Bodyweight core exercises are excellent for integrating ab workouts at home, in the gym, or while traveling. These no-gym equipment movements can help increase core strength and improve appearance to establish a defined physique.
Maintaining a strong core is essential for functional and athletic performance. Strengthening can enhance performance quality by boosting stability, balance, and coordination in jumping, walking, or sitting. Use these effective bodyweight core exercises to tone and strengthen your midsection.
10 Bodyweight Core Workouts
Use these bodyweight core exercises to tone your stomach and build abdominal strength.
- Plank.
- Glute bridge.
- Heel touch.
- Flutter kick.
- Mountain climber.
- Bicycle crunch.
- V-up.
- Hanging leg raise.
- Crunch.
- Russian twist.
Incorporate these effective exercises to target your core and improve strength and muscle tone.
10 Bodyweight Core Exercises
Adding bodyweight core exercises into your weekly routine can produce many desirable benefits. However, before we get into the benefits, let’s dive into these top ten bodyweight movements to strengthen the core.
Plank
The plank is one of the most popular bodyweight core exercises for all levels of lifters to improve their fitness. There are numerous plank variations to consider integrating into your sessions. They vary based on difficulty and what muscle groups they focus on. For example, the side plank increasingly targets the obliques.
Integrating planks into your training sessions can help reduce lower back pain, increase endurance, and build strength. It is an isometric exercise that does not utilize motion in the surrounding joints during muscle contraction.
In the traditional plank, core muscles like the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, and obliques are trained. Other muscle groups like the deltoids, glutes, pectorals, and latissimus dorsi are also engaged.
How To Do
- Locate a flat area to perform the plank.
- Begin in a tabletop position on hands and knees.
- Adjust your arms so that your forearms are on the floor and palms flat on the floor. Your fingers should be pointing in front of you.
- Move your legs back to lift your body off the ground.
- Hold the plank position for a predetermined time.
- Repeat for goal-driven sets and reps.
Tips
- Do not sag or rotate your hips while holding the plank. Engage the glutes and abdominals to maintain a straight back from head to heels to preserve form.
- Record the number of sets and time achieved in your planks. Have a goal of gradually increasing time every 1–2 weeks to promote continuous results.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 10–20 seconds |
| Hypertrophy | N/A due to low resistance levels | N/A |
| Endurance Training | 2–3 | 30–60 seconds |
| Power Training | N/A due to slow control speeds | N/A |
Glute Bridge
The glute bridge is a lower-body movement that specifically targets the gluteal muscles. Variations, like the barbell hip thrust, are more proactive for lifters to stimulate the muscles to improve physique and strength.
The single-leg bridge variation boasts the second-highest activation of gluteal muscles and the highest level of hamstring activation in this study. It is even beneficial for increasing core strength and hip stabilization, which can boost posterior strength, power, and stability. Integrating the glute bridge and its variations can encourage gains in functional and athletic performance.
How To Do
- Lie on your back on a flat surface with arms at your sides.
- Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart. This is your starting position.
- Inhale.
- Exhale and press through your feet to drive the hips up off the ground.
- Stop and pause when your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
- Inhale and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for goal-driven reps and sets.
Tips
- Do not push the hips up too far and arch the back. Aim to stop driving the hips up when the shoulders and knees create a diagonal line. Keeping proper form will deter placing excess strain on the lower back and hips.
- Avoid lifting the head or shoulders off the ground during the glute bridge. To maintain proper form, keep the head and shoulders on the ground. This will help prevent excess strain on the neck from holding it up.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 15–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Heel Touch
This bodyweight core exercise can be performed just about anywhere where there’s enough flat surface. Lifters have easy access to strengthening core muscles like the obliques and transverse abdominis with heel touches. Strengthening these muscles is critical for trunk stabilization to support balance, stability, and coordination in walking, sitting, running, and jumping.
How To Do
- Lie down on your back with arms at your sides.
- Bend your knees with feet flat on the ground about hip-width apart.
- Activate your core to lift your shoulders slightly off the ground. This is your starting position.
- Exhale and slowly shift your upper torso slightly to the left to reach your left hand to your left heel.
- Inhale and return to the starting position.
- Alternate to the right side. This is one repetition.
- Repeat for goal-driven reps and sets.
Tips
- Avoid using momentum to swing from side to side to reach the heels. This is considered cheating and takes away from desired muscle engagement, reducing the quality of results.
- Keep your lower back pressed down into the ground to prevent excessive arching, which can cause back pain.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 2–5 | 8–12 per side |
| Hypertrophy | 2–6 | 10–15 per side |
| Endurance Training | 2–4 | 15–20 per side |
| Power Training | 2–5 | 6–8 per side (Explosive) |
Flutter Kick
Flutter kicks are a bodyweight core exercise that has many benefits. For swimmers, flutter kicks can improve swim speed when performed in the water. The lifter’s endurance and strength are challenged by forcing them to preserve a raised leg position while producing movement. The exercise activates muscles like the rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis, quadriceps, and hip flexors.
Core exercises not only increase core strength but also help enhance back stability and strengthen pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor muscles are also responsible for stabilizing the core along with other important bodily functions. Strengthening the core with flutter kicks and other exercises can build a better foundation for supporting stability and protecting the body from injury.
How To Do
- Lie down on your back with your legs straight and arms at your sides.
- Inhale.
- Lift your feet off the ground, keeping your legs straight.
- Keep your lower back on the ground and core engaged to prevent arching.
- Exhale and kick your legs up and down. Alternate so that one leg is above the other and vice versa.
- Repeat for goal-driven sets and reps.
Tips
- Throughout this exercise, the lower back should be pressed to the floor to be considered proper form. This exercise cue is necessary for preventing stress placed on the lower back and to encourage proper core activation.
- Keep track of how long you can perform the flutter kicks. Start with 15–20 seconds and build up from there in small increments to increase intensity.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–4 | 10–15 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 20–30 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 3-5 (Explosive) |
Mountain Climber
Mountain climbers are one of the more active bodyweight core exercises. It also functions as a cardio exercise, getting the blood pumping by increasing the heart rate. In the movement, the obliques, glutes, deltoids, and other muscle groups are engaged.
For lifters wanting to improve core strength and burn more calories, mountain climbers are a quality consideration. They don’t require any equipment and can be done just about anywhere with enough room for holding a plank position. As a low-impact exercise, it can benefit lifters who suffer from joint pain to improve their cardiovascular and core fitness.
How To Do
- Begin in a high plank position on hands and feet. Ensure your hands are underneath your shoulders and your feet are hip-width apart. This is your starting position.
- Maintain a straight back and engaged core throughout to preserve form.
- Inhale.
- Exhale and drive your right knee toward your right elbow.
- Return to the starting position.
- Alternate sides. Drive the left knee to the left elbow.
- Return to the starting position. This is one repetition.
- Repeat for goal-driven reps and sets.
Tips
- Use the visual cue of pulling your belly button to your spine to encourage greater core activation in mountain climbers.
- Focus on rhythm and fluid movement in the mountain climbers while also prioritizing core engagement. If you’re establishing leg movement without focusing on engaging the core, this detracts from the desired activation.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 30–60 seconds |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 30–60 seconds |
| Endurance Training | 2–3 | 60+ seconds |
| Power Training | 3–4 | 30–60 seconds |
Bicycle Crunch
Bicycle crunches are a core-focused exercise that integrates leg movement and a raised body position to encourage greater activation. It stimulates muscles like the hip flexors, transverse abdominis, obliques, and rectus abdominis to maintain position and move.
Performing bicycle crunches is productive for strengthening the core to prevent or reduce lower back pain. Improving core strength is also beneficial for supporting trunk stabilization needed for lifting weights and good posture.
How To Do
- Begin on your back on the floor with your legs straight.
- Clasp your hands behind your head for support.
- Contract your abs to lift your shoulders slightly off the ground. This is your starting position.
- Draw your right knee towards your chest. Simultaneously twist your torso to touch the left elbow to your right knee.
- Keep the non-working leg straight.
- Return to the starting position.
- Alternate sides. This is one repetition.
- Repeat for goal-driven sets and reps.
Tips
- Keep the lower back pressed into the floor throughout the bicycle crunches. Maintaining this form cue will encourage greater abdominal engagement and prevent lower back strain.
- To make this exercise more challenging, lift the non-working leg off the ground to increase core engagement.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 2–5 | 6–8 per side |
| Hypertrophy | 2–6 | 10–12 per side |
| Endurance Training | 2–4 | 15–20 per side |
| Power Training | 2–5 | 4–6 per side (Explosive) |
V-Up
V-ups are a phenomenal bodyweight exercise for strengthening the core muscles. Also known as the jackknife sit-up, it integrates muscles like the erector spinae, obliques, rectus abdominis, and hip flexors.
The v-up does not require any gym equipment, only enough space to execute the movement. If the V-up is too challenging for you, consider a regression like the single-leg V-up. The lifter will keep the non-working leg on the ground and only lift the working leg. It requires the lifter to crunch the torso to touch the right hand to the left foot and vice versa.
How To Do
- Lie on your back with your legs straight.
- Raise your arms above your head. This is your starting position.
- Inhale.
- Exhale and simultaneously lift your legs and arms off the ground.
- Touch your hands to your toes.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat for goal-driven reps and sets.
Tips
- Focus on mind-to-muscle connection during the V-ups to prioritize the use of the abdominal muscles to establish movement. This will help prevent the use of the neck and shoulders to execute the movement pattern.
