If you find doing endless crunches particularly torturous, you’ll be pleased to hear there are alternative exercises that will build core strength without being nearly as unpleasant. Meet the Pilates roll-up. It may not be as well-known as the crunch, but the roll-up is arguably even better at building strength in your core.

In the roll-up, you gradually move from lying on your back to sitting with your spine curved forward and your arms reaching forward. It’s performed slowly and with control, meaning there’s no momentum and you can’t help your abs by pulling on your head or neck. 

Although it’s hard work, I find the mindful movement can make it feel almost meditative, as you focus on peeling your spine off the mat. 

The slow and steady pace required in this exercise means your core muscles spend more time under tension. Studies such as this one published in the Journal of Physiology suggest that the more a muscle is loaded with tension to the point of fatigue the greater the protein synthesis, which can lead to muscle growth.

“The roll-up is one of my favorite exercises to do and to teach,” says Pilates instructor Millie Shiers, who teaches mat and reformer classes at Core LDN. “Practicing the roll-up can improve the flexibility of your spine and increase your abdominal strength. The roll-up also teaches your body how to control spinal articulation.”

How To Do The Pilates Roll-Up

Lie on your back with your legs extended and together, and feet flexed (toes pointing up to the ceiling). Extend your arms up with your palms facing your feet. As you exhale, lift your head and chest, slowly peeling your spine off the mat and reaching your arms forward. As you do so, slowly peel your spine off the mat. Once you’re reaching as far forward as you can, take an inhale to pause, then exhale and use your abs to gently roll down again, articulating your spine back onto the mat.

“Focus on squeezing your legs together and sliding your ribs towards your hips as you roll up,” says Shiers.

Roll-Up Modifications

If the full roll-up is too intense, there are plenty of ways to make it easier as you develop the strength to do the whole movement. “You can modify the roll-up with props to make it more accessible,” says Shiers. “One way to do this is to wrap a band around your feet and hold either end of the band—the band acts as an extra abdominal muscle. Another prop you can use is ankle weights to give you a bit more support in anchoring your lower body to the mat.”

“I also like to teach modified versions of the roll-up without props,” says Shiers. “For example, I will get clients to practice both halves of the roll-up separately—the forward flexion and then rolling down—until they can smoothly lift their body with no momentum.”

To fully master the roll-up, there are clever cues to help you do it as effectively as possible. “In Pilates, we love to make exercises as challenging as they can be by ensuring you properly connect to your muscles,” says Shiers. “To really feel the roll-up, think of pushing your heels away from you and drawing your ribs back in the opposite direction. This opposition will help you connect to your abs.”

How’s your posture? Did you catch yourself slouching as you read that? If there’s room for improvement you should try barre. Barre is a challenging style of workout that combines ballet-inspired movements with Pilates-style strength work. It’s a tried-and-tested combination for improving your posture.

Qualified barre instructor Gen Greensted runs online barre program The Barre Coach and offers classes from her studio in Cobham in the UK. As well as explaining how barre can help with posture, she has also shared a five-move barre workout with Coach so we can all work on improving our posture.

“Barre workouts focus on alignment, balance and core strength, all of which play important roles in improving posture,” says Greensted. “The emphasis on controlled movements and maintaining a neutral spine helps strengthen these muscles while also promoting flexibility and mobility—all components of good posture.”

Five Barre Exercises For Posture

If you want to see changes, you’ll need to do workouts like this one regularly. “I’d aim to incorporate posture-focused workouts like Barre classes into your routine two to three times a week,” says Greensted. “With this level of consistency, you’ll start to notice you are standing taller and moving with more ease in day-to-day life in as little as four weeks. Beyond the physical benefits, improved posture can have an amazing impact on your mental and emotional well-being, giving you a greater sense of confidence.”

1 Barre-style bent-over row

Reps 10-12 each side

Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding a pair of light dumbbells (1-3kg). Step one foot back to adopt a staggered stance for a little extra glute work in this exercise. Hinge at your hips to bring your chest forward, keeping your back flat and core engaged. Bend your elbows and pull the dumbbells towards your ribcage, squeezing your shoulder blades down and in towards your spine. Lower the weights with control and repeat. Make sure you switch legs and repeat the exercise if you opt for the staggered stance.

“This is great for targeting your upper back and core while working on shoulder blade stability,” says Greensted. “It helps counteract the effects of sitting for extended periods.”

2 Barre-inspired Superman variations

Reps 10-12

Lie face down on a mat with your legs straight and arms stretched out in front. 

Keeping your neck in a neutral position (chin very slightly tucked, looking down at the floor), slowly lift your arms and legs a few inches off the floor, engaging your back, glutes and core. Hold at the top, squeeze your shoulder blades down and in towards your spine as you bend your elbows and pull them towards your feet, your hands passing the top of your head. Extend your arms in front and lower your arms and legs to the mat. You can progress this exercise by holding a resistance band, held shoulder-width apart in your hands.

Come up onto all fours and perform a few cat/cows (spinal extension and flexion) after you’ve finished this exercise to get some movement back into your spine.

“This exercise is all about strengthening your lower back, core and glutes, all key muscle groups in improving posture,” says Greensted.

3 Static lunge with chest opening

Reps 10-12 each side

Kneel on your mat then place one foot on the floor in front of you and your weight slightly shifted forward so your front knee is over your ankle. Hinge forward from your hips so your chest moves closer to your front thigh and tuck the toes of your back foot under. Bring both hands to the side of your head with your elbows pointing forward and round your shoulders slightly.

Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, push up through your front leg until your back knee comes off the floor into a lunge and open up across your chest by pulling your elbows wide. Return to the start with your knee on the mat and repeat, moving slowly and with intention.

“This exercise is amazing for building total-body stability as you’ll have to work hard to find your balance,” says Greensted. “You’ll build glute strength, core stability and work on opening across your chest and reducing any forward rounding of your shoulders.”

4 Four-point leg extensions with resistance band

Reps 10-12, then 10-12 with reduced range, each side

Begin on all fours with your shoulders over your wrists, hips over your knees and your pelvis in a neutral position. Secure your long resistance band to the floor under both hands and loop the middle part around the back of one flexed foot. Inhale as you hover your knee off the mat. Exhale, engaging your core and squeezing your glute as you extend your leg back, finishing with your heel in line with your hip.

Repeat this exercise for the 10-12 reps, then perform the same movement but reduce the range of movement by half, so you’re extending your leg, then bringing it only halfway back, completing another 10-12 reps. Then switch legs.

“This exercise is great for shoulder and core strength and stability while building glute strength and working on hamstring flexibility, all of which are important for improving overall posture,” says Greensted.

5 Four-point arm and leg extension

Reps 10-12

Start on all fours with your shoulders over your wrists, hips over your knees and your pelvis in a neutral position. Place one hand on the side of your head with your elbow out to the side and slide the opposite leg back until it’s extended with your toes pointed, touching the floor.

Take a deep breath in and lift your back leg while drawing the opposite elbow a little higher towards the ceiling. As you exhale, slightly round your back and pull your knee and elbow in towards your core, engaging your core muscles as you do so. Inhale to return to your extension.

“This exercise is all about stability,” says Greensted. “It helps build core and glute strength, while opening your chest and helping reduce forward rounding of your shoulders.”

I’m aware that having a strong core is important, but I rarely spend time focusing on training it. I spoke to Pilates instructor and founder of SW4 Pilates, Chiara Boswell, about how to connect to my core and build strength from the inside out.

She tells me that most people mistakenly think working your core means working your abs. “The core actually starts from your pelvic floor,” says Boswell. “It goes all the way up the spine, and it includes the diaphragm, which is attached to the intercostal muscles. The core is where movement starts.”

“Pilates is the best way to strengthen the core, as we work on breathing in a very specific way,” says Boswell. “It’s called diaphragmatic breathing and it is very important for stability, spinal stiffness and functional mobility.”

You might be tempted to think that core work can be tacked onto the end of a session now and then, but no. “You should train your core every time you train. When you breathe, you activate it. You lift something heavy, you’re training it.”

“If you look at exercises like a list of things to do, targeting certain muscles in turn but you forget to teach the body how to integrate those moves into everyday life, things won’t change,” says Boswell. “Core work should be integrated into movement as a whole.”

Once you’ve taught your body what it feels like to awaken your core, you’ll be able to engage it properly with every movement you do. “To find that connection and integration I would start with exercises focused on breathing,” says Boswell. Then you can move on to more challenging exercises that work the whole body in an integrated way. Below are six movements to try, beginning with a basic breathing exercise.

Pilates Exercises To Strengthen Your Core

1 Lateral breathing

Breath rounds 5

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the mat. Relax and breathe normally. “Notice the flow, where does it go?” says Boswell. “Most likely to the base of your neck and collar bones. As you keep breathing try and exhale a little deeper.”

It can help to imagine an elevator traveling from the base of your pelvic floor up through your abdomen as you exhale. “You want to feel a gentle squeeze but not so hard that it changes your posture on the mat.” As your exhale gets deeper and longer, your inhale increases too. “Start to direct your inhale to the sides of your ribcage, allowing it to expand like an accordion,” says Boswell. “As you get more familiar with the movement at the ribcage try and direct the breath all around your ribcage and even down into your belly—let it expand like a balloon.”

