The 3 Best Core Workouts and Exercises for Women - Onnit Academy (2024)

Building and maintaining strong core muscles helps set the foundation for all aspects of fitness, whether your goals are purely functional (being able to lift your kid without hurting your lower back), aesthetic (hello, six pack abs!), or both. If you’re a mother who just had a baby, or you’re planning to, strengthening your core is extra important, as pregnancy can weaken the muscles in your belly and make getting back into shape postpartum that much harder.

Strengthen and Tone Your Core and Abs With These Workouts

Onnitconsulted a core-training expert to create the best workouts for ladies ofevery level, beginner to advanced.

The 4 Pillars Of Core Training

According to Sarah Jamieson, CEO of Moveolution and co-creator of the Onnit Academy Durability Certification, core exercise can be filed into four different categories.

– Anti-Extension: These exercises make youwork to resist extension at the spine (aka arching your back). Example: theclassic plank.

– Anti-Lateral Flexion: These moves have youresisting sideways bending of the spine. Example: the side plank.

– Anti-Rotation: Resist rotation at thespine (twisting in either direction). Example: a Pallof press.

– Controlled Rotation: Rotate the spine purposefully (as opposed to being unable to control its twisting). Example: a cable woodchop.

You’ll notice that there’s no category for pure spine flexion, such as you would do in a crunch or sit-up exercise. This is not part of a safe and effective core training program, so we’re leaving it out (see “Why Are Situps Bad For You?” below).

Stick to the pillars above, and you’ll lay a foundation of corestability and strength that prevents injury and, of course, makes it possibleto get lean, sexy abs.

Can I Do Core Workouts Daily?

One of the oldest myths in fitness is that you have to work absevery day in order to see the muscles and maintain a strong core. First of all,having visible ab definition comes down (almost entirely) to being lean. So ifyou want to see your abs, eat fewer calories and exercise until the fat burnsoff them. If you want a strong core, you should be conscious of how you’reusing your abs every day, but you only need to train them hard and directlywith the same frequency you would other muscles—two to three times per week.

“There are two kinds of core training,” says Jamieson, “core stabilityand core strength.” In many exercises, the two will be trained at the sametime, but it’s important to understand the different ways in which your coreworks. “Core stability is the ability to stabilize the spine and pelvis,” saysJamieson. In any training you do, youalways want to begin with your spine long, and maintain the natural arch inyour lumbar. Your pelvis should be perpendicular to the spine, not tiltedforward or back. When you move—or something else tries to move you—it’s yourcore stability that kicks in first to clamp down on the spine and pelvis,preventing them from going into positions that could hurt you.

“We work core stability naturally every day, and it should be worked daily,” says Jamieson, “but not necessarily in the gym.” Your posture plays a big role in maintaining core stability, so Jamieson suggests being more conscious of good body positions when doing your daily activities, including sitting and walking. Think about keeping your shoulders back and down (think: “proud chest”), your pelvis parallel with the floor, and your chin tucked, so that your head is in line with your spine. This can help reduce the risk of tight hips, lower-back pain, and many kinds of injuries. Jamieson also recommends daily diaphragmatic breathing that focuses on connecting your movements with breathing patterns. For examples of breath-work variations, visit Jamieson’s video library.

The counterpart to core stability is core strength, the ability totransmit force while the core is stabilizing the spine. (Take note of this: youneed good core stability before you can build great core strength.) Think ofbuilding core strength like you do any other kind of strength—it’s intensetraining, and therefore doesn’t need to be done on a daily basis.

Core strength training includes all the moves you typically think of as “ab exercises,” but isn’t limited to just those. It can really comprise any exercise that relies on your core—even if the main focus of the exercise is on another area of the body. Squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses all depend heavily on the core muscles, and can help train core strength as well as give you a sharp set of abs (provided your body fat is low enough to see them).

There are two notable exceptions, however, that don’t belong in acore-training program: crunches and situps.

WhyAre Situps Bad For You?

“I have a lot of clients who say, ‘I want a six-pack,’” says Jamieson. “Well, that’s a great goal to have. However, we are not going to get there through exercises that flex the spine, because we know that is not the best way to train your core.” The problem with crunches and situps is that the motion flexes the spine, particularly the lower spine (lumbar). Done repeatedly over time, this can damage intervertebral discs in the spine and create lower-back pain. “Generally speaking, 80% of the population suffers from lower-back pain,” says Jamieson, “because of accumulated and/or compounding poor postural habits and movement dysfunction.” Adding more spinal flexion to the problem via our core training is like pouring gas on a fire.

Research from Harvard supports using plank variations over crunch and situp exercises to train the core more thoroughly and with less risk for injury.

Jamieson says to sprinkle core strength exercises (such as thosethat follow below) into the workouts you’re already doing a couple times perweek, and focus on making big, functional exercises, such as deadlifts andfarmer’s walks, the cornerstones of your workouts. They work your core inconjunction with lots of other muscles, helping you get better, faster resultsfor the time you put in.

How Do I Get Started With Core Training?

If you’re new to core training, or just getting back into working out, you should start with exercises that use the floor to help you stabilize. The more of your body that’s in contact with the floor, the more stable your movements become, and the more feedback you get from your body on how you’re performing the exercise. These moves may not look too challenging, but you’ll feel them right away, and they’ll help you progress to even tougher moves.

*Always consult with your doctor before starting any exerciseprogram, especially during pregnancy or following childbirth.

Beginner Core Exercise #1

Resistance Band Leg-Lowering

Step1: Anchor a resistance band to a sturdy, stable object, such as aweight bench, power rack, or cable station.

Step2: Lie flat on the floor with your head right behind the band. Tuckyour tailbone under slightly to ensure your back is completely flat against thefloor and that there is no arching of the spine.

Step3: Start the move by driving the weight of your feet into the floorthrough your heels.

Step4: Reach back and grasp the resistance band, raising it over yourface. Now pull your arms down and forward toward your chest, keeping the wristsin line with the forearms. This will put tension on the band, and encourageyour shoulders and trunk to stabilize your arms and body prior to executing theleg lift.

Step5: Now raise your right leg up to 90 degrees, keeping your knee asstraight as possible. Hold the position 5 seconds. Lower your leg, raise yourarms back up to take tension off the band, and then repeat the entire movement.Do all your reps on one leg, and then work the other one on your next set.

Do sets of 5–10 reps.

Beginner Core Exercise #2

Bear Crawl

Step1: Get on all fours with your feet flexed so your toes are touchingthe floor. Your shoulders should be directly over your wrists and your kneesshould line up with your hips.

Step2: Brace your core and extend your knees slightly to raise them offthe floor. Begin crawling forward, moving your left foot in time with yourright hand, and then vice versa. Go forward a few steps, and then crawlbackward. Each step is one rep.

While executing the movement, be mindful of maintaining a longspine and keeping the head, spine, and pelvis aligned. If you like, place atowel, block, or water bottle on your back to remind you to keep your back flatand core rigid.

Do sets of 5–10 reps.

How To Stretch Your Abs

Before doing a core workout, warm up with these moves to mobilize your back and hips, courtesy of Onnit Durability Coach Cristian Plascencia (@cristian_thedurableathlete on Instagram).

Beginner Core Workouts for Women

These workouts focus on developing stability in the core and lowerback. They’re ideal for new moms who are ready to get their pre-pregnancy bodyback. Often times, pregnancy weakens the muscles and tissues that support theuterus and other pelvic organs. As a result, they can shift position.Strengthening the deep core muscles with the following movements helps thingsshape up down there.

Beginner Core Workout #1

Jamieson, a mother herself, says thisroutine can be done six weeks postpartum, and for up to three months. You can do iton its own day, or tack it on to the beginning or end of workouts you’recurrently doing. Perform the routine two to three times per week.

Performone set of each exercise in sequence, resting as needed between sets, and thenrepeat. So you’ll do one set of 1A, rest, then 1B, rest, 1C, rest, and repeat.Start with sets of 3–5 reps for each move, and repeat the exercises for 10 minutes.Add time each week, eventually building up to 10 reps per exercise and a25-minute workout.

Payconstant attention to your pelvic position, and make sure to breathe intro yourdiaphragm so your belly expands 360 degrees (your chest and shoulders shouldnot rise first). Breathing like this enhances your stability.

1A Upper-Body Rolling Pattern

Step1: Begin by lying on the floor with your arms fully extended overyour head. Tuck your pelvis so that your lower back flattens against the floor.

Step 2: Begin reaching your left arm across your face, just under your chin, keeping your other arm fully extended behind you. Brace your core. Slowly bring your arm to the other side of your body, twisting the torso. The lower body should remain motionless until the upper body pulls the lower body over. Be sure to keep your feet down on the floor—actively push them down as you twist. Pause here.

Step 3: Now extend your left arm, reaching forward for the direction you’ve been turning, and then slowly lead the rest of your body over, landing stomach down on the floor. Allow your feet to roll over when you can’t turn your shoulders anymore.

Step4: Reverse the entire motion to return your body to the startingposition, and then repeat to the opposite side.

One roll to each side equals one rep.

1B Functional Squat Progression 2

Step1: Get on all fours and tuck your pelvis under slightly to create along, neutral spine.

Step2: Bring your right foot to the outside of your right hand, landingin a kneeling position (as in a mountain climber). Then raise your left foot upand place it back on the floor so it rests on the ball of your foot.

Step3: Step forward with your left leg to move into the bottom of asquat. As you are shifting your leg, tilt your pelvis to see that it lines upwith your spine as you plant your foot. Reach out with both arms to help youkeep balance.

Step4: Actively hold the bottom squat position for 3–5 seconds. Thenraise your hips up slightly to create space to step back. Place your hands onthe floor and take your left leg back to the starting position, resting yourknee on the floor.

Step5: Extend your torso up to a half-kneeling position, keeping yourarms extended out front. Slowly return your whole body to the starting position.

A mountain climber into the squat on each side equals one rep.

1C Horned Deadlift

Step 1: Place a moderate-weightkettlebell on the floor between your feet.

Step 2: Stand tall, root your feet intothe floor by twisting them outward slightly (but don’t let your feet move).Imagine twisting up some turf beneath your feet—you should feel your glutesfire up. Drive your arms down, reaching for the floor, to create musculartension throughout the body.

Step 3: Keeping a slight bend in yourknees, hike your hips back and reach for the kettlebell. Make sure your head,spine, and pelvis make a long straight line.

Step 4: Grip the kettlebell handlehard—try to crush it. Pull your shoulders down and together (think: “proudchest”) and take a deep breath into your belly. Brace your core.

Step 5: Explosively extend your hipsand pull the kettlebell upward, sliding your hands around the horns as it risesuntil the weight settles at your chest and your forearms are vertical.

Step 6: Press the bottom of the kettlebell into your chest, being careful not to let your ribs flare (core stays tight). Keep your chest proud.

Step 7: Holding the weight tightlyagainst you, hike your hips back again, pushing your weight onto your heels.

Step 8: Pause when you feel a stretchin your hamstrings, and then press the hips forward again to stand tall.

All of the above is one rep.

Beginner Workout #2

After you’ve mastered Beginner Workout#1, progress to this routine that can take you from the three-month markforward. Perform the workout as you did the previous one, but do 10–15 reps perset (and each side) and train for 10 minutes. Add time each week.

1A KB Goblet Squat

Step 1: Stand behind a kettlebell,root your feet, and clean the weight up to chest level, as described in thehorned deadlift exercise above.

Step 2: Actively pull your hips downto the floor, sitting back into a squat while you drive the knees forward andoutward. Go as low as you can while keeping your head, spine, and pelvisaligned. If you feel your tailbone tuck under, stop there.

Step 3: Hold the bottom position 3–5seconds, and then actively press the floor away to stand tall again.

1B Bear Crawl

See the directions under Beginner Core Exercise #2 above.

1C Single Arm Steel Club Carry

Step1: Hold a moderate-weight steel club (five to 15 pounds) in yourright hand, arm bent 90 degrees. Focus on stabilizing the club by keeping afirm grip and activating your arm muscles to keep the shoulder down and back,and your elbow close to your side.

Step2: Tuck your pelvis under slightly and brace your core. Extend yourleft arm 90 degrees out to your side to help you balance, and then raise yourleft knee above hip level.

Step3: Take a step forward while maintaining the stability in the armholding the club. Repeat for 5 steps, and then switch arms.

Advanced Core Exercises

Once you’re dominating the exercises and workouts listed above, takeyour core training up a notch by adding these moves to your repertoire.

Advanced Core Exercise #1

KB Plank with Arm Raise

Step 1: Place two kettlebells on thefloor, shoulder-width apart. Get into a pushup position with your hands on thekettlebells and feet out wide for a solid base of support. Your wrists must bestraight, not flexed or extended. Tuck your tailbone under slightly, flex yourglutes, and brace your core.

Step 2: Let go of one kettlebell andraise your arm straight out in front of you. As you raise it, keep yourshoulder pulling back and downward—don’t shrug as you lift your arm. Hold thetop for 2 seconds.