- Refrain from using momentum to lift the arms and legs into the V-up. Instead, practice slow and intentional movement to encourage greater muscle activation and results.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–4 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 15–20+ |
| Power Training | 3–4 | 1–5 (Explosive) |
Hanging Leg Raise
The hanging leg raise is a more advanced bodyweight core exercise best suited for intermediate to advanced lifters. Lifters are required to be able to hold onto a bar while executing the hanging leg raise movement pattern. In the exercise, the glutes, obliques, rectus abdominis, hip flexors, and more muscle groups are activated.
Adding the hanging leg raise to your workouts will actively target the rectus abdominis and external obliques, helping strengthen them. Preserving strength in the core is critical for deterring lower back disorders and aiding performance in occupational and athletic activities.
How To Do
- Find an available pull-up bar at your gym or assemble a mounted one in your home.
- Stand underneath the bar.
- Use a box or bench to reach the bar.
- Grip the bar in an overhand grip.
- Move off the bench, allowing the arms to straighten and the body to hang. This is your starting position.
- Inhale.
- Exhale and lift the legs in front of you until they are parallel to the floor.
- Pause.
- Inhale and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for goal-driven sets and reps.
Tips
- Avoid swaying or swinging, as this can detract from desired muscle activation. Activate the glutes and abdominal muscles to keep the body tight and controlled.
- Refrain from using momentum to drive the legs up during repetitions, as this is considered cheating. Prioritize slow and controlled movement to increase muscle engagement.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 5 | 5 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 15+ |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 3–5 (Explosive) |
Crunch
The crunch is one of the most widely known abdominal exercises in the fitness world. All levels of lifters, beginner to advanced, utilize the crunch and its variations to strengthen their core muscles. Even though it is a free-weight exercise, it can positively impact core strength and produce improvements in stability and balance.
Lifters can integrate the crunch into their gym sessions, at the park, or even while lying in bed. It requires no equipment and little space to perform, giving individuals easy access to improvements in health and fitness. To increase the intensity of this exercise, grab a weight at the gym or a large textbook at home.
How To Do
- Lie down on your back with arms at your sides.
- Bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor.
- Cup the back of your head for neck support. This is your starting position.
- Inhale.
- Exhale and use the abs to lift the shoulders off the ground to crunch to the knees.
- Pause at the top.
- Inhale and return to the starting position.
- Repeat for goal-driven reps and sets.
Tips
- Another tip for increasing the intensity of the crunch is to not relax on the floor at the bottom of the movement. Do not let the shoulders touch the ground. This will help preserve tension in the muscles.
- Do not use the shoulders or neck to lift the torso off the ground in the crunch. Emphasize the use of the abdominal muscles to produce and control movement.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 3–5 (Weighted) |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 3–5 (Weighted) (Explosive) |
Russian Twist
The Russian twist is probably one of the more well-known oblique exercises used to strengthen this specific abdominal muscle. Muscle groups like the rectus abdominis, erector spinae, and hip flexors are also stimulated to improve strength.
As a bodyweight core exercise, Russian twists can improve athletic performance by boosting energy distribution through the legs and arms. The study references energy and how it affects athletic performance based on the quality of energy transfer. Exercises like the Russian twist can improve energy distribution from bigger to smaller body parts. This enhances athletic performance and decreases injury risk.
How To Do
- Sit on a flat space on the ground.
- Bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor.
- Grasp your hands together, holding them in front of your chest.
- Lean back slightly while keeping your feet flat on the floor. This is your starting position.
- Inhale, rotating the torso to the left.
- Touch your hands to the ground by your hip or as close as possible.
- Exhale and return to the starting position.
- Switch sides. This is one repetition.
- Repeat for goal-driven reps and sets.
Tips
- Focus on specifically using the core muscles to establish movement and preserve body position in the Russian twist. Emphasizing mind-to-muscle connection will aid muscle engagement, helping improve training results.
- Avoid twisting too far while executing the Russian twist. Moving too far risks hyperextension of the back and potential injury.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 6–10 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–15 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 15–30+ |
| Power Training | 3–4 | 5–8 (Explosive) |
Best Bodyweight Core Workout Routine
Having now gone over the top bodyweight core exercises, it’s time to get started with your training routine. This sample bodyweight core workout routine emphasizes a hypertrophy-focused set and rep scheme.
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanging Leg Raise | 3–4 sets | 8–12 reps | 30–90 seconds |
| Mountain Climber | 3–4 sets | 8–12 reps | 30–90 seconds |
| V-Up | 3–4 sets | 8–12 reps | 30–90 seconds |
| Russian Twist | 3–4 sets | 8–12 reps | 30–90 seconds |
| Plank | 3–4 sets | 8–12 reps | 30–90 seconds |
Anatomy Of The Core
The primary muscle groups in the core are the abdominals, obliques, and erector spinae. These muscle groups work together to stabilize the trunk and support numerous movements to protect the back from injury.