2 The hundred

Breath rounds 10

Lie on your back with your legs extended and pressed together. Prepare by inhaling deeply and as you exhale lift the head, shoulders and legs off the mat. You should form a boat shape.

Begin pumping your arms up and down, moving from the shoulder, with straight arms. Inhale for five arm pumps and exhale for five, breathing deeply. Continue for 10 breath cycles.

3 Roll-up

Reps 5

Lie on your back with your legs extended, arms extended overhead. Inhale deeply, and as you exhale, bring your arms up, tuck your head and start to roll up, peeling your spine off the mat one vertebra at a time, reaching your arms towards your feet. Inhale again and, as you exhale, slowly roll back down to the starting position.

4 Single-leg stretch

Breath rounds 8

Lie on your back with your knees bent, shins parallel to the ground. Inhale deeply, and as you exhale, lift your head, neck and shoulders off the mat. Extend one leg while simultaneously bringing the opposite knee to your chest and placing your hands just below the knee. Switch legs in a fluid motion, keeping your head, neck, and shoulders lifted off the mat, inhaling for a count of two and exhaling for two.

5 Double-leg stretch

Reps 8

Lie on your back with your knees bent, shins parallel to the ground, and your hands holding onto your ankles or shins. Inhale deeply, and as you exhale, extend both legs straight, keeping them off the mat, while reaching your arms overhead to a 45° angle. Circle your arms around to the sides and hug your knees into your chest, returning to the starting position.

6 Spine stretch forward

Reps 5

Sit up straight on the mat with your legs extended in front of you, feet flexed, and arms reaching forward. Inhale deeply, and as you exhale, initiate the movement from your lower abdominals, rolling your spine forward one vertebra at a time. Reach towards your toes, feeling a stretch in your hamstrings. Inhale to return to the starting position.

The core is one of the most important muscle groups in the entire body. It impacts the way you move in everyday life and a stronger core can help to reduce back pain and improve your posture. These muscles also come into play in optimizing sports performance and different styles of training.

With this in mind, it’s a good idea to treat core training like other strength workouts and use weights to fire up your muscles and build strength. “Bringing weight into core exercises adds an extra challenge and increases the load on the body,” says personal trainer Tess Glynne-Jones.

Glynne-Jones recently shared a workout on Instagram with three kettlebell exercises designed to target the midsection. “You can start by doing all of these movements with your bodyweight and to progressively add load over time,” says Glynne-Jones. “Rather than adding loads of reps and increasing volume, especially if we want to make a workout more strength-focused, it’s a good idea to think about how much weight you can lift rather than how long you can move for.”

Take a look at Glynne-Jones’ Instagram Reel where she demonstrates each exercise. She’s also shared some form tips exclusively with Coach.

The first move is a tall plank transfer (often called a plank drag) for 16 reps and three rounds. “The main thing here is to make sure your hips aren’t moving, so try to fight rotation,” says Glynne-Jones. “Push the floor away with your hands when you’re in your tall plank and make sure the pelvis is tucked under so that your lower back doesn’t arch. Try and keep your hips square and don't be afraid to choose a heavy weight for this exercise.”

The next exercise is a Russian twist—an oblique exercise you might have come across before. Go for 20 reps and three rounds. “Start with no weight and once you feel like you can perform the movement well enough, bring some load in," says Glynne-Jones, adding that you should be able to do this exercise confidently with weight before lifting your feet off the floor.

The final exercise is a pull-over. “I love these because they help to target the lats, and work the shoulders and upper body, as well as the entire core,” says Glynne-Jones. “Control the position of your spine and pelvis—your core should be working hard to keep you in a neutral position. Think about pulling your belly button towards your spine, then up and underneath your ribcage, and try not to let your lower back arch.”

Glynne-Jones also recommends starting without a weight for this exercise. Once you can move through the reps without arching your back then you can do it with a weight.

These are exercises to come back to regularly, gradually increasing the load over time. You can do it as a core-focused finisher or as standalone moves incorporated into your regime. Follow the principles of progressive overload and it will eventually lead to increased muscle mass and strength in your core.

Many of us, myself included, started doing sit-ups in pursuit of a six-pack. As a teen, I’d do hundreds in my bedroom—then wonder why I wasn’t Schwarzenegger-level shredded a few days later. 

More than a decade of training later, my fitness goals have changed. Now, I want a fit-and-functional body that can handle anything I throw at it, in and out of the gym, and my old sit-up-centric abs workouts no longer cuts the mustard.

Instead, my CrossFit coach has pointed me toward alternative core exercises, such as loaded carries. She’s not the only one who’s a fan of this type of movement.

“There’s a big difference between training your abs to show and training your abs to help you go,” the physical therapist Dr Aaron Horschig (aka Squat University) said in a recent Instagram video. 

According to Horschig: “Loaded carries are one of my favorite ways to build this usable core. You can perform them in easy, medium and hard versions, all of which challenge your body in the frontal plane.

“The real-world function of the core is to control spinal motion, and this is built with stability exercises. A strong core helps you get more power out of your arms and legs, have better posture and decrease your risk of injury when picking up loads,” he said.

This boosted stability can improve your form and performance on compound exercises like barbell squats and deadlifts, as well as helping you generate and transfer power more efficiently when playing sports, whether you’re throwing a football or swinging a racket. 

The farmer’s walk is among the best-known loaded carries, but it’s far from the only option. Horschig suggests finding a version that’s a suitable difficulty for you and trying “a few sets of 30-second to 45-second walks”.

The farmer’s walk is a beginner option, a suitcase carry is an intermediate variation or, for an extra challenge, try the bottoms-up kettlebell carry. You can also adjust the weight you use for each exercise to increase or decrease the difficulty. 

Try adding three sets of your chosen exercise to the end of your next strength training session for a comprehensive core workout. 

Get help choosing the right kettlebell for you with our guide to the best kettlebells.

Whether it’s a regular part of your exercise plan, something you were advised to do after seeing a physio for back pain, or even a move you tried for the first time after a recent study revealed how isometric exercises can improve blood pressure, most of us have attempted the plank. But we haven’t all done it correctly, according to one top trainer. 

When I asked Ingrid Clay which exercise she sees butchered most often, she said the plank. “I often see people struggle with it, either from sunken shoulders or hip flexors that are up, or hip flexors that are too tucked under.”

Clay, who is the resident high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) expert for Chris Hemsworth’s training app Centr, says people think of the plank as a shortcut to a six-pack, when it should really be seen as a total-body workout. 

Here are the plank mistakes Clay sees the most and how to remedy them.

1. Over-Reliance On The Core

When you’re performing the plank correctly, “your core is super-engaged, but so are other body parts,” says Clay. “Even your quads are under tension—they’re not contracting, but they’re under tension. Remembering that everything is supposed to be engaged is important.”

Your core should be used for stability, but you should also hold tension through your quads and shoulders to spread your weight more evenly throughout your entire body. 

2. Hips Out Of Alignment

“I often see people with hips that are too high, or their pelvis is tucked under too much,” says Clay. Your body should be in a straight line from the top of your head to your heels, with a neutral spine. To achieve this, “tighten your core—think about bringing your bellybutton towards your spine.” Squeeze your glutes and quads, and tense your pelvic floor to bring your pelvis into alignment.

3. Shoulders Out Of Alignment

“Sometimes, instead of the shoulders being out and rounded, they protrude upwards, meaning you rest your bodyweight on your shoulders rather than hold your bodyweight up and distribute the weight throughout the whole body,” says Clay.

Start with a high plank, with your hands directly under your shoulders and arms extended, which Clay says takes a little pressure off the shoulders.

For more advice on this essential core exercise, read our guide to how to do a plank and for an easy way to incorporate it into your training, use our 30-day plank challenge. 

Roughly 35 of the 639 skeletal muscle groups that make up the human body are responsible for flexing, extending and stabilizing your core. Typically gym-goers remember to strengthen the area with plank exercises and crunches, but often rotational core exercises are overlooked, leading to weaknesses that can limit your true physical potential. 

Rotational exercises, such as woodchops and Russian twists, engage a broad range of abdominal muscles around the front, side and back of your core. They are especially effective at strengthening the obliques, the muscles running down the side of your torso. (Trust us, you have them, whether you can feel them or not.) 

These oblique muscles are responsible for rotational movements in everyday life, like reaching to grab something off a shelf next to your sofa or turning the lamp off before bed. They also provide huge cross-over benefits for sports that involve lots of twisting and turning, as well as for any exercise that involves lifting weights overhead. 

Here, Reid Stafford, head trainer at Ultimate Performance Kensington, explains what is meant by rotational exercises and why you would be foolish not to add them into your core workouts.

Four Rotational Exercises To Try

You can practice rotational exercises with just your bodyweight using moves like bicycle crunches, but for an everyday action like rotation, adding weight is essential to make progress. “Treat the core muscles in the same way you would those involved in a deadlift or a back squat,” says Stafford. “Overload the muscles progressively to make them stronger.”