Step 3: Replace your hand on thekettlebell and raise the opposite arm.

Perform 5–10 reps per side.

AdvancedCore Exercise #2

KB Renegade Row w/ Arm Raise

Step1: Set up as you did for the plank with arm raise above. Be sure to holdthe kettlebell handles in the middle.

Step2: Raise your right arm up, as described in the plank with armraise, and then grip the kettlebell again.

Step3: Press into the floor as hard as you can with your left hand andfoot, and then row the right-hand bell to your side. Squeeze your back musclesas you pull. Avoid twisting your shoulders or hips as you row, and bring yourelbow tight to your waist.

Step4: Lower the kettlebell back down and repeat on the opposite side.

Perform 5–10 reps per side.

Advanced Core Workout for Women

Perform the workout as an EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute) for 15minutes. Start a timer and begin your first set of the first exercise at thetop of the first minute. When you finish your reps, you have the rest of thatminute to relax. Then you’ll do your first set of the second exercise (1B) atthe start of the next minute. At the top of the third minute, do 1C. Repeat theexercises in that fashion until 15 minutes are up. Perform 10–15 reps per set.

1A Steel Club Deadstop Swing

Step1: Hold a light- to moderate-weight steel club with both hands atthe bottom of the handle.

Step2: Keeping a slight bend in your knees, hinge at the hips, drivingthem back while you maintain a long spine with head and pelvis lined up. Extendyour arms out long in front of you, but keep your shoulders pulled back anddown.

Step3: Lift your hips up slightly to create space to swing the club backin between your legs. Then drive your hips up and forward to propel the club upto shoulder height.

Step4: Hinge at the hips again, breaking the speed of the swing by lettingit come back between your legs and stop on the floor. Reset, and repeat.

1B KB Plank With Arm Raise

See the directions under Advanced CoreExercises above.

1C Double-Racked Crossover Farmer Carry

Step1: Grasp two kettlebells whose combined weight makes a moderateload—30–50% of your total body weight.

Step2: Hold the kettlebells by the handles with hands facing each otherand resting your forearms on your chest.

Step3: Engage your core by bringing your belly button up and into thebody. Brace your core to support the weight. Cross your right foot over yourleft, and then step out with your left foot.

Step4: Cross your right foot behind your left, and step out again. Standtall and avoid bending in any direction while you move. Repeat for 10–15 repsin one direction and then repeat in the other.

15-Minute Core Workout, No Equipment

Perform each exercise for 45 seconds(on each side where applicable). Rest as little as possible between exercises.Repeat for 3 rounds, or until 15 minutes expires.

1A Downdog To Plank

Step1: Get on all fours and then push your hips up and back into thedowndog position. Your head, spine, and pelvis should form a long line and yourarms should be straight and pressing into the floor. Bend your knees as needed,but keep your pelvis straight—don’t allow your lower back to round over. Holdfor 5 seconds.

Step2: Slowly extend your hips to lower into the top of a pushup (aplank). As you move to the plank position, pack yourshoulders together and press your heels back to create a straight line withyour body. Hold the plank for 5 seconds.

1B Cook Hip Lift

Step 1: Lie on your back with yourknees bent about 90 degrees, feet planted on the floor and in line with yourshoulders.

Step 2: Raise your left thigh to yourchest and hug it in with your arms. If needed, pin a rolled-up towel in thecrease of your hip to maintain the connection.

Step 3: Push through your right heelto raise your hips as high as you can. Pause at the top and lower your buttback to the floor.

1C Bear Crawl

See the directions under Beginner CoreExercises above.

1D Functional Squat Progression 3

Perform as you did the functional squatprogression 2 (under Beginner Core Workout #1), but stand up tall after you getinto the squat position. Then step back into the half-kneeling position.

1E Mountain Climber Hip Lift

Step1: Get into the top position of a pushup and then bring your rightknee to your chest, planting your foot on the floor (perform a mountainclimber).

Step2: Rotate your right foot away from your body and twist your torso tofollow it as you lower your left hip to the floor. Your left leg should befully extended with your right leg at a 90-degree angle over it.

Step3: Plant your left hand on the floor and lift your hip off the flooras high as you can, reaching your right arm over your head at the same time. Becareful not to hyperextend your lower back. Keep your core braced so themovement comes from your hips and shoulder, not your spine.

Visit Sarah Jamieson at her Movelution website, or follow her on Instagram, @moveolution.