movement Efficiency: Strong core muscles optimize movement economy.
7. Supports Breath Control and Endurance: Helps maintain posture during intense efforts.

Ten Best Core Exercises: 

Core training targets the complex of muscles around the trunk and pelvis responsible for stabilising the spine during movement and maintaining posture. In technical terms, the "core" involves muscles that provide restraint and force closure to the lumbar spine, pelvis, and hip regions, contributing to both static stability and dynamic performance.

Core Muscle Anatomy and Function

The core muscles include:

Anterior Group: Rectus abdominis (spinal flexion), external and internal obliques (rotation, lateral flexion), transverse abdominis (deep stabilizer)

Posterior Group: Erector spinae (spinal extension), multifidus, quadratus lumborum, deep intrinsic spinal muscles

Lateral Group: Glute medius, adductors (hip stabilization), diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles

These muscles operate in concert through isometric (stabilising) and dynamic (concentric/eccentric) contractions to control spinal alignment, resist external perturbations, and efficiently transfer forces across the kinetic chain.

Core Training Phases

Stabilization: Predominantly isometric holds that train the ability to maintain neutral spine under load. Example: plank.

Strength: Dynamic exercises involving spinal flexion, extension, rotation, and lateral flexion with controlled range and force.

Power: Explosive core movements integrating fast, forceful muscle actions, often in rotational contexts.

1. Plank

Muscles Used

• Rectus abdominis
• Transverse abdominis
• External and internal obliques
• Erector spinae
• Gluteal muscles
• Pelvic floor

How to Perform

1. Initiate a prone iso-abs with forearms on the floor and elbows beneath shoulders.
2. Maintain a rigid, straight line from head to heels.
3. Engage the transverse abdominis by drawing the navel toward the spine.
4. Avoid sagging hips or spinal hyperextension.

Progression: Increase hold duration or add limb lifts.

2. Side Plank

Muscles Used

• Obliques (primarily external)
• Transverse abdominis
• Gluteus medius and minimus

How to Perform

1. Support body on one forearm and lateral foot edge.
2. Maintain alignment of head, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles.
3. Engage lateral stabilizers to resist lateral flexion.
4. Hold 15–60 seconds per side.

3. Bridge (Glute Bridge / Hip Thrust)

Muscles Used

• Gluteus maximus
• Hamstrings
• Erector spinae
• Rectus abdominis (stabilization)

How to Perform

1. Lie supine with knees bent and feet flat.
2. Contract glutes and lift hips until torso and thighs form a horizontal line.
3. Maintain neutral pelvic tilt, avoid lumbar hyperextension.
4. Lower hips under control.

4. Bird-Dog

Muscles Used

• Multifidus and erector spinae (lumbar extensors)
• Gluteus maximus
• Rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis

How to Perform

1. Begin quadruped position, hands under shoulders, knees under hips.
2. Extend one arm anteriorly and opposite leg posteriorly.
3. Maintain neutral spine without rotation.
4. Pause and return; perform contralateral side.

5. Dead Bug

Muscles Used

• Transverse abdominis
• Rectus abdominis
• Hip flexors (iliopsoas)

How to Perform

1. Lie supine with hips and knees flexed to 90°.
2. Lower alternate arm and leg toward the floor, maintaining lumbar spine pressed to the ground.
3. Avoid lumbar arching.

6. Russian Twist

Muscles Used

• Internal and external obliques
• Rectus abdominis

How to Perform

1. Sit with torso reclined 45°, knees bent, feet elevated if possible.
2. Using core rotation, twist torso side to side with controlled movement.
3. Can hold weight for increased resistance.

7. Mountain Climbers

Muscles Used

• Rectus abdominis
• Hip flexors
• Obliques

How to Perform

• Start in a push-up/plank position.
• Alternately drive knees toward chest at a rapid but controlled pace.
• Maintain tight core with minimal pelvic sway.

8. Hanging Leg Raise

Muscles Used

• Rectus abdominis (lower portion)
• Iliopsoas (hip flexors)

How to Perform

• Hang from a pull-up bar with arms extended.
• Raise legs by flexing hips while keeping legs straight or bent.
• Lower legs slowly maintaining control.

9. Cable Woodchopper

Muscles Used

• Obliques
• Transverse abdominis
• Rectus abdominis
• Erector spinae (stabilizing)

How to Perform

1. Using a cable machine, grip handle with both hands with pulley set overhead or low.
2. Pull cable diagonally down and across body with controlled trunk rotation.
3. Maintain braced core and upright posture.

10. Sit-Ups / Crunches

Muscles Used

• Rectus abdominis
• Obliques (with twist)

How to Perform

1. Lie supine, knees bent.
2. Curl torso upward by contracting abs, pausing at peak contraction.
3. Lower slowly with control avoiding neck strain.

Biomechanical Considerations of Core Exercises

• Core exercises train both stabilisation (isometric control) and dynamic movement patterns involving concentric and eccentric muscle actions.
• Progressive core training includes addressing anti-rotational strength, resisting flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotational forces.
• Proper breathing (diaphragmatic) enhances intra-abdominal pressure, contributing to spinal stability.
• Maintaining neutral spine alignment during exercises ensures safety and efficacy.

Programming Guidelines for Core Exercises

• Frequency: 2–3 times per week with 1 day rest between sessions.
• Volume: Start with 1–3 sets of 10–15 reps or holds of 20–60 seconds. Adjust based on progression level.
• Progressions: Increase duration, resistance, range of motion, or incorporate unstable surfaces.

The ten core exercises above comprehensively engage the core muscle groups crucial for spinal stability, posture, functional movement, and athletic performance. A balanced program involves isometric holds, dynamic range of motion exercises, and rotational as well as anti-rotational training to fully develop the core from a biomechanical and functional perspective.