Having a stronger core is priceless. For a beginner, building a stable and strong midsection helps to bring better balance and good posture. A powerful core also lowers the back pain. The good core is helpful for movements of everyday life.
The core comprises of different muscles such as rectus Abdominis, deep internal core, transverse Abdominis that wrap to spine and sides.
It also has erector spinae that present in the lower back and inner and outer obliques.
Since the different combination of these all muscles involved in different workouts, you do not have to perform things that target specific areas such as sit-ups to make it more intense.
The best workout is performed for entire muscle groups at one time. It also helps to balance your muscles and improve performance.
16 Top and Best Core Exercises for Women
Table of Contents
Bird Dog
Bird dog workout is best for strengthening core muscles by targeting abs, back, and flutes.
How to do it?
- Imagine a table pose, keep your elbows below shoulders, and your knees should be under hips. Place your back straight and toes should point outward, and neck should be level to your back.
- Lift right leg and right arm over the ground by engaging core. Extend the leg and arm in front and back.
- Stay in this pose for 5-seconds and then free yourself.
- Raise left leg and your right arm over the floor and stretch them.
Sets and Reps
Perform 3-sets of 5-reps on your both Side.
Tip: place your neck level with the back and stare at the floor. Avoid tucking your neck inside.
Elbow Plank
Elbow workout is good for core muscles. It targets your flutes, abs, and shoulder muscles.
How to do it?
- Kneel over the mat, keep elbows over the floor and make a table pose.
- Tighten your core, raise right knee over the ground, stretch right leg backside, and slowly keep right toes over the floor.
- Balance your body over elbows and right toes, lift your knees over the floor. Stretch left leg backside, and slowly keep left toes over the floor. Balance your spine level using your neck and hips. Look at the floor and stay in this pose for 10-20 seconds. Free yourself from pose and take 10-second rest then again repeat.
Sets and Reps
Perform 3-sets of 10-30 seconds stay.
Tip: avoid lifting the hips more and reduce belly too much.
Plank
Performing a plank position helps to increase core strength and endurance in abs and back muscles. It helps to strengthen your core, hamstrings, and glutes. It promotes your posture and increases stability. Additionally, you can combine with other workouts to perform a standard plank. The plank workout also increases trunk stability and strengthen movements and fitness.
How to do it?
- Let your forearms rest over the floor using your elbows directly under shoulders, and hands should face forward, and arm should be parallel.
- Stretch your legs backsof you and rest the toes over the floor. Your body should be formed in a straight line from shoulders to heels.
- Squeeze the entire core, your quads, glutes, and tuck the butt under the lower back. Avoid dropping hiking or dropping butt upward to the ceiling.
- Keep your head in a neutral position and look at your hands.
- Hold this position for some time.
Panther Shoulder Tap
Train your core by performing a bear crawl pose. It is a fun exercise to target core at the same time challenging your midsection.
How to do it?
- Begin on all fours.
- Tighten your core and balance back level and keep butt down as if you are doing a plank. Try lifting your knees over the floor around 1-3 inches. Look at the floor for some inches in front of your hands and manage your neck in a comfortable pose.
- Tap the right hand over the left shoulder, and left hand over the right shoulder, while engaging core over hips. Keep alternating sides.
Butterfly Sit-up
Keeping your legs like butterfly pose, exclude all options to utilize your hip flexors, essentially force good form. You can also modify both directions to make it easy or difficult.
How to do it?
- Lie down with an upward face keeping your feet together.
- Put the knees bent over the sides. Try to reach your arm above the head. It is your beginning position.
- Roll your body upward by engaging your core until you are able to sit upright. Try to reach forward to touch toes. That is one rep.
- Gently lower your back down toward starting point and keep doing next rep.
Dead Bug
The dead bug is the best workout for connecting your core and mind. It is all holding ab workout and make you feel the burning sensation. It is like a connector, which creates deep strength for core muscles.
How to do it?
- Lie down by keeping face upward using your arms stretched toward the ceiling, and your legs should be in the tabletop Your knees should bend at 90 degrees and pile on hips. It is your beginning position.
- Gently stretch your right leg outward straight, together with drop your left arm above the head. Balance some inches above the ground.
- Press your butt, and manage core engaged all time, reduce the back pressed on the floor.
- Get your arm and leg back to the beginning position.
- Perform it for another side, stretch the left leg and right arm.
Half-Kneeling Wood Chop
This workout requires to work in the transverse plane, which many people do not get trained. It is also especially functional and target obliques, lats, transverse, abdominals, and shoulders.
How to do it?
- Begin with your knees, then step one foot some distance in front of the other foot, keep it level over the floor, and bend the knee at 90 degrees.
- Hold this position with light to medium dumbbell by using a knee that should be over the floor. Follow on both ends of the weight. It is your beginning position.
- Get the weight diagonally upward to the ceiling over the opposite side of the body, turn your abs as you perform this. Place your hips facing front, and core muscles should be turning.
- Get the weight back down to the beginning point.
- Perform all the reps over one side and then repeat for the other side.
High Boat to Low Boat
This workout helps to strengthen your hip flexors and erector spinae, which runs upward and down both sides of the spine. It also targets your rectus Abdominis. It always challenges and makes you engaged and interested.
How to do it?
- Sit up straight with your legs bowed, feet level on the floor.
- Put your legs together, gradually lift them off the floor until they structure a 45-degree edge to your middle. Connect with your whole center, keep your back level, and equalization on your tailbone.
- You can keep your knees twisted or fix them for even more a test.
- Get your arms straight out before you, parallel to the floor. If you feel that you need some additional help, then place your hands on the floor, and underneath your hips.
- It is High Boat. Hold here for three full breaths.
- At that point, bring down your legs, straighten them, while additionally bringing down your chest area. Both your shoulder bones and legs ought to drift a couple of crawls off the floor. If it becomes more challenging, then keep them somewhat higher over the floor and work toward getting them lower and lower.
- It is Low Boat. Hold for one movement, and afterward lift your legs and middle back to High Boat.
Side Plank
Side plank is another exercise for core strength. It targets the muscles of the shoulder, abs, glutes, and back.
How to do it?
- Lie on the mat over the right side. Put your left foot over the top of your right foot. Bend right elbow and keep it directly under the right shoulder. Place forearm perpendicular to your upper arm, and right palm level over the floor from your fist. Keep the left hand over the left side of the waist.
- Raise your hips on the floor by engaging the core. Keep your neck straight and spine and look ahead.
- Hold this position for 20 sec and release.
- Perform this exercise for the other side.
Sets And Reps
Try to do 3-sets of 20 seconds on each side.
Hip Thrust
The hip thrust is the best workout for strengthening the core. It targets your muscles of lower back, abs, and glutes.
How to do it?
- Sit over the floor using a bench of the sofa behind you. Keep your knees bent, feet level to the floor, and keep legs at shoulder distance.
- Balance your upper back opposite to bench or sofa and keep your hands over the waist.
- Tighten your core, raise your hips to the ceiling until the spine gets to level to your thighs. As you raise hips, your head should roll upward and rest over the sofa. Let your eyes gaze on the roof.
- Stay in this pose for five seconds and gently take down your hips. Stop as your hips are one inch above the ground.
Sets And Reps
Perform 3-sets of 10-reps.
Tip: Avoid tucking your neck.
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are the best workout for the core as it targets hip flexors, glutes, and abs.
How to do it?
- Imagine a table position and stretch right leg back and left leg. Place your spine straight, elbows under the shoulders, and gaze at the floor. It begins position.
- Bent your right knee and get it near to chest. Hold this pose for some time and gently lower it behind to beginning pose.
- As you keep the right foot over the floor, hop using your left leg, bend your left knee, and get it close to the chest.
- Get your left leg beginning point. Hop over the right leg, bent the right knee, and get it near the chest.
Sets And Reps
Perform 3-sets of 12-reps.
Tip: You can also perform it without hopping at a slower pace in the starting.
Star Plank
The star plank targets your muscles of obliques, abs, and glutes and strengthens your core.
How to do it?
- Consider side plank pose on the right side.
- Place your core engaged, stretch your left arm upward by keeping the palm facing in the front direction. Keep your left shoulder directly under your left elbow.
- Keep breathing and raise your left leg gently toward the roof. Now see at the left palm.
- Hold this position for five seconds and gently lower down hands and legs.
- Perform this for your other side.
Sets And Reps
Perform 3-sets of five seconds on your both side.
Tips: Place your neck level with your spine.
Kapalbhati
Kapalbhati is another best position for deep core muscles.
How to do it?
- Sit over a mat using both your knees bent, and your right shin passed on the left side. Put your back straight and keep the back of the palm opposite to knees. This position is called Padmasana.
- Breathe in using both nostrils until you feel full in the lungs.
- Breath out forcefully till your abs go in.
Sets And Reps
Perform 3-sets of 20 reps
Russian Twist
The Russian twist is also the best workout for core muscle strength. It targets muscles of flexors, obliques, back, and abs.
How to do it?
- Sit over the mat, bend your knees, and place your feet flat over the floor.
- Raise your feet above the floor that they should be slightly reduced than your knees. Lean back some more, stretch your arm in the front direction, and clasp your right hand using left.
- Manage your lower body stationary, turn to the right, and try to touch the floor. Turn to your left.
Sets And Reps
Perform 3-sets of 10-reps.
Tips: Balance spine straight. Do not perform this workout if you feel back pain.
Standing Side Crunches
Include standing side crunches for core strength. It targets your glutes, obliques, lower back, and hip flexors.
How to do?
- Stand upright by keeping your legs apart at leg distance. Let your shoulder turned back, and hands stretched upward and chest out.
- Raise your right leg, bend right knee, and open leg out to make the right knee facing the right side. At the same time, try doing upper body crunch on sides and down. Try to reach the right knee by your right elbow.
- Leave this pose by getting legs and behind to beginning pose.
- Perform this on the left side.
Sets And Reps
Perform 3-sets of 12 reps on both sides.
Tip: You can keep your hands at the back of the head.
Superman
The superman pose is the best exercise for strengthening core muscles. It helps to target glutes, abs, and back muscles.
How to do it?
- Lie down flat over stomach on the exercise mat. Place your arm stretched straight out in the front direction, your palms should be flat over the floor, and toes should point outward.
- Lift your both arms and legs over the ground like flies.
- Stay in this pose for two seconds and then leave the pose slowly and lower arms and leg back to the beginning point.
Sets And Reps
Perform 3-sets of 5 reps.
Tips For Exercising Effectively And Safely
Before starting the workout regimen, consider your safety. You must take your doctor’s advice to know your health completely and know the hidden problems. Regularly monitor yourself to prevent injuries and health problems. Here are safety tips for core exercises.
Warm-up
Before doing a total core workout, do walk in place for some time while swinging arms or dance on favorite songs. If you already did a warm-up, then you continue doing the workout.
Form First
Good form means level body as defined in the workout instructions and turn smoothly from an exercise.
Reps second
Quality reduces quantity. Perform the only number of reps you can able to manage in a good way. Similarly, manage this position for a long time with excellent form. Plan to increase the number of reps or seconds as you feel comfortable. As you feel comfortable, increase the sets.
Feel no pain
While doing exercise, make sure your core should not hurt. If you feel any type of pain, stop the moves. If pain increase, take your doctor helps before a continuing workout.
Practice often
Performing continued workout helps to give the best results in one to three weeks.
Do not follow photos
It looks easy to do any exercise in photos, which is difficult in reality. Make sure to learn every small move and take instruction and methods to help to prevent injury.
Brace Yourself
Engage your core muscles before doing any movement in all exercises like standing, sitting, lying over back, do it gently but feel the firm in abdominal muscles. Draw your navel to your back. Push your tailbone somewhat more. Once you can brace, do a gentle push from any direction, which should not cause you to lose balance. Some trainer advises you to assume pulling muscles in a pair of jeans to practice perfect. Try zipping or bracing up for 10 seconds at one time and breathing all the time.
Reach Beyond Abs
Making six-pack and weak back is the warning for injury. Therefore, do not only focus on your abdominal workout that buffs your appearances.
Take up a program that works on core muscles to save your back and promote sports performance.
Be Flexible
Core flexibility also important for core strength. More strength without much flexibility may affect your back and impact over the power moves, and smoothness in tennis and gold.
Begin with Stability
Include instability and perform master pattern movement in exercises such as bridges, lunges, and planks over a flat surface. Performing core exercise on the uneven surface makes it difficult. The Bosu, or stability ball is introduced for challenging the muscles and holding position steadily by balancing movement. Make sure to use a stable surface for exercise.
If it’s too hard, stop
Perform fewer reps or hold for fewer seconds. Still find difficulty, then try to perform an easy variation of workout. If you still struggle, then perform fewer reps for an easier variation.
Move up
As you feel easier, perform different variations after first reps for 10 seconds. If you feel comfortable, try making it a more challenging workout.
Tweak Your Diet
It does not matter how much time you schedule for the gym every week. If you are eating an unhealthy diet, then it can be tough to see the result. To get the sleeker core, try to choose a diet with a lot of lean protein, fruits, low fat, whole grain, and vegetables.
Avoid Holding Breath
Oxygen is important for core muscles to perform full capacity. Therefore, keep breathing all the time while doing exercise. Breathing while easy moves and breath out to create force.
Benefits of a Strong Core
Building a strong core helps to work positively for physical wellbeing. Here are the benefits of strong core muscles.
Stabilize lower back
As your train core muscles, it also strengthens your lower back and makes it healthier. It will help to prevent back pain and help in weight lifting. Having a strong core protects back muscles and reduces injury chances.
Run faster
Core strength is more essential for the runner. The strong core muscles make your midsection run and allow hips, pelvis, and lower back work collectively in a smooth way. Because your legs and arms are all linked with core muscles. Therefore, the strong core you have, the stronger limbs will become.
Enhance flexibility
The core workout balances your lower back, it also works on ligaments. Having a stabilized back helps to prevent tension and stress and promotes flexibility and range of motion.
Improve balance, posture, coordination, and brainpower
As the abdominal and back area become stronger, the balance of body and coordination will improve. When you perform a core workout, it will help to stimulate the specific area of the brain called the cerebellum, which impacts on coordination, balance, spatial awareness. These workouts will affect the body and brain. Therefore, sportspeople require a strong core for playing games like football, basketball, baseball, and tennis.