6 Best Core Exercises and Workouts for Beginners

Best and effective core exercises and workouts for beginners. (Image via Unsplash/James Barr)
Core exercises and workouts for beginners (Image via Unsplash/James Barr)

Core exercises and workouts are much more than just focusing on building six-pack abs and getting a shredded body.

Building washboard abs is only an aesthetic standpoint of core exercises and workouts but not the ultimate objective. Abs are also determined by other factors, such as body fat percentage, genetics, and diet.

Core workouts are important for beginners due to reasons such as overall fitness, optimal performance, stability, balance, and back health. These exercises also help you perform advanced and compound exercises more effectively.


Best Core Exercises for Beginners

We have curated a list of the six best core exercises beginners can include in their training routine:

1) Dead Bug

The dead bug is one of the best and most effective core exercises for beginners. It helps in tightening the muscles of the core region, toning the muscles, improving back health, and building better stability and coordination.

How to do it?

Start off by lying flat on the ground, with your arms raised straight above your chest. Raise your feet off the ground, with your knees angled at 90 degrees. Slowly extend one arm over your head while straightening your opposite leg in the front. Reverse the movement before alternating sides to do the same. Repeat.


2) Glute Bridge

Glute bridge is an efficient core exercise for beginners to activate the glutes and core muscles along with toning the body.

youtube-cover

How to do it?

Start off by lying on the ground, with your back flat, knees bent, and feet pressed onto the floor. Position your hands on the sides of your body. With tightened glutes and core, lift your hips off the ground so that the knees create a straight line with the shoulders. Repeat after releasing.


3) Bear Crawl

The bear crawl is amongst the most challenging yet effective core exercises beginners can include in their workout regime.

This exercise works on several muscle groups across the body, including the core region, back, shoulders, and arms. This exercise also helps in building better stability in the body along with toning the muscles.

How to do it?

Assume the tabletop position on the ground before raising your knees about one foot in the air. Start moving with your hands and legs, with engaged core and glutes. Repeat.


4) Swiss Ball Plank

This is one of the most advanced variations of the plank beginners can do to build core strength.

The unstable surface required for the exercise significantly builds reactive strength of the body along with torching fat from the abdomen region. There are a few other variations of Swiss ball plank, such as stir-the-pot, you can try to avoid monotony.

youtube-cover

How to do it?

Assume the forearm plank position on the Swiss ball, with your body straight and arms just beneath your shoulders. Make sure not to arch your back. Hold for some time before releasing.


5) Side Plank Rotation

The side plank rotation is also a decent core exercise beginners can include in their workout routine for a strengthened and toned body. This exercise helps in building significant balance due to the combined movements of the plank and torso rotation.

How to do it?

Assume your position on the ground on the left side, with your left forearm underneath the shoulder and legs extended one on top of the other.

With a tightened core, raise your hips off the ground to create a straight line with your body. Raise your right arm straight towards the ceiling. Rotate your body towards the ground, and bring your right arm under your torso. Rotate the body again to the side to raise your arm. Alternate sides, and repeat.


6) Hollow Body Hang

This is another decent core exercise beginners can try to strengthen and simultaneously target the muscles of the back, chest, and shoulders. This workout can help you get a shredded body with toned muscles along with burning a decent amount of calories.

youtube-cover

Bottom Line

The aforementioned core workouts are some of the most versatile and reliable ones, entailing numerous benefits.

For better and faster results, you can pair these core exercises with a balanced diet and cardio moves. Regularly doing these exercises can also help you perform advanced exercises in the gym to enhance your functional fitness.

Quick Links

Edited by Bhargav
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications