No Equipment Beginner Core Workout You Can Do At Home
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Looking for a challenging abs workout routine that you can do in your living room? This workout combines low impact ab exercises (with or without weights) with strength building shoulder and core exercises to help give you a great workout without any equipment. Of course, if you want to increase the intensity, feel free to use a mini band or weight to add difficulty.
What is The Difference Between Abs and Core?
Many people often make the mistake that core work and abdominal work are the same. Ab workouts traditionally focus on two muscle groups: the abdominals and the obliques. The core, however, is responsible for much more functional strength and stabilization. The muscles of the core extend to your lower back (erector spinae and latissimus dorsi), as well as those in your pelvis and hips.
What is the Goal of this Workout?
Even though most want the “six-pack” abs, it’s important to look past the purely aesthetic. Strong, stable core muscles mean fewer injuries, a better posture when standing or sitting, enhanced flexibility, better balance and over stability.
See our full workout series here.
Watch the video:
(All equipment shown for video is optional for an added challenge)
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No-Equipment Abs + Core Routine
Suggested:
5-10 Minute Warmup + cool down of your choice.
Optional:
If you would like to make this workout more challenging, you can use a mini band. They come in a variety of sizes and strengths, so feel free to try different levels of difficulty!!
Increase the difficulty!
Looking to make it even more challenging? Use a mini band over your knees for the plank exercises to give your glutes and hips an extra burn. Add a rotation to the plank knees to elbow exercise by crossing your body to the opposite elbow and knee.
Need a modification?
All exercises can be done without any equipment. Any of the plank holds can be done on your forearms if you have discomfort in your wrists. Scale down the glute bridges by putting both feet on the ground and focusing on squeezing your butt at the top of a movement.
Exercise List:
1:00 Each Exercise, Repeat 3x. in between each round, 20 surrenders.
Plank Rocks
How-to: Start in a forearm plank position, shoulders stacked over elbows. Squeeze your core and engage the glutes. Flex and point your toes to shift your weight over your hands.
Form tip: Keep the body as flat as possible and avoid piking the hips.
Plank Knee to Elbows
How-to: In the same forearm plank, bring the same knee to the same elbow. Alternate between reps.
Form tip: Keep the hips low and shift your weight forward to get an oblique crunch.
Modification: For sensitive wrists, drop to your knees.
Pushups to Downward Facing Dog
How-to: In a pushup position, bring the chest to the mat and press back up. As you do so, send the hips high and bring the heels to the mat. Press the head through the arms and shoulders to get every inch possible in your downward facing dog.
Form tip: Press the hands against the mat and press the hips up by sending the head between the arms. If you can’t touch your heels to the mat, don’t worry! Focus on height in the hips and make sure to bring the hips back level before you perform a pushup.
Modification: Drop the knees during the pushup.
Side Plank Raise + Clamshell
How-to: On your side, stack your hips and knees, with feet behind your body. Prop up on your forearm, before pressing up through the forearm to lift the hips from the mat. Open the hips by lifting the top leg, making sure to keep the ankles together.
Form tip: When you open the knees for the clamshell, make sure to not let the hips rock backwards. Activate your pelvis and tip the hips forward.
Modification: Drop the bottom knee to the mat.
Single Leg Glute Bridge
How-to: On your back, knees bent, feet into the mat, lift one leg towards the ceiling. Squeeze the glutes and press the hips upward. Perform all reps on the same side before switching.
Form tip: Make sure to squeeze those butt muscles (the glutes!) at the top to really work the booty.
Modification: Perform a normal glute bridge with both feet on the mat.
Slow Hold Bicycle Crunch
How-to: On your back, stack your knees above your hips, knees bent at 90 degrees, in a tabletop position. Put your hands behind your head, elbows wide. Reaching head and shoulders off the mat, touch the opposite elbow to the opposite knee and hold for two seconds. Return to the mat and twist to the opposite side.
Form tip: Make sure that you are raising the chest and shoulders from the mat and reaching the elbow to the knee, not simply bringing the knee to the elbow, to get the full benefit from this exercise.
Surrenders
How-to: Start on your knees in a kneeling position, glutes squeezing and chest tall. Stand up by bringing the feet around to the front and pressing into the mat. Lower back down and alternate lead legs each time you stand up.
Form tip: Squeeze the butt in the kneeling position so that you do not hinge at the hip and you activate and engage the core the entire time.
Challenge: Hold a set of weights out in front of you for an added strength challenge.