There are numerous abdominal muscles like the obliques, rectus abdominis, and transverse abdominis. The obliques are situated above the ribcage on the sides of the abdomen and are categorized as external or internal. They are vital for stabilizing and protecting the spine. This is necessary for preventing injury, and enabling lateral bending and rotational movements.
The rectus abdominis is categorized between upper and lower, the upper portion known for creating the famous six-pack. This muscle is responsible for moving the spinal column and, when strong and functional, can deter posture-related disorders. Exercises like the crunch are effective at activating the upper and lower rectus abdominis.
The transverse abdominis is another important abdominal muscle that, when strengthened, can reduce low back pain. It is the deepest of the abdominal muscles, situated beneath the obliques and rectus abdominis.
The erector spinae consists of a group of muscles that run along the spine, including the iliocostalis, spinalis, and longissimus. They are responsible for supporting and stabilizing any spinal movement, like rotating and extending the back.
Upper Rectus Abdominis
Muscles located just below the lower chest and above the lower abdominals. Between your ribs and pubic bone.
Lower Rectus Abdominis
Muscles located below your upper abs and above your public bone between your ribs.
Obliques
Muscles located on the sides of your rectus abdominals. Runs on the sides of your trunk.
Erector Spinae
Muscles that span the entire length of your spine on either side.
Benefits Of Bodyweight Core Exercises
Integrating bodyweight core exercises into your workouts can promote various health and fitness benefits. From improving posture and increasing core strength to decreasing lower back pain, find out more about the associated benefits below.
Improves Posture
Poor posture is correlated with many pain-associated issues in the hips, back, and neck. Some examples of poor posture include slouching, hunched shoulders, and forward neck posture. Although there are varying causes of poor posture, like weak posture muscles, sometimes the environment plays a role, too.
Prioritizing exercises that contribute to strengthening posture-related muscles, like the core, can have a positive impact on posture. With increased strength, the muscles can better support posture in activities like sitting, walking, and standing. Strong posture muscles can help pull back rounded shoulders or return the spine to a neutral position to avoid slouching.
Reduces Lower Back Pain
Low back pain affects more than 619 million people worldwide as the leading cause of disability. There are ways to combat low back pain, including increasing core muscular strength.
A strong core can execute its designed functions, such as stabilizing the spine to prevent strain or injury. Bodyweight core exercises are excellent for improving core strength so that the body can enhance spine stability and posture.
Improves Core Strength
Core strength has a significant impact on the quality of our daily lives and performance. A healthy and strong core can better support the spine during functional and athletic activities like walking or jumping. On the opposite spectrum, a weak core is unable to provide proper stability to the spine, affecting balance and coordination.
Bodyweight core exercises target muscle groups in the core, like the erector spinae and transverse abdominis, improving strength. The core muscles can better support spine stability for movements like bending, sitting, and turning. Altogether, this can stabilize the spine to deter back pain that is associated with a weak core.
Expert Training Tips
If you want to optimize your training success, you need to consider these expert training tips. Using these informational tips can reduce the risk of injury and enhance workout progress in your fitness journey:
- Increase Intensity: In bodyweight exercises, there are methods you can use to increase intensity. One of the most common ones is to increase the time under tension (TUT) and optimize muscle growth.
- Consider Progressions: If you find the traditional plank is too easy for your current fitness level, consider moving up to a progression. Adding movement patterns like lifting a hand overhead during the plank can improve coordination and balance while increasing intensity. Consider progressions like the Copenhagen or bird dog planks.
- Training Frequency: To maximize results, aim to train the core 2–4 times a week with bodyweight core exercises. These core training sessions can be split into shorter workouts with 2–3 exercises at the end of your strength training.
Conclusion
Bodyweight core exercises can make a significant impact on your health and fitness. Strengthening the core can improve posture, reduce back pain, prevent injury, and enhance functional and athletic performance. All of these benefits can have a prominent impression on your quality of life.
Use these bodyweight exercises or this calisthenics ab workout to increase your core strength and tone your abdomen. Achieve your health, fitness, and physique goals with these easy-to-access exercises.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bodyweight core exercises are proactive at engaging and stimulating core muscles like the transverse abdominis. The quality of form, workout intensity, and training consistency can affect the value of results.
Building abs with bodyweight exercises is possible, though certain factors can affect results. Consistency, diet, form, and intensity can determine the quality of training progress.
A 20-minute core workout is acceptable with appropriate movements and programming. Focusing on quality over quantity is always more important, even in exercise.
Like every muscle in the body, the core will need time to rest and recuperate after training. Give the muscles at least twenty-four hours after training to repair before exercising again.
Resources
Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.
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About the Author
Kaelyn Buzzo, PT Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach
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