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4 Best Core Strengthening Exercises For Beginners

Here are the four best core exercises that beginners can do at home.

I will give you a free follow-along workout that you can use to target your core, work excess fat off your midsection, and slim up your waist.

I’ll give you different levels of each core exercise so anyone can do them, no matter how fit you currently are; even if you’re injured or have physical limitations, this workout is a great starting point If you want to transform your body.

Core exercises are the foundation of your entire body; every movement you make stems from your core.

To slim down your waistline and get toned or even six-pack abs, you need to follow the right exercise in a progressive order to activate your core and kickstart your weight loss goals properly.

I will outline the best four beginner core exercises and describe each of these core exercises and the details that you need to know to do it with perfect form so you don’t hurt

yourself.

The first of the best four core exercises for beginners is plank off the bench.

Table of Contents show

Exercise #1: Plank off the Bench

The best core exercise for beginners is the plank off the bench. Generally, we go down to our knees when we want to modify the plank. 

But when we go down to our knees, we don’t have to learn to engage correctly from our head to our heels. That’s why I like the plank off-bench.

Benefits and Execution of the Plank Off the Bench

By using the bench, you reduce the resistance in your upper body and your core. 

  • This can allow you to activate your abs better to brace and stabilize and prevent your lower back from compensating.

It can also help if you feel your shoulders are overloaded during the plank. 

  • This allows you to get that proper alignment and learn how to engage properly from your shoulders to your heels, flexing your quads, glutes, and abs and engaging your upper back to support your shoulders.

Too often, when we try a move that’s too advanced, we overload or overuse the incorrect muscles to compensate. 

  • So, you want to make sure you dial in your form and feel the correct muscles working.

Tips and Progress for the Plank Off Bench

Using that bench or an incline, you can modify the move to fit your specific needs and goals.

  • When starting, you want to find an incline that allows you to engage your abs and unshrug your shoulders properly.
  • Make sure to drive back through your heels as you hold.
  • As you advance, you can slowly lower the incline to move closer and closer to the ground.
  • This allows you to take on more resistance as you’re ready, and you can feel your abs working.

Variations for the Plank Off Bench

The great part about using the incline to modify the plank is that you can still try out many fun variations.

  • You’ll just do them off the bench or off the incline.
  • This allows you to have some fun with your planking, but also make sure you modify the move to fit your needs.

So whether or not it’s a side plank or the bird dog plank, or you even want to do a shoulder tap plank, you can do them all off the incline and still get the full benefit.

Summary

Key Points: Plank off Bench
Reduces the resistance in your upper body and your core.
Helps prevent your lower back from compensating
Provides support for your shoulders
Allows variations in plank

Steps:

  1. Find an incline that allows you to properly engage your abs and unshrug your shoulders.
  2. Drive back through your heels as you hold.
  3. As you advance, you can slowly lower the incline so that you move closer and closer to the ground.

Exercise #2: Seated Hinge

The second best core exercise for beginners is the seated hinge. If you struggle with sit-ups and fully sitting up, if crunches hurt your neck, or if you struggle with the C sit position in general, then drawing your ribs towards your hip bones is a great move.

How to Perform the Seated Hinge

  • You will sit on the ground to do the seated hinge.
  • Instead of a normal sit-up where you’ll roll up from lying down on the ground, you’re going to sit and only hinge back as far as you can control.
  • As you lean back, you want to round your back.

Key Considerations for the Seated Hinge

  • You want to think about drawing your rib cage towards your hip bones; this will engage your abs.
  • We must remember that our abs are worked through spinal flexion, so flexing that spine is key to strengthening our abs.
  • You don’t want to hinge back with your back straight and then overload your lower back.

Execution and Modification of the Seated Hinge

  • So think about rounding as you lean back towards the ground.
  • Only lean back as far as you can control with your abs, then sit back up.
  • Because of that hip flex position, You will feel your hip flexors and quads working just a little.
  • But you want to ensure you use your abs to hinge back and not overload your lower back.
  • You can straighten your legs as well to modify this movement.
  • As you build up, you can even fully roll all the way down to the ground and then perform a sit-up backup.

Modifications and Variations for the Seated Hinge

  • You can also have a ton of fun using different variations to meet your specific needs and goals from this hinge position.
  • So, just because you’re modifying a movement to fit your current fitness level doesn’t mean that your exercises must be boring.
  • You can do a C sit with a rotational knee or even a C sit with reach.
  • You can even modify this move and lift one foot off the ground to work your abs and challenge yourself to move toward that full boat.

Summary

Key Points: Seated Hinge
Prevents overloading on your lower back
Strengthens the abs through spinal flexion

Steps:

  1. Sit on the ground and only hinge back as far as you can control with your abs, then sit back up.
  2. As you lean back, round your back to engage your abs.
  3. As you build up, you can even fully roll all the way down to the ground and then perform a sit-up back up.