You can use free weights for Russian twists, for example, but there’s one piece of equipment that Stafford recommends above all others. “The best and easiest way to improve rotational strength is by using a cable machine,” he says. Cables allow you to gradually increase load safely, and because they apply resistance evenly throughout a lift, making every section of the exercise a challenge from beginning to end.

Here, Stafford has selected his favorite rotational exercises to improve core strength and stability, along with the optimal rep ranges to maximize results.

Cable rotation

Sets 3 Reps 8 each side 

Attach a single D-handle to a dual cable machine around mid-chest height. Face slightly away from the cable stack, or face further away from the cable stack to increase the difficulty. Hold the cable with both hands and your arms straight. Brace your core and pull the handle across your body in a lateral arc. Very slowly return the handle to the original position and repeat for eight reps, then switch sides.

Cable woodchop

Sets 3 Reps 8 each side

Attach a D-handle to the cable machine near the top of the frame and stand side-on with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width apart to provide you with a solid base. Hold the handle with both hands, with a slight bend in your knees, and with your core engaged. Keeping your arms straight, pull the handle diagonally across your body to your opposite thigh. Slowly return the weight to the start. Do all the reps on one side, then switch. 

Bicycle crunch

Sets 3 Reps 12

Lie with your lower back pressed into the floor to engage your abs. Tuck your chin in to your chest, lightly touching the sides of your head with your hands, and raise your legs off the floor with knees bent. Extend your right leg while twisting your torso to bring your right elbow toward your left knee. Then bring your right leg in as you extend your left leg and twist your left elbow toward your right knee. Continue for 12 slow and controlled reps.

Russian twist

Sets 3 Reps 8 each side 

Using a moderately heavy medicine ball or kettlebell, sit on the floor and lean backward until your torso is at 45˚ with your legs in front of you and a slight bend in your knees. Hold the weight to one side of your body in both hands and, keeping your core engaged, slowly lift it across to the other side. Continue this motion slowly, with control. 

Almost every gym has a gym ball (AKA Swiss, exercise or stability ball), but you rarely see it used. That’s a pity because it adds another dimension to core exercises.

“One of my favorite reasons for using the Swiss ball is how much it challenges your stability,” personal trainer and online coach Tess Glynne-Jones told Coach. “It means that your core is having to work that little bit harder in order to prevent you from falling over.”

“Thanks to the variation of movements you can do on the Swiss ball, you can target all aspects of the core, rather than just working on one portion, so you’re getting more bang for your buck,” she adds.

Glynne-Jones shared five of her favorite gym ball exercises on Instagram, and they’re well worth integrating into your core training. 

Most bodyweight and free-weight exercises work your core, but it’s worth spending five to 10 minutes a couple times a week on dedicated core training. That’s how Glynne-Jones recommends incorporating these moves into your training, rather than trying to do all five in one session.

She suggests working for time, moving slowly and intentionally, rather than aiming for maximum reps. “Moving slowly enables really good form. It means you’re not dumping into your lower back and giving yourself back pain,” she says.

To promote good form across all the moves, Glynne-Jones shared a form cue she uses. Imagine a piece of string attached to your bottom rib and the top of your hip, and try to avoid snapping the string by keeping the distance between your rib and hip the same throughout the movement. This will ensure your core is engaged and reduce the likelihood that you will strain your back muscles.

To make further use of the gym ball, try this exercise ball workout which challenges muscles all over your body.

Dwayne Johnson has been cast as a Greek mythological hero, a Hawaiian demigod and an ancient superhuman in his acting career. Talent aside, it can’t hurt that the former wrestler already looks the part before the cameras start rolling.

So as far as workout advice is concerned, when The Rock says jump, I’m inclined to ask how high. When he posted an Instagram Reel of him doing core exercises with the caption “a strong core is super beneficial”, I went on the hunt for more core workouts to add to my routine. 

Luckily, his long-time trainer Dave Rienzi has shared three variations of his favorite anti-rotational core progressions: the cable anti-rotation hold, cable Pallof press and the kneeling Pallof press to anti-rotation hold. 

Watch his video below for a demonstration of each one, and a rep scheme to try when adding these moves into your next gym workout.

While a strong core has many benefits, I learned a new one from speaking to Horton Barbell owner Ryan Horton, a sports scientist and strength and conditioning coach with more than 20 years of experience. 

“Your core is going to transfer all of your power,” says Horton. “All the power you’re building with your legs and your hips when you’re doing big lifts or Olympic lifting movements, or if you’re a baseball player swinging a bat, or a volleyball player spiking a ball—you’ve got to have that power transfer.”

To make this concept easier to understand, he uses an analogy with his athletes.

“You can take a pool noodle and you can swing it as hard as you possibly can. But, because there’s no strength within that pool noodle, when it hits whatever I’m hitting it’s going to lose most of the power I’m putting into it. 

“Now, if I take a wooden baseball bat, it’s strong and very rigid. When I put power into that to hit something, all that power is being transferred to the thing I’m trying to hit. 

“You want power to transfer from your lower body to your upper body, or your upper body to your lower body. If your core is weak, you’re going to lose most of that power.”

So, if exercises that train your midsection muscles don’t feature in your gym plans, it’s time to reassess. 

If you exercise to keep your body capable and in good working order you are going to love this core routine from Kira Stokes. The celebrity trainer, who's so well qualified there’s an alphabet soup of acronyms after her name (NASM CPT, PES and WFS), shared three “sneaky” core moves on her Instagram account.

The complicated-looking exercises require all the elements of your trunk—core, lower back, lats, glutes—to work in harmony so that you complete the movement without toppling over. For many people, even those who hit the gym regularly, this may prove a challenge. Look at Stokes’ co-demonstrator during the single-leg Romanian deadlift and note how far his rear foot lifts off the floor. No disrespect intended, I certainly will not be sharing footage of my attempts at these exercises, but it shows you can’t blitz your way through these moves with brute force.

If you find these movements taxing, take it as a cue to spend the time to master them—it will help you get the most from the body you’ve got. As Stokes says in the video: “The core is the powerhouse of your body. Strength stems from your core. And when you have a strong powerhouse you can move better, stabilize properly and basically function at your strongest capacity.” Sounds good to me. 

The three moves require a combination of a free weight and a small or long looped resistance band. As you’ll discover in our round-up of the best resistance bands, you can pick up a band very cheaply. Dumbbells are a different matter, especially if you follow our advice and invest in a pair of adjustable dumbbells, but a kettlebell will work well for these core exercises and pound for pound kettlebells tend to be cheaper. Take a look at our picks of the best kettlebells to see if something fits your budget.

If you’re stuck without any equipment, Pilates is a great way to work on your “powerhouse”. This Pilates-inspired core workout focuses on your midsection, while this Pilates home workout will help to improve your posture, or you can start slow with this beginner Pilates workout. 

You won’t hear us say a bad word about either the plank or jumping jacks, both of which are among the best bodyweight exercises you can do. In fact, they’re such good exercises that it would be a truly horrible situation if you found yourself with enough time to do just one of them in a workout. Or at least it would be if some smart cookie hadn’t come up with the plank jack.

As the name suggests, the plank jack is a combination of the plank and the jumping jack, which is interesting given that the plank is a move famed and named for the lack of movement involved, whereas the jumping jack is very much the opposite.

Opposites attract, though, and in combination the two moves create one of the best core exercises. Try it in your workout today.

Benefits Of The Plank Jack

The plank is great for your core strength, while jumping jacks improve your cardio fitness, so it’s no surprise to learn that the plank jack does a bit of both. It’s a perfect core exercise to include in HIIT sessions as a result, because it will spike your heart rate more effectively than the classic static plank.

How To Do The Plank Jack

Adopt the standard plank position, holding your body up on your forearms and toes. From there it’s as simple as splaying your legs out to the side like in a jumping jack, then bring them back to the original position. Keep your core braced throughout for maximum effect.

Jump back and forth as many times as you can in a minute, take a 30-second break, and repeat. If you find jumping out with both legs too tough, then stepping out each foot in turn is a good way to make the plank jack easier.

You can mix up the plank jack a little by sliding your feet apart rather than jumping to spread them. This can be done with just socks or tea towels, but if you want to try it on carpet then a pair of sliders, which can be used for all kinds of other exercises too, might be worth picking up. A pair of reversible sliders – one side for hard floors, the other for carpet – costs less than £15 on Amazon.

Workouts Which Feature The Plank Jack

It’s one thing knowing how to do the plank jack. It’s another entirely to integrate it into a training session. Thankfully, the plank jack has popped up in – at the last count – 11 workouts on Coach. These, of course, comprise a couple that target the muscles in your midsection – there’s a lower-abs workout and a home abs workout – but the cardio and core combination make it a popular choice in high-intensity calorie burners such as this home cardio workout, our 20-minute HIIT workout and a workout to burn fat at home. And its equipment-free nature means it also features in this low-impact home workout. 

Mixing up your exercise routine is a must if you want to make the most of your workouts. That’s particularly true when doing core exercises, so that you make sure you’re engaging all the stabiliser muscles that are vital to functional fitness.

For example, there’s no doubt that the plank is one of the best bodyweight exercises you can do, but if you stick to the same version of it you are eventually going to get bored – you’re not moving, after all – and also find you have to hold your planks for longer and longer to challenge your muscles. 

This is where the body saw comes in. It’s a simple but brutally effective way to progress your plank, and all you need to do it is a set of exercise sliders, or a tea towel in a pinch.

Once you’ve mastered the form for the body saw plank, check out our guides to the side plank and walking plank, or have a crack at this 30-day plank challenge and work your way up to holding a plank for three long minutes.

Body Saw Exercise Benefits

The body saw increases the benefits of the standard plank by adding a small degree of movement which makes it harder to maintain the strict plank position. It’s great for your core strength and will shorten the amount of time you need to spend in the plank position to see benefits.

How To Do The Body Saw Exercise

Adopt the plank position, with your bodyweight resting on your forearms and toes. Position said toes on exercise sliders or a tea towel. Or two tea towels, if you have either big feet or small tea towels. Brace your abs and glutes, then start moving your body back and forth with your elbows. You don’t have to move a lot, just a gentle sawing motion.

You’ll need a smooth surface, or the tea towel will get stuck and you’ll be left doing a regular plank while standing on a tea towel. Either keep going until you have to stop, or do the body saw in two to four sets of ten reps, with 20 seconds between them.

If you’re just setting out on a fitness kick, strengthening your core is a great place to start. This will ensure that you have the foundations in place to help you carry on with your chosen type of exercise – whatever it is – in the long term, and build functional strength that carries over into everyday life.

You can get started on your training with these bodyweight core exercises from The Body Coach trainer Leroy Andre Williamson. Williamson is an ambassador for Lululemon, and the company has released its second annual Global Wellbeing Report, which highlighted that exercise can increase a sense of wellbeing.

Squat

“This strengthens your lower body and core muscles,” says Williamson. “Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and your chest up. Bend at your knees and hips, pushing your bum out like you’re going to sit on a chair. Squat down until your knees are bent at 90°. Ensure your knees are behind your toes. Hold at the bottom for a second with your back straight, then push through your heels to stand back up.”

Plank

“The plank strengthens your body from head to toe, but the real focus is on your core,” says Williamson. “It can help to reduce lower-back pain and improve your ability to perform your daily tasks.

“Place your forearms on the floor with your elbows underneath your shoulders. Engage your core by imagining you’re pulling your bellybutton in towards your spine. Squeeze your glutes and hold your body off the floor in a straight line. Don’t forget to breathe!”

Side lunge

“This lunge variation works your inner and outer thighs to improve your agility,” says Williamson.

“Take a big step out to the side, bend one knee and push your hips back as your other leg stays straight. Return to standing by pushing off the foot of your bent leg. You can do all reps on the same leg and then swap, or alternate sides with each rep.”

Standing mountain climber

“This variation of mountain climbers works your muscles without putting pressure on your wrists,” says Williamson. “It gets the blood pumping and challenges your coordination.

“Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms by your side. Bring your right knee up to waist height and reach your left arm to the sky. Return to the starting position and alternate sides, building up speed.”

Bum kicks with row 

“This is great for people who sit down for much of the day,” says Williamson. “The kicks get the blood pumping and fire up the hamstrings, and the added row opens up the shoulders.

“Stand with your feet about hip-distance apart, with your arms held out in front of you. Slowly bring your right heel to your right glute as you squeeze both of your elbows back like you’re pulling a bar into your stomach. Place your foot back on the floor as you reach your arms forwards. Then slowly bring your left heel to your buttocks and pull your elbows back. Keep alternating heels and gradually build up speed.”

Jumping jacks

“Jacks work all the major muscles in your lower body and increase your fitness levels with high-intensity cardio,” says Williamson.

“Stand straight with your legs together and arms at your sides. Bend your knees slightly as you jump your legs out just wider than shoulder-width apart and stretch your arms out overhead like you are a star. Jump back to the starting position and repeat. To make this exercise low-impact, step one leg out, then bring it back to the middle, and alternate.”

The Police’s 1983 classic “Every Breath You Take” is not about your core muscles, but it could be – because every breath you take, every move you make, every step you take involves using your core.

Doing core exercises to ensure your core is strong and flexible will help you in the gym, playing sports or just going about your daily business. A strong core will also help you maintain good posture and avoid issues like lower-back pain.

Basically, core exercises are a must for any fitness routine, so we asked Richard Tidmarsh, strength and conditioning coach and founder of Reach Fitness, for the moves he recommends for beginner, intermediate and advanced gym-goers. 

Of course, not everyone has access to a gym, so we’ve also listed our favourite core exercises for home so no-one misses out on the benefits of core training. But first, some answers to frequently asked questions.

Core Exercises FAQ

Beginner Core Exercises

“Building a strong core is all about keeping still, not doing hundreds of abdominal curl repetitions,” says Tidmarsh. “These three holds will create the foundation of a strong core, teaching you to keep your hips aligned and how to control your posture.”

Naturally you can do each of the exercises as part of a training session, but for a beginner core workout follow the suggested reps and rest periods below, doing five rounds in total of these three exercises.

Plank

Time 30sec Rest 0sec

The definitive core exercise. The plank involves minimal movement but maximal effort, requiring you to support your body on your forearms and toes while holding your body in a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. You can make it easier by resting on your knees, or harder by extending your arms so you’re supported by your hands.

Dead bug

Reps 10 Rest 0sec

Lie on your back with your arms extended straight up towards the ceiling, and your legs raised with your knees bent at 90°. Lower your right arm and left leg at the same time until they are hovering just above the floor, then return to the starting position. Then do the same with the opposite limbs.

Boat

Time 30sec Rest 1min

Sit on the floor with your knees bent. Lean back slightly, keeping your back straight, and hold your arms out in front of you as you raise your feet off the ground with your legs together. If you can, extend your legs so they are straight and your body forms a V shape. You can also raise your arms and spread your legs to make the hold harder.

Intermediate Core Exercises

“Here we start to add movement to a controlled core,” says Tidmarsh. “Can you stay still with good posture whilst another area of your body moves? It's much tougher than you think!”

If you want to combine three movements in one workout, Tidmarsh has again suggested reps and rest periods. Do three rounds in total of the three exercises.

Ball push-away

Reps 8 Rest 0sec

Get into a plank position with your feet spread and your forearms resting on a gym ball. Push the ball away with your forearms, then pull it back it, while maintaining the plank position.

Hanging knee raise

Reps 8 Rest 0sec

On a set of dip bars, hold yourself steady with arms fully extended. Raise your knees towards your chest, then lower them slowly. Repeat. You can also do this exercise hanging from a pull-up bar.

Dumbbell plank drag

Reps 8 Rest 1min

Get into the top press-up position. Put a dumbbell on the ground just to the right of your torso. Reach underneath and across with your left hand to grab the dumbbell and drag it to your left side. Then mirror the movement with your right hand.

Advanced Core Exercises

“Now we start to add greater difficulty to posture control by adding more of a load, more of your bodyweight, or a larger range of movements,” says Tidmarsh. “Remember – slow and steady movement wins the race to a stronger core.”

Put these three core exercises together for this quick but brutal core workout designed by Tidmarsh. Do three rounds in total.

Strict toes to bar

Reps 6 Rest 0min

We did say these were advanced exercises, and this is certainly not one for newbies. While hanging from a pull-up bar, bend at the hips (not the waist) and lift your toes to the bar, keeping your legs together as you move.

L-sit

Time 30sec Rest 0sec

Use a pair of parallettes for this core cruncher. Lift and hold yourself up above the parallettes with your arms extended. Extend your legs straight out in front of you so you form an L-shape. Hold it – if you can.

Wall plank

Time 30sec Rest 1min

Another savage hold exercise. Get into an elevated plank with your feet against a wall so you form a flat, horizontal line from heels to head. Hold. HOLD!

Core Exercises For Home

Given how important a strong core is, it’s well worth continuing your core training away from the gym. And just because many of the more advanced moves Tidmarsh suggests require weights or other equipment, that doesn’t mean you can’t challenge yourself using just your own bodyweight. Here are plenty more exercises to master, which either require no equipment or affordable bits of kit like resistance bands.

Hand walk-out

The equipment-free version of Tidmarsh’s gym ball push-away or the abs roll-out is a great way to build up to those challenging moves. From standing, fold forwards at your hips and place your hands on the floor. Walk your hands out one at a time until you’re in a high plank position, then keep going a little further before reversing the move to standing. The further you walk your hands from your feet the harder your core has to work to keep you upright.

Side plank

While the plank works most of the crucial core muscles, there are a few it misses. Fortunately, a minor tweak remedies that. The side plank works your obliques and the little-known quadratus lumborum, which is part of the posterior abdominal wall and a key muscle when it comes to avoiding lower back pain.

To do the side plank lie on your right side with your feet together, left stacked on top of the right, and prop yourself up on your right forearm. Push your hips up so you form a straight line from your feet to your head, then hold this position for the set time, without letting your hips drop. Make sure to repeat on the other side.

Star side plank

Once you are comfortable with the standard side plank this challenging variation is worth trying. Start in the regular side plank position, with your upper body supported on your forearm and one foot stacked on top of the other. Then put your bottom hand on the floor and push up to extend your arm and lift your upper body further from the floor. From this position, lift your upper limbs so your top hand points towards the ceiling and your top leg is raised and stretched – your body will be in a star shape with your head as the fifth point (kind of). Hold this position for time, then swap and do the same on the other side.

