10 Easy Core Strengthening Exercises for Beginners

Do you want to improve your core strength but don’t know where to start? Not to worry!

Strengthening your core can be achieved with just 10 basic exercises for beginners at home.

With focused effort, these simple yet effective core exercises will help you increase your stability and strength while improving your physical performance.

Strengthening your core is also important for a healthier body and a more active lifestyle.

Whether you are new to fitness or are looking for supplementary exercises as part of your routine, here are ten easy and best exercises perfect for beginner-level core strength.

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10 Best Core Workouts for Beginners

Building a solid, stable core is a must for everyone. As a beginner, core workouts are the foundation for safe, effective exercise progression.

Core training not only protects your back and spine during lifts, but it also improves your posture and athletic performance.

These ten core workouts provide excellent options for beginners, from basic plank to comprehensive circuits.

1. Plank

The plank is a brilliant bodyweight exercise that helps you develop your core’s strength and stability.

This helps you strengthen your core and also works your shoulders, arms, and glutes. They are also an effective prevention method against back pain.

There are many ways to do the plank, such as on the forearm, side plank, or reverse plank. The most common plank is the forearm plank.

How To Do It

• Lie face down on an exercise mat with your elbows to your sides, your head facing forward, and palms flat on the floor.
• Start to get in a push-up position, bend your elbows, and rest your weight on your forearms instead of on your hands.
• Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
• Brace your core by contracting your abs like you were about to be punched in the gut.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds to a minute, engaging your core as you do so.
• Increase the time held in this position as you become more comfortable.
• Then do 3-4 more sets.

2. Glute Bridge

The bridge pose is a great exercise for beginners, as it does not require additional equipment and helps strengthen the core and back.

It’s a good starting move to strengthen the glutes, quad, hamstrings, and lower back muscles.

How To Do It

1. Lie face up on the floor, with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
2. Keep your arms at your side with your palms down.
3. Lift your hips off the ground until your knees and shoulders form a straight line.
4. Squeeze those glutes hard and keep your abs drawn in so you don’t overextend your back during the exercise.
5. Remain in this position for 10 to 30 seconds, breathing deeply throughout.

3. Bird Dog

Bird Dog is a great exercise to engage your core while developing stability and balance in your back and hips.

It also helps promote proper posture and increases the range of motion.

This exercise is suitable for people of all levels, including older adults. It can be used to prevent injury, align your spine, and recover from low back pain.

How To Do It

1. Start by getting on all fours, keeping your abs engaged and back straight.
2. Extend one arm forward, palm facing the ground; at the same time, extend the opposite leg backward, maintaining a straight line between them both.
3. Bring your arm and leg back to start and repeat with the opposite arm/leg combination for reps.
4. When done correctly, you should feel your back muscles lightly engaging as you strengthen your core!

4. Mountain Climber

Mountain Climbers are another great exercise to target and strengthen your core muscles.

As you perform the move, your shoulders, arms, and chest work to stabilize your upper body while your core stabilizes the rest of your body. As the prime mover, your quads and hamstring get an incredible workout, too.

How To Do It

1. Start in a high plank position with your palms on the floor and feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
2. Pull your right knee into your chest as far as you can.
3. Switch legs, pulling one knee out and bringing the other knee in.
4. Keep your hips down and run your knees in and out as far as possible.
5. With this exercise, you should feel a burn in your legs and your core!

5. Hollow Hold

A hollow body hold is an isometric exercise that involves flexing your core muscles while remaining in a static position. 

With proper form, both beginners and experienced fitness enthusiasts can safely perform this exercise and reap the benefits of a stronger core and lower abs.

Aside from being a highly effective exercise, this move requires very little space and no equipment. 

How To Do It

1. Lie down on your back and stretch your arms above your head so that your biceps are next to your ears.
2. Lift your feet, legs, shoulders, and arms off the floor and press your lower back into the ground.
3. The only place you should touch the floor is your lumbar spine.
4. Hold the pose for a few seconds.

6. Side plank

The side plank is one of the best abs exercises for strengthening the oblique & abdominal muscles, which don’t get worked as much during abs exercises such as crunches.

It also targets your core muscles, including the back, hips, and leg muscles.

How To Do It

• To do the side plank, start by lying on your side and propping yourself up on one arm, with your elbow below your shoulder and legs straight.
• Firmly press both feet into the ground and place your free hand either over your navel or onto the floor in front of you.
• Ensure you keep your spine and hips in a straight line throughout the exercise.
• Try to hold this pose for 30 seconds before lowering to the starting position.
• Repeat this exercise on the opposite side.

7. Dead bug

The dead bug is another beginner-level exercise that helps strengthen your core. It’s a popular way to strengthen your core and stabilize your body.

This move also helps prevent and relieve low back pain by protecting your lower back.

How To Do It

1. To do this exercise, start by lying on your back and pressing both feet down into the ground.
2. Then press your lower back into the ground and engage your core as you slowly lower one arm over your head and extend the opposite leg.
3. Bring both limbs back to their starting positions before repeating with the opposite sides.
4. Try to do 10 cycles of this exercise for a full workout.

8. Superman’s

It is an effective and efficient exercise for people of all fitness levels, regardless of their fitness level. It targets your back muscles, glutes, hamstrings, and abs.

Furthermore, it is a beginner-level exercise that builds core strength and stabilizes the lower back muscles.

How To Do It

• To do this exercise, lie face down on the floor with your legs extended and arms stretched overhead.
• Then lift your chest, arms, and legs off the ground, holding for two seconds at the top.
• At this point, you should feel your back muscles, glutes, and hamstrings tighten.
• Slowly returning to the starting position.
• Try holding for only five or 10 seconds your first time, and work up to 30 seconds in future workouts.

9. Reverse Crunch

The reverse crunch is the best core exercise that primarily hits your lower abs.

During it, your upper body remains on the mat as you contract your abs to draw your legs towards your chest.

It offers many of the same benefits as the traditional crunch. As your neck and most of your back, please stay on the ground, it’s thought to be easier on your spine.

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

How To Do It

1. Lie face up on the floor with your hands extended at your sides.
2. Bend your knees so your hips and knees form 90-degree angles.
3. Slowly bring your knees toward your chest, lifting your hips and glutes off the floor.
4. Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position under control motion.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

10. High Knees

High knees is an excellent bodyweight full-body movement that increases your heart rate and warms the muscles in your lower and upper body. It is suitable for all fitness levels, as your body weight is all required.

It engages your core, strengthens all the muscles in your legs, and improves momentum, coordination, and flexibility.

Furthermore, it is possible to do it anywhere without any equipment, which will fit your busy schedule.

How To Do It

1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and start to jog in place.
2. As you do so, bring up one knee towards your chest, then switch legs when the other knee comes up.
3. With each high knee, try to bring the knee up as high as possible while keeping a steady rhythm and maintaining your balance.

Best Core Workout For Beginners

Benefits of Adding Core Exercises to Your Training Plan

Core exercises are some of the most beneficial workouts you can do, delivering a host of advantages to your overall fitness and strength goals.

From building stability to increasing your range of motion, doing regular core workouts has numerous rewards.

Let’s take a look at the top benefits of adding core exercises to your training plan.

It improves posture and corrects muscular imbalances.

Doing core exercises helps strengthen and stabilize your spine, improving posture and preventing lower back pain.

It also strengthens other muscles related to the spine, helping to correct any muscular imbalances an individual may have due to sitting for long periods or lack of physical activity.

Strengthens the functional movement pattern

Core exercises help balance your upper and lower body muscles, increasing stability and coordination.

This then supports functional movement patterns, leading to an improved range of motion when performing different physical activities.

Furthermore, when the core is strengthened, the athlete’s agility will also increase, as all of their movements will become faster and more reliable.

Provides relief from back pain

Core exercises are great for improving circulation and relieving back pain. This is because they strengthen the muscles in the abdominal area, which need constant blood supply to stay healthy.

Stronger core muscles also support the spine to decrease pressure on other nerve endings, relieving aches and pains.

Boosts metabolic rate and burns fat

Core workouts are known to burn more calories per minute because when you engage your core, your body needs to utilize greater amounts of energy to keep your muscles moving.

As a result, consistently performing core exercises can increase metabolic rate, which helps with weight management and caloric-burning abilities.

Enhance sports performance

Having a strong core is important for optimal performance in many sports.

Core exercises that focus on stabilizing the muscles around your spine help athletes maintain balance and stability on their feet, aiding them in being quicker and more agile with their movements.

Core exercises like planks and bridges also engage muscles throughout the entire body, which helps sports players to develop better coordination and control while they’re playing.

Core Workout Plan for Beginners At Home

Use this workout plan to strengthen and tone your core.

This workout can be used alone or with another routine to get some extra core work.

If you only do core workouts, you should do this core routine three to four days a week.

5 Minute Plan

• Plank: 20-30 sec hold and 3 sets
• Dead Bug: 4 sets of 6–8 reps.
• Reverse Crunch: 3 sets of 8–12 reps.

10 Min Plan

• Mountain Climber: 3 sets of 8–12 reps.
• High Knees: 4 sets of 12–15 reps.
• Superman: 3 sets of 6–8 reps.
• Bird Dog: 3 sets of 8–10 reps.

15 Min Plan

• Side Plank: 20-30 sec hold and 3 sets
• Glute Bridge: 3 sets of 8–10 reps.
• Reverse Crunch: 3 sets of 6–8 reps.
• Hollow Hold: 10-20 sec hold and 3 sets
• High Knees: 4 sets of 8–12 reps.

FAQs

Should beginners train core?

Yes, beginner’s shoulder train their core muscles because developing a solid core will increase your stability and balance.

Core exercises deliver numerous advantages to your overall fitness and strength goals.

How Long Does It Take To Build Core Strength?

Based on your exercises and eating habits, it can take between four and eight weeks to strengthen and build your core muscles.

How many minutes a day should you do core?

A 10-20 minute workout is enough to build strong core muscles. However, you should train your core muscles three to four times per week.

How can I strengthen my core at home for beginners?

The best core strengthening exercises for beginners that can be done at home are:

• Plank
• Dead Bug
• Side Plank
• Mountain Climber
• Superman
• Hip Bridge

References

• Akhtar MW, Karimi H, Gilani SA. Effectiveness of core stabilization exercises and routine exercise therapy in management of pain in chronic non-specific low back pain: A randomized controlled clinical trial. Pak J Med Sci. 2017 Jul-Aug;33(4):1002-1006. doi: 10.12669/pjms.334.12664. PMID: 29067082; PMCID: PMC5648929.

Manish Kumar

Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.

Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.