Exercise #3: Bulldog Hold

The third best core exercise for beginners is the Bulldog Hold. If you want a great move to improve your shoulder stability and work your abs and quads, the Bulldog Hold is the way to go.

It’s also a great way to modify that full plank position if you don’t have an incline. 

  • Because of the tabletop position, where your knees are under your hips instead of having your legs straight like the full plank, it requires less core strength to do this movement while still really targeting your upper body and your quads.
  • This tabletop position is a great way to modify that full plank or work up towards moves like crawling or crawling with sit-throughs because you’re learning how to engage in that tabletop position with your knees hovering just a few inches off the ground.
  • This move is more quad-intensive than that full plank position, so you will feel the front of your thighs working as you do it.

Benefits and Setup of the Bulldog Hold

  • When you set up in the Bulldog, you want to think about putting your hands underneath your shoulders, unshrugging your shoulders to engage your back, and then keeping your knees just a few inches off the ground as you’re on the balls of your feet.
  • The closer your knees hover to the ground, the more you will make your abs and quads really work.
  • From this tabletop position, you can even progress into crawling, crawling forward, or even crawling to the side.
  • But this is a great way to work on that core strength and stability before moving into any movement.
  • You’ll learn how to brace your abs and engage your legs to keep your hips still.
  • It’s a great anti-rotational core movement.

Summary

Key Points: Bulldog Hold
Improves shoulder stability
strengthens the abs and quads
modifies the full plank position without an incline

Steps:

  1. Begin in a tabletop position with your knees under your hips.
  2. Make sure your hands are underneath your shoulders, and unshrug your shoulders to engage your back.
  3. Keep your knees just a few inches off the ground, balancing on the balls of your feet.

Exercise #4: Pelvic Tilt with Knee Hugs

The fourth best core exercise for beginners is the pelvic tilt with knee hugs. If you’ve ever wanted to work up towards the bicycle movement or any single-leg lower movements, this is a great way to do it.

  • The pelvic tilt with knee hug exercise will teach you to engage your abs to protect your lower back without letting your hip flexors take over.

How to Perform the Pelvic Tilt with Knee Hugs

  • So when you do this exercise from the pelvic tilt progression, you will lie flat on your back on the ground.
  • You will then press your lower back into the ground to brace your abs.
  • Think about drawing your hip bones towards your rib cage as you press your lower back into the ground and brace your abs.
  • You’ll then tuck one knee into your chest, even hugging that knee in.
  • Extend the other leg out, and make sure to squeeze the glute of the leg that’s extended out.
  • You want to use your glutes to drive that hip into extension as you hug the other knee in.
  • That will take some of the strain off your hip flexors, making it easier to work your abs.
  • You’ll then switch, tucking the other knee in and hugging it in towards your chest as you extend your other leg out.
  • Make sure to squeeze your glutes to drive that hip into extension, and you want to focus on bracing your abs to press your lower back into the ground.
  • This is a great way to ensure you use your abs and glutes and do not let your hip flexors take over.

A Pathway to Better Single-Leg Lower Movements

  • So, if you ever struggle with those single-leg lower movements, the pelvic tilt with knee hugs exercise is a great way to modify them to ensure your abs are working.

Summary

Key Points: Pelvic Tilt with Knee Hugs
Works towards advanced movements like the bicycle
Protects the lower back by engaging the abs
Prevents hip flexors from taking over

Steps:

  1. Lie flat on your back on the ground.
  2. Press your lower back into the ground to brace your abs.
  3. Tuck one knee into your chest, hugging it in, and extend the other leg out while squeezing the glute of the extended leg.
  4. Switch to the other leg and repeat.

Key Points: The Four Best Core Exercises for Beginners 

  • Using these four beginner core movements, you can rebuild your core strength.
  • You want to ensure you have the correct muscles working before you try adding more advanced movements.
  • While it might be tempting to jump in and try those harder variations, thinking that if you’re working harder, you’ll get better results faster, remember that If you don’t feel the correct muscles working, you won’t fully benefit and put yourself at risk for injury.
  • So make sure you feel your abs work during these exercises before progressing.

Conclusion

Using these four beginner core movements, you can rebuild your core strength. Feeling the correct muscles working before progressing to more advanced movements is important to avoid injury.

If we don’t feel the correct muscles working, we won’t fully benefit and put ourselves at risk for injuries. This is why I have shared my four best beginner core exercises.

When we start to work out, it’s key that we make sure that we’re utilizing the correct muscles when we’re doing the core movement.

We want to feel our abs working. We don’t want our lower backs to compensate. So, it’s key that we modify movements to fit our core-specific needs and current fitness level.

While trying those fun advanced movements and going from zero to 60 when we’re starting back is tempting, that can lead to injury.

These four beginner core exercises will help you rebuild that foundation, activate your core, and ensure you feel the correct muscles working so your lower back doesn’t compensate.

George N.
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