If you’re finding the star position too hard to hold, you can lower your top limbs during the time to make it a little easier, or even drop back onto your forearm. Just make sure you keep your hips up, because if you’re finding that impossible then it’s best to revert to the standard side plank to build more strength.

Leg raise

The perfect counterpart to the sit-up, which tends to work only the upper abs. Leg raises hit the lower abs hard, as well as improving the flexibility of your hips and lower back. Lie flat on your back with your legs together. Keeping them together and as straight as possible, raise them until your toes are pointing at the ceiling. Lower slowly back to the start.

Flutter kicks

A very simple exercise that starts feeling like absolutely murder after about ten seconds and only gets worse from there. Lie on your back and lift your legs slightly off the floor. Your shoulders should also be raised slightly so there is tension in your abs. Press your lower back into the floor and don’t let it lift off the floor. Then flutter your feet up and down while keeping your torso still. Keep going as long as you can, but don’t be surprised if that’s not very long.

Pallof press

You’ll need a cable machine or a resistance band for this anti-rotation exercise, which is great for developing a stable core. Anchor your band at shoulder height or set up the cable machine with a standard handle at the same height. Stand side-on the anchor and hold the band in both hands in front of you. Step away from the anchor so the band is taut, then hold it straight out in front of you for 10 seconds, resisting the pull towards the anchor.

Bird-dog

This simple core exercise improves your balance and co-ordination as well as your core strength. Start on your hands and knees, with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Simultaneously raise your right arm and left leg and fully extend them in front and behind you. Bring them back and repeat with the other limbs. Make sure you keep your torso still as you perform the move – your core will be working hard to keep you balanced.

Reverse crunch

The reverse crunch is one of those rare occasions where the variation of an exercise is probably the version you should start with, since it’s both more effective than the classic crunch and less likely to hurt your neck. Lie on the floor with your legs raised and your knees bent at a 90° angle so your thighs are perpendicular to the floor. Engage your abs to bring your knees towards your chest and lift your hips off the floor. Hold this position for a beat, then slowly lower back to the starting position.

Hollow body hold

If you think that time passes slowly when holding a plank position, you won’t believe how slow it can go when you’re attempting the hollow body hold. It’s an effective way of targeting the deep core muscles as well as your abs, and the movement also benefits the quads, lats and glutes. That’s a long list of muscles that will benefit, so try to remember all of them while in position – having something to think about might make that time pass slightly quicker. Lie on your back with your legs together and your arms extended behind your head. Raise your shoulders and legs about 15cm off the floor to form a boat shape, pressing your lower back into the floor. Hold, but don’t push past the point when your form falters. If you can’t keep your lower back pressed into the floor, stop.

Aleknas

This challenging move is a step up from the dead bug, but one removed from the V-sit – the perfect stepping stone, if you will. Lie on your back with your arms extended and pointing up, and your knees in tabletop position, with a 90° bend at your hips and knees. Slowly lower your arms towards the floor, and extend your legs while lowering them, until all your limbs are just off the floor. Reverse the move in a controlled motion.

V-sit

This challenging exercise hits both your upper and lower abs at the same time, making it an efficient option for those aiming to develop definition in their midsection. Lie on the ground with your legs together and your arms extended behind you. Raise your legs as high as you can, keeping them together, and lift your chest to meet them with your arms above your head to form a V-shape. If you’re struggling to keep your legs straight and can’t raise them all that high, you can bend at the knees for a modified V-sit.

The ultimate challenge: holding a plank for 30 days. Forget your friends and family, forget every part of your current day-to-day existence, you are about to become the first person ever to hold a plank for 30 full days. 720 hours. 43,200 minutes. Many, many seconds.

Alas, in reality, such a feat remains impossible. The Guinness World Record for holding a plank currently stands at nine hours, 30 minutes and one second, set by Australian Daniel Scali in 2021.

The arbitrary goal of this 30-day challenge is not to break Scali’s absurd record (although you’re very welcome to have a crack at it if you like), but instead to build up to holding a plank for three minutes.

Many people find having a goal is a very effective way to motivate themselves to adopt good habits, but the real point of this challenge is to improve your core strength by gradually building how long you perform a plank each time. Your core consists of a range of muscles around your middle, which are important for posture and movement. If you’re returning to exercise, taking the time to develop your core strength is a smart way to ensure a new regime doesn’t result in injury.

This plank challenge is also easy to slip into a busy routine. You’re required to perform less than three minutes of planking each day, so it can be done when you wake up or go to bed. You won’t get sweaty either, nor will you move (you hold the position), so you don’t even need to get changed into your gym gear and shower afterwards.

In fact, it’s over so quickly, you may want to team it with one of our other 30-day fitness challenges. We’d recommend the squat challenge or, if you’re happy to sweat, the burpee challenge. If you really want to push your core to the limit, try our abs challenge or press-up challenge. 

The 30-Day Plank Challenge

Designed by Maximuscle personal trainer Paul Olima, this challenge will be as big a test of your mental resources as of your physical strength. Take heart from the fact you will have both a core and a mind as strong as iron at the end of it. The first few days are exclusively standard planks, but as time goes on, some variations enter the mix. Make sure you nail your technique for each variation before starting.

How To Plank

Lying on your front, brace your abs and lift your body off the floor, supporting yourself on your forearms and the balls of your feet, with your elbows under your shoulders and hands together. Keep your back and hips aligned so you form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.

Here are Olima’s tips to further refine your technique:

• Activate your quads to prevent the hip flexors from taking over.
• Squeeze your glutes to prevent lower-back pain during the plank.
• Engage your lats and drag your elbows towards your feet (don’t actually move them, but feel the squeeze).
• Fire your pecs by squeezing your shoulder blades together.

That might seem a lot to bear in mind at once, but remember that you’re going to be spending a lot of the next month planking, so you’ll be grateful to have something to think about.

How To Do The Walking Plank

Adopt the plank position, then push up one arm at a time to get into the high plank position with arms extended and hands under your shoulders. Reverse the move and continue moving from the plank to high plank at a slow, deliberate pace, keeping your back and hips aligned throughout.

How To Do The Superman Plank

Adopt the plank position. Slowly lift and extend one arm and the opposite leg until they are parallel to the ground. Hold for the specified time, then repeat on the other side.

Got all that? Ready to do this? Good. Let’s plank. 

What Next?

A fitness challenge is a great way to start exercising again and if it’s given you the taste for the benefits of exercise, now’s the time to cement a long-term exercise habit. If you’ve gotten this far you clearly like a schedule, so see if any of the following tickle your fancy. 

• This home workout plan doesn’t require any equipment and consists of three workouts a week.
• If you own dumbbells, this dumbbell workout plan will help you build muscle at home.
• One issue that beginner runners often have to overcome is a lack of core strength. After completing this plank challenge you won’t have that issue, so try running with this couch to 5K plan.

There is perhaps no exercise that provides more benefits with less movement than the classic plank. Maximum returns for minimum movement is the plank’s business, and business is good.

All you have to do is hold the plank for as long as you can and you’ll strengthen all kinds of muscles, with the abs in particular feeling the burn.

It sounds simple enough, but once you adopt the position you’ll quickly realise that staying there for anything longer than 20 seconds is an arm-shaking, core-quaking ordeal.

Benefits Of The Plank

Master the plank and you’ll have a core so tough even Jules Verne wouldn’t contemplate travelling to the centre of it. The plank strengthens and tones an array of muscles found all over your body, including your shoulders, arms, lower back and rump, but the primary target is the abs, which really feel the squeeze.

There’s even a free mental workout chucked in too, because your willpower is tested by the challenge of staying perfectly still for as long as possible.

How To Do A Plank

The plank is all about posture. Your weight should be on the balls of your feet and your elbows, with your hands locked together in front. Keep your back and hips aligned so you form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. Brace your abdominals, and don’t raise or lower those hips. That’s cheating. Struggling? If even adopting the position proves impossible, start with your knees on the ground. Once you can hold this bent-knee plank for two minutes, get back on those toes.

Speaking of arbitrary time goals, here are some great ones for the plank, plus a couple of truly ridiculous plank holds from record holders.

• 30sec – novice
• 1min – average
• 1min 30sec – good
• 2min – very good
• 3min – excellent
• 5min – plank master
• 9hr 30min 01sec – the plank world record has been hotly contested in recent years, and the two leading contenders have been Chinese police officer Mao Weidong and US Marine veteran George Hood, with the record going back and forth between the pair since 2016. However, there is now a new plank world record holder. Daniel Scali held the position for an astonishing 9hr 30min 1sec to beat the previous record of 8hr 15min 15sec set by Hood in 2020. The 28-year-old Scali, who is from Australia, set his record to raise awareness of chronic pain conditions – he is a chronic pain sufferer himself. With Hood now retired from plank world record attempts (he set his last one at the age of 62!), it’s up to Mao to break Scali’s mark… or perhaps a new planker will enter the fray.

