Core Exercises That You Can Easily Do at Home

27 January 2025

Hello Ziddis! Haven’t we heard loads about core workouts and seen people do all sorts of exercises calling them core workouts? It is important to understand what is core before diving head straight into a menu of exercises. Your core is the powerhouse of your body. It helps you build strength, stability and better functioning. So it is natural that just donning 6 pack abs won’t be doing that for you. In this blog, we will try to make the most of the core by understanding it and making it a relevant part of our workouts.

Why Should You Do Core Exercises?

Core exercises have tons of benefits to add to your fitness goals. They are not just to look good but also to feel good. Here’s how:

Improve your body’s stability and balance: Since the core is connected to the upper and lower body and is in charge of maintaining balance and coordination in daily activities, building a stronger core leads to better stability and balance.
Improve your posture: A strong core supports your spine by reducing the risk of having a bad posture leading to slouching and back pain.
Reducing the risk of injury: Whether you are lifting weights or picking up groceries, a strong core helps you get stronger by supporting your body’s functional movements and minimizing the risk of injury.
Better athletic performance: A strong core is an athlete’s best asset. A strong core is essential in almost every sport be it cricket or swimming.
Functional fitness: Everyday movement like bending, lifting even standing can be made more efficient if you strengthen your core.

Some of the Best Core Exercises

If you are thinking about how to strengthen your core the right way, worry not. Check out the list of exercises and perform them to strengthen your core. These are the best core exercises:

1. Plank:

Get into a pushup position and hold your body straight.
Keep your core tight and hold for ideally 30-60 seconds in the same position
You can try variations like side planks, elevated planks or forearm planks.

2. Crunches:

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the ground
Lift your upper body towards your knees and feel your core getting engaged
Try not to strain your neck
Use upper body strength and not neck strength Repeat 10-20 times for starters.
You can try the variations through half crunches and bicycle crunches

3. Russian Twists:

Sit on the floor with knees bent and feet slightly hovered above the ground
Twist your torso from side to side You can add resistance to this by holding a weight

4. Leg Raises:

Lie flat on your back with your hands under your hips.
Lift both legs straight up and then lower them only without touching the floor.

5. Dead Bug:

Lie on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling.
Slowly lower your opposite arm and leg while keeping your core engaged.

6. Flutter Kicks:

Lie on your back with your legs extended.
Lift both legs slightly off the ground and alternate small, quick kicks.

You may have observed how most of these require you to either lie flat on the ground or parallel to it. This makes the exercise more effective at the target muscles which are your abdomen muscles.

Core Workouts at the Gym

When you are at the gym you have access to various equipment and weights that can help in strengthening your core. By using these facilities you can do a variety of core workouts at the gym such as:

Cable woodchoppers: Use the cable machine to perform Russian twists and target your obliques.
Ab Rows: Use the barbell to roll forward and back while engaging your core.
Hanging leg raises: Hang from a pull-up bar and lift your legs straight out or curl them towards your chest.

Core Workouts at Home

If you do not have access to the gym, no need to worry. Core workouts at home are just as effective. Here are a few you can try for a quick core workout at home session:

Plank series: Holding a plank for 30 seconds then resting for 10 seconds and transitioning into side planks with 10 seconds on each side.
Crunch circuit: You can practice 15 reps each of half crunches, full crunches bicycle crunches and reverse crunches to give your core the workout it needs.
Dynamic moves: You can have a circuit of movements like leg raises followed by flutter kicks and ending with the mountain climbers each in a set of 20 or 30 seconds

Always remember to warm up with stretches and cool down with yoga poses like cat and cow and child’s pose. For abdominal wellness, you could also try the happy baby pose.

How to Work Out Your Core During a Rest Day

Ideally, you should be resting on your rest day but if you want to stay active or do some slow and low-intensity activities you can engage in yoga or stretching for your core strength. If you have access to a swimming pool go for a swim since it is one of the best core exercises.

To supercharge your recovery and optimize muscle repair, consider adding creatine to your routine for better strength gains and Essential Amino Acids (EAA) to support muscle recovery.

Takeaway

Training your core may seem irrelevant but your body will thank you for what you put it through to make it fitter and more toned. Core workouts unlike other workouts do not get special mentions but they bring in some special features to your workouts and help you maximize their benefits like improving your strength for long-term body building or improving your endurance to help you with your HIIT workouts. Make sure to stick to the core and let your fitness talk for itself.

SOURCES:

https://www.healthline.com/health/best-core-exercises

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-best-core-exercises-for-older-adults

https://www.menshealth.com/uk/fitness/a34037742/best-core-exercises