22 Killer Plank Variations

The plank is a fine move, but for the experienced trainee it swiftly reaches the point of diminishing returns. It's like any other move – you might start with a humble 20kg on the bench press, but once that becomes easy you'd ramp up the weight rather than just increasing the reps. Your rule of thumb? Once you can hold a strict plank for two minutes, it's time to upgrade to something tougher.

1 Super plank

First, make sure your basic plank’s up to scratch: abs tight, glutes tensed, body perfectly straight… then make it harder. “Bring your elbows out in front a little, then as you brace everything, drive your elbows into the floor,” says Joe Lightfoot, founder of Results Inc gym. “Feel your lats and abs engage. Quality, not quantity, should be your focus.”

2 Feet-elevated plank

A simple way to increase the difficulty of the standard plank is to place your feet on a step or bench. Hold the position as normal, maintaining a straight line from head to feet, and you’ll find it harder as the result of your feet being elevated.

3 Sandbag drag

Get into a normal plank with a sandbag slightly ahead of you and to one side. Then use one arm to drag it across your body. Switch arms and drag it back. “You can also use a small stack of plates,” says Lightfoot. “Transfer them all to one side, then move them back.”

4 Side plank

The side plank has a different training effect from the standard plank: it places significant stress on a portion of the posterior abdominals known as the quadratus lumborum. Don’t be put off by the Latin – stimulating this small, neglected muscle prevents a lot of lower back pain. To perform the move, lie on your side with one forearm directly below your shoulder, then raise your hips until your body is in a straight line from head to feet.

5. Star side plank

This is a tougher variation of the side plank that enhances its benefits in strengthening the quadratus lumborum. From an elevated plank position with hands positioned under your shoulders and arms extended, twist your body to raise one arm until it’s pointing at the ceiling, then lift your upper leg as well. At this point all four limbs will be extended so you form a star shape. Star-shape-ish, at any rate. You can also do the star side plank while supporting yourself on your forearm like you do with the regular side plank for a slightly easier variation of the exercise.

6 Side plank with reach

Get into a side plank position, or even a star side plank position if you’re feeling strong. Twist your torso until your chest is facing the ground and reach your arm through the gap between your body and the floor. Then rotate back up to your starting position. Do all your reps on one side before switching to the other. This variation increases the challenge to your core, and is also slightly more exciting than just holding the same position.

7 Reverse plank

Flip your standard plank over so you’re looking at the ceiling and you’ll help to strengthen your back. When your form’s spot on, the hamstrings, glutes and abdominals will feel the benefit too. The key is in keeping your body straight at all times.

8 Walking plank

This one adds instability and co-ordination to the mix. “Start in a regular plank position and move from being on your elbows to your hands,” says trainer Adam Wakefield. “Moving one arm at a time, try to place your hand where your elbow was, then reverse the process.” For extra triceps work, add in a press-up between reps.

9 Plank jack

The plank jack combines two age-old favourites, mashing up the plank and the jumping jack. Adding this to your routine will carve a tremendously strong core, plus it can be useful to chuck into a cardio circuit because it’ll keep your heart rate high.

10 Body saw

You’ll need sliders or a pair of towels and a hard, slightly slippy surface to pull off the minimal side-to-side movement required for this tricky variation that provides extra stimulation of the abs. The movement may be slight, but boy will you feel it.

11 Superman plank

The superman plank is a staple move in strength and conditioning programmes because it teaches mobility and co-ordination. It gives your abs a right kicking, too. When you lift one arm, you should raise the alternate leg, holding for a moment, then repeat on the opposing sides.

12 RKC plank

The Russian Kettlebell Challenge plank doesn’t use a kettlebell. No, we don’t know why either, but we do know it’s double hard. In the typical plank position, retract your shoulder blades to engage the upper traps; all the while, your glutes should be slightly elevated and squeezed. This one’s all about maintaining tension – and keeping your muscles from shaking too violently.

13 Russian press-up

This one strengthens your triceps – and if you’re working on muscle-ups, it’ll improve the transition from pull-up to dip. “Do a press-up, but at the bottom of the rep, lower yourself onto your forearms – then drive back up,” says Wakefield. “You’ll get some of the movement from pressing forwards with your toes, but try to minimise it.”

14 Renegade plank

If you’ve tried a renegade row, you know that the demand on your abs is highest when the dumbbell leaves the floor. Enhance the effect with a pair of benches: set up with your forearms on one and feet on another, then pick a dumbbell up from the floor with one hand and hold for time. Your obliques will thank you later.

15 Stir the pot

You’ll need a gym ball for this one. “Get into a plank position with your forearms on the ball, then move the ball in a circular motion while keeping your hips as still as possible,” says Wakefield. “Do five to ten reps in one direction, then switch directions. The slower you go, the better.” Your abs will be worked from unexpected angles.

16 Rope wave

Battle ropes aren’t just for all-out smashing – they’ll add core control to your plank too. “Assume the position, then grab a rope with one hand,” says W10 Performance trainer Olli Foxley. “Slam the rope up and down while keeping the rest of your body as still as possible.” Try three sets of ten seconds.

17 Add weight

This couldn't be simpler. A weight plate will work, but without a training partner it’s impractical – instead, wear a weighted vest or wrap some chains (your gym has those, right?) around yourself.

18 Alternating shoulder tap plank

Assume a regular plank position. Keeping your hips square to the floor, tap your left shoulder with your right hand, then return it to the start position and repeat on the opposite side with your left hand. Aim to complete 15-20 reps on each side.

19 Plank to downward-facing dog toe taps

Start in an elevated plank position with hands positioned under your shoulders and arms extended. Push through your hands to move your torso backwards while raising your hips so you end up in an inverted V position. Then tap your right foot with your left hand and return to the plank position. Repeat the movement but this time tap your left foot with your right hand. The twisting motion of the exercise helps to work the abs from different angles, and by moving into the downward-facing dog position you get a free bonus in the form of stretching the muscles on the backs of your legs, especially your calves.

20 TRX plank

One of the toughest versions of the feet-elevated plank is doing it with your feet in the handles of a suspension trainer. When you try to hold your position, the unstable support provided by the rope means your core will have to work even harder than usual to hold the plank.

21 Rocking plank

Another variation in which you add just the tiniest amount of movement to increase the challenge to your core. You can do the rocking plank whether you’re supporting your upper body with your forearms or your hands. While maintaining the plank position, rock yourself forwards by pressing your toes into the ground until your shoulders move past your hands (or elbows, if you’re resting on your forearms) and then rock back until your heels move past your toes.

22 Power Plate plank

If you’ve never used the Power Plate in your gym, the plank is the ideal exercise for getting acquainted with it. The vibrations from the machine travel through the muscles, making them tire faster, so you might find that even if you’re a plank master who’s used to holding the position for several minutes at a time, you’ll struggle to get past the 60-second mark when performing it on the Power Plate. Set the Power Plate to 30-35/low and then rest either your forearms or feet on the plate when adopting the plank position.

Doing hundreds of crunches doesn’t result in a rock-hard six-pack, just as doing hundreds of light dumbbell curls doesn’t develop bulging biceps. To develop abs that are both functional and visually impressive, you need to treat this misunderstood muscle group just like every other: hit it from multiple angles with a variety of rep ranges and movement patterns to engage and challenge as many muscle fibres as possible, making them grow back stronger. 

To work your abs effectively, train them until they start to cramp up and you can really feel the muscles burning – that shows that you are working them hard enough. When they begin to cramp, pause in position and take three deep breaths, then try to do as many extra reps as possible.

Try these moves and watch your abs bloom.

Hanging knee raise

Difficulty Easy Targets Lower abs Rep range target 12-15

Hang from a bar or rings with your legs straight. Keep your chest up and brace your abs and glutes, then bring your knees up to hip height. Pause and hold for a second, then lower your feet back to the start.

Hanging knee raise twist

Difficulty Easy Targets Obliques Rep range target 12-15

Hang from a bar or rings with your legs straight. Keep your chest up and brace your abs and glutes, then bring your knees up, twisting to one side as you lift them, until they’re at hip height. Pause and hold for a second, then lower your feet back to the start. Repeat, twisting to the other side, and alternate sides with each rep.

See related

• The Best Obliques Exercises For A Strong Core
• The Best Abs Workout: Circuits For Upper Abs, Lower Abs, And Obliques And Core
• How To Start Training With Gymnastic Rings
• The Best Pull-Up Bars For Your Home Workouts

To make the next two moves really effective at sculpting hard abs, it’s essential that you maintain tension throughout your core for the duration of the entire set. The more tension you can place on your abs, the bigger the signal they get that they need to grow back stronger and more defined.

Garhammer raise

Difficulty Easy Targets Lower abs Rep range target 15+

Start at the top of the hanging knee raise position with your abs engaged. From there, keeping tension on your abs, draw your knees up higher and in towards your chest. Lower back to the start position but don’t let your abs switch off. This is a high-rep exercise because the movement range is limited, but your abs should be cramping by the end of the set.

Knees to chest

Difficulty Medium Targets Entire core Rep range target 8-12

Start at the top of the hanging knee raise position with your abs engaged. From there, keeping tension on your abs, draw your knees up as high as possible. Lower back to the start position, maintaining tension throughout your body.

As well as working your abs, these final three tougher moves really test your grip strength because you must keep your entire body tight and stable for the duration of each rep. If your grip goes before you feel your abs getting worked, try using straps to keep your hands locked in position so you can hit your target number of reps.

Hanging leg raise

Difficulty Medium Targets Lower abs Rep range target 8-12

Hang from a bar or rings with your legs straight. Keep your chest up and brace your abs and glutes, then bring your feet up to hip height with your legs still straight. Pause and hold for a second, then lower your feet back down to the start.

Windscreen wiper

Difficulty Hard Targets Entire core Rep range target 6-8

Hang from a bar or rings with your legs straight. Keep your chest up and brace your abs and glutes, then raise your legs towards your hands. From there, keeping your abs fully braced and legs straight, lower your feet to one side, then back up over to the other side. Keep each rep as smooth and controlled as you can.

Toes to bar

Difficulty Hard Targets Entire core Rep range target 6-8

Form Hang from a bar or rings with your legs straight. Keep your chest up and brace your abs and glutes, then raise your feet towards your hands. Maintain tension on your abs as you lower your feet back to the start position, then repeat, keeping each rep smooth and controlled without too much jerking up and down.

Photography: Glen Burrows; Model: Louis Rennocks

Think back to the last time you saw a gym ball (also known as a Swiss ball, although no-one seems to know why). We’d wager it was in one of two scenarios: either being used as a dust magnet in a corner of your gym; or being the best supporting actor role in a viral video where the main protagonist will, after several seconds of desperately trying to regain their composure, fall arse over tit and land flat on their face.

But there’s far more to the gym ball than cleaning or comedy purposes. In the right hands it’s one of the most versatile bits of kit in your gym and its potential uses are only limited by your imagination. What’s more, because it’s cheap and lightweight and can be quickly inflated and deflated, it’s one of the first items of home gym equipment you should buy – Argos has a decent range of gym balls.

The Benefits Of Using A Gym Ball

“The gym ball is so versatile it can be used to help someone who is just starting out in the gym as well as experienced exercisers,” says Stephen MacConville, Nuffield Health’s fitness lead.

“A gym ball can be used by beginners to work on their squat technique. If they place the gym ball between the wall and their lower back, it can be used to support their back and help increase the range of movement in the squat.

“Just sitting on a gym ball is great for learning basic co-ordination and balance, and for helping people to improve their awareness of the position and movement of their own body.”

“For the more advanced gym-goer it can help by adding an extra level of instability, increasing the challenge of their workouts in a new and potentially unfamiliar way.”

That instability makes all your stabiliser muscles – those unsung heroes that normally play second fiddle to the pecs, biceps and triceps – work to keep your balance while you perform exercises. Using them regularly for bodyweight moves builds functional strength all over your body that will reduce the risk of sporting injury, improve your posture and support the muscles responsible for taking the strain of heavier compound lifts like squats and overhead presses.

Common Gym Ball Mistakes

Using an unstable surface is great at times, but if you’re looking to work certain parts of the body harder, then a gym ball isn’t always your best bet.

“Adding an unstable surface increases complexity, not intensity,” says MacConville. “Many people perform sit-ups on a gym ball, thinking that it is more challenging for the core. However, you will gain greater benefit from just performing the actual exercise because it will engage the desired muscles rather than all the surrounding muscles.”

The gym ball is also used outside of workouts as an alternative office chair, but don’t use it as a replacement because it can result in worse posture than if you’d stuck with a chair.

“People believe using the gym ball will challenge their core and help them maintain good posture,” says MacConville. “While this is true initially, when the muscles become fatigued your posture can suffer significantly, causing you to sit in a worse position than you would have in a chair.”

Beginner Gym Ball Exercises

Gym ball crunch

Lie with your mid-back on the ball, your knees bent at 90° and your feet planted firmly on the ground. Place your fingers to your temples and lean back over the ball to stretch your abs. Exhale, then contract your abs to bring your torso up. Pause at the top. This move is about the quality of muscle contraction so keep the tempo slow and controlled.

Gym ball reverse crunch

Hold the ball between your calves and the backs of your thighs. Curl your hips off the floor and bring your knees towards your chest. Pause at the top, then lower slowly to the start.

Gym ball crunch twist

Lie with your back on the ball, your feet flat on the floor and your fingers touching your temples. Contract your upper abs to raise your torso off the ball. As you come up twist to one side, pause, then twist all the way to the other side and pause. Return to the start to complete one rep.

Gym ball pec squeeze

Do this drill six days in a row, taking day seven off. Stand tall, holding a gym ball between your elbows with your upper arms parallel to the floor. Squeeze the ball, as if you were using a pec deck, for 20sec, then rest for 60sec. Do this five times. Every two days increase the squeeze time by 5sec. After three weeks you’ll be doing 60sec squeezes with a bigger and stronger chest.

Intermediate Gym Ball Exercises

Gym ball incline plank

Rest your weight on your elbows on the ball. Hold your body in a straight line from head to heels without your hips sagging. Maintain that position for 30 seconds.

Gym ball Russian Twist

Lie with your upper back supported on the gym ball with arms straight above your chest and hands together. Keeping your arms straight and together, rotate your torso to one side to lower your hands towards the ground. Pause, then twist all the way to the other side and pause. Return to the start to complete one rep.

Gym ball jackknife

Hold your body in a straight line with your feet on the ball, hands under shoulders. Draw your knees in towards your chest, then return them to the start without letting your hips sag.

Gym ball roll-out

Kneel in front of the gym ball and rest your forearms on the side of the ball closest to you. Extend your arms to roll the ball forwards, using your abs muscles to control the wobble and keep your body steady. Then roll it back again slowly to return to the start, keeping your back flat throughout.

Gym ball leg scissors

Hold the ball off the floor between your feet. Rotate your lower body to one side, then to the other. Continue, alternating sides.

Gym ball lateral crunch

Lie side-on to the ball and jam your feet against a wall for support. Lift your torso sideways as far as you can. Pause at the top and lower slowly, then repeat on the other side.

Advanced Gym Ball Exercises

Gym ball side plank

Rest one elbow on the ball. Hold your body in a straight line from head to feet. Maintain that position for 30-60 seconds without letting your hips sag.

Gym ball incline press-up

Start in a press-up position but with your palms on the gym ball, shoulder-width apart. Brace your core and bend your elbows to lower your chest to the ball. Press back up powerfully to the start.

Gym ball passing V-sit

Hold the ball between your feet, keeping your arms and legs straight. Lift your legs and arms together to pass the ball from feet and hands. Lower your arms and legs slowly, passing the ball back and forth.

Gym ball chest press

Lie holding dumbbells with your upper back on the ball and your knees bent at 90° with your feet planted on the floor. Start with arms straight and the weights above your head. Bend your elbows to lower them to your chest, then press back up to the start.

Scorpions

Get into a press-up position with one foot on the ball. Bend the other knee and twist your body to one side. Twist your body to the other side, bringing your knee underneath you.

Gym ball pike

Hold your body in a straight line from head to heels with your feet on the ball and your hands directly beneath your shoulders. Contract your abs to draw your feet towards your hands so your body forms an inverted V-shape. Brace your core throughout the set to stay stable, and breathe in as you raise your hips and out as you lower.

Gym Ball Circuit

To sculpt a rock-hard six-pack you need to work your abs harder than ever before. Do this six-move circuit using exercises described above in order, only resting for three minutes after the final move. Then repeat the circuit, completing it four times in total.

1 Incline press-up

Reps 10

It starts with a press-up variation that works your entire core thanks to the instability created by using the ball.

2 Crunch twist

Reps 10

This move works your upper abs as well as your obliques, or side abs. Keep each rep smooth and controlled with your abs engaged throughout.

3 Russian twist

Reps 10

This next exercise continues to tax your obliques hard, helping them grow so you can sculpt a strong and tight six-pack.

4 Pike

Reps 10

This move requires a full activation of your deep-lying core muscles so your upper and lower body can work as a single unit.

5 Roll-out

Reps 10

Roll-outs on a ball are harder than on a barbell because your entire core must work hard to prevent sideways movement of the ball as you roll it forwards and back.

6 Incline plank

Time 60sec

The final move of the circuit is an incline plank, done for time, not reps. Keep your core tight throughout and breathe slowly and consistently.

There is – or should be – a whole lot more to working out your abs than getting a six-pack, and there are other muscles in your midsection that merit at least as much attention as the rectus abdominis, which run down the centre of the front of your stomach to form the “washboard”.

The obliques, which frame the outside of your midsection, are an example of other core muscles that deserve some more time in the limelight, as PT Ann Brindley of Active Nation explains.

“The obliques help to stabilise and protect your spine, as well as helping to bend and rotate your torso to the side, so it’s important to include them in your abs workouts.”

To help you do just that, here are Brindley’s favourite obliques exercises for beginner, intermediate and advanced gym-goers, along with her sets and reps suggestions for each move.

Beginner Obliques Exercises

Side crunch

Sets 3 Reps 10

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Put both hands on the side of your right leg. Slowly, keeping your abs under tension, crunch up to the right side. Repeat on the left side for one rep.

Side bend

Sets 3 Reps 15 each side

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medium to heavy dumbbell in your right hand. Engage your core and bend to the right at the waist towards the floor. Pull from your core to bring your body back to the start position. Complete all reps on one side, then switch.

Side plank

Sets 3 Time 30sec each side

Lie on your side with your legs straight and prop up your upper body on your forearm. Raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels. Hold that position without letting your hips sag.

Intermediate Obliques Exercises

Russian twist

Sets 3 Reps 15

Sit with your legs on the floor in front of you, knees bent and heels on the floor. Lean back so your torso is at roughly 45° to the floor, holding a medium weight close to your stomach with both hands. Keeping your back straight, twist to the right and then to the left to complete one rep.

Sit-up twist

Sets 3 Reps 15

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands at the side of your head and engage your core. Do a full sit-up and once at the top of the movement twist your right elbow to your left knee, twisting your torso towards that side. Then lower back to the start and repeat on the left side. That’s one rep.

Single-leg heel touch

Sets 3 Reps 15 each side

Lie on your back with your arms extended above your head. Lift your left leg with your foot directly over your hip and a slight bend in your knee. Tuck your chin down towards your chest and reach your right arm towards your left foot by contracting your core. Return to the start position and repeat. Complete all reps on one side, then switch.

See related 

• Six-Pack Diet: 27 Foods That Will Help To Reveal Your Abs
• The Best Abs Exercises For All Levels Of Gym-Goer

Advanced Obliques Exercises

Spider-Man plank

Sets 3 Reps 15

Start in a high plank position with your wrists directly under your shoulders. Bring your right leg out and up towards your right hand, turning your head to the right. Then take your leg back to the start position and repeat on the left side – that’s one rep.

Hanging obliques knee raise

Sets 3 Reps 10

Hanging from a rig or pull-up bar, pull both knees up towards your left side. Keep the rest of your body stationary and focus on crunching with your obliques. Slowly lower back to the start position, then repeat to the right side. That’s one rep.

Bicycle crunch

Sets 3 Reps 15

Lie on your back with your feet raised so your legs are at roughly 45° to the floor. Place your hands behind your head and engage your core to sit up and twist your right elbow towards your left knee, extending your right leg at the same time. Return to the start position and repeat on the other side for one rep. 

More Obliques Exercises

Once you’ve worked through the exercises from Brindley above, expand your obliques training by using these moves.

Heel tap

This is an exercise that feels deceptively easy at first, but by the end of a set you’ll certainly feel the burn in your obliques. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet planted. Raise your head and shoulders off the floor, then use your abs to twist forwards and to the side and touch your right heel with your right hand. Then, keeping your shoulders off the floor, twist to the other side to touch your left heel with your left hand. Keep twisting to alternate sides, making sure your movements are controlled and powered by your abs rather than by reaching from your shoulders.

Side plank with rotation

Once you’ve become comfortable with the static side plank you can increase the difficulty with this tough variation. Start in the standard side plank position, supporting your upper body on your forearm with your hips raised so your body forms a straight line. Extend your other arm up, then twist your torso and bring your arm down and underneath your body, then reverse the move. Keeping your balance as you twist is a stern test of your core strength, and if you’re struggling to complete a set of rotations while maintaining your form, you can revert to the standard side plank midway through.

Woodchop

You can perform this rotational move with pretty much any type of weight, or no weight at all if you have none to hand. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the weight in both hands in front of you (or just with your hands clasped together). Keeping your arms extended, bend at your knees and rotate your torso to bring the weight down and across to the outside of your right thigh, then rotate your torso to take it across your body and above your left shoulder. Then slowly take the weight back across your body to the outside of your thigh. Do all your reps on one side, then switch.

Decline plank with foot touch

This challenging plank variation is great for your entire core, but the extra toe taps will bring the burn to your obliques. Start in a plank position with your feet on a raised surface like a bench. Make sure you don’t move your hips as you slowly bring one foot down to tap the floor with your toes, then replace it on the bench and repeat with the other foot.

When someone performs an isometric exercise in a busy gym it looks very out of place – an island of stillness in a sea of people powering through HIIT sessions or chucking heavy weights around. To the uninitiated, simply holding a position like the plank can look pretty easy as well, and in the first few seconds of performing an isometric exercise you might start to wonder if it’s doing you any good at all.

Then the shaking starts, the burning feeling in your muscles begins to grow, and you rightly admonish yourself for ever doubting the potency of isometric exercises.

Regular isometric training will increase your strength and core stability, and there are mental benefits to it as well, because it takes a lot of willpower to hold a challenging position for long periods while your muscles scream at you to let it go.

We asked Marvin Burton, head of fitness at Anytime Fitness, for his favourite isometric exercises. You can use these as workout finishers or do them as a circuit, cycling through three rounds of holding each position for 20 to 30 seconds.

Wall sit

Muscles targeted: Glutes, hamstrings, quads

“Lean back against a wall with your feet hip-width apart,” says Burton. “Lower your hips until they’re level with your knees and there’s a right angle at both hips and knees. Press your feet flat into the floor, Keep your back upright and flat and your head up throughout the hold.”

Pointed-toes plank

Muscles targeted: Core, shoulders

“Lie face down on the floor,” says Burton. “Pull your elbows under your shoulders, making sure they’re vertically aligned with your forearms pointing forwards and flat on the ground. Lift your hips from the floor and extend onto the ends of your toes. Create a straight line with your body from your shoulders though your hips to your feet.

“Don’t allow your hips to drop. Make sure you’re right on the ends of your toes and they’re not folded under. This will require far more core engagement than a traditional plank.”

L-sit

Muscles targeted: Core, abs

“Sit upright on the ground with your legs extended in front of you and your arms by your sides,” says Burton. “Lean back slightly and raise your legs from the floor. Squeeze through your abs to try and close the distance between your stomach and thighs. Try not to round your spine – maintain perfect straight alignment in your body like a gymnast.”

Incline glute raise

Muscles targeted: Glutes, lower back

“Lie on your back and place your feet flat onto a raised step,” says Burton. “Raise your hips and hold. Focus on squeezing your glutes together and keeping your hips up.”

Dead hang

Muscles targeted: Shoulders, back

“Hang from a high bar,” says Burton. “This will improve your grip and arm strength, and the hanging position also benefits the spine and shoulder muscles. If you’re trying to master pull-ups, this is also a great starting point.”

Anytime Fitness has over 160 gyms across the UK. Visit the website to claim a free day pass

More Isometric Exercises

Side plank

Side planks place a greater workload on your obliques (side abs), as well as the deeper-lying muscles of your core. 

Start on your side, with your weight on one elbow and legs together. Place your other arm against your leg. Raise your hips and engage your abs – imagine drawing your bellybutton in towards your spine – and hold this position without any hip sag. Start by doing 15 seconds on each side, so each side plank set lasts 30 seconds. Then gradually increase the duration to a minute. At this point make the move harder by resting your elbow, or even both feet, on a gym ball.

Side plank star

One of the hardest isometric holds, the side plank star requires your core to keep your body not only straight but also stable, as you raise one leg and one arm.

Start with one hand and one foot on the floor. Raise your hips, keeping your core braced, then raise your top arm and leg as high as you can to form a star shape. Hold this position without falling over. Start by doing sets of 15 seconds each side, then gradually increase the time you spend in the hold, working each side equally. Once you can hold it for a minute, either move your arms and leg up and down under control for the duration of the set, or hold a dumbbell in your top hand.

 In This Series 

• The Classic Plank
• 30-Day Plank Challenge
• Side Plank
• Reverse Plank
• Plank Jack
• Body Saw
• Plank Shoulder Tap
• Walking Plank
• Superman Plank
• RKC Plank

Few exercises are better than the plank at developing your core strength, especially since it requires absolutely no equipment or even that much space.

One thing you do need, however, is grit, because the plank is an isometric move that will test your resolve in a different way from exercises where you’re moving. Maintaining perfect form for anything over 30 seconds is tough on the mind as well as the body. Simply put, it gets boring.

If you’re finding that you can hold a plank for long periods and are getting bored while doing so, try the plank shoulder tap – it’ll increase the difficulty and add some action to help the time fly by. The shoulder tap brings the same core-strengthening benefits of the plank to the table, but the move is more of a challenge for your arms and shoulders. In addition, maintaining your balance and body position as you lift one arm at a time varies the challenge posed to your core muscles.

See related

• Do The 30-Day Plank Challenge
• The Best Core Exercises For All Levels Of Gym-Goer

How To Do The Plank Shoulder Tap

Begin in a high or elevated plank position. Support your body on your hands and toes with your arms extended and hands planted directly under your shoulders, and your legs extended. Your body should form a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders – don’t let your hips sag or pike them up into the air.

The movement involved in the exercise is a simple one. Raise one hand off the floor and move it up and across to tap the opposite shoulder, then repeat on the opposite side. Move deliberately, and engage your core and glutes to ensure that your hips don’t rock from side to side as you move your arms. The rest of your body should stay as still as possible while you’re moving your arms. Imagine a glass of water resting on your lower back – don’t let it tip off to the side.

If you’re finding the exercise tough, return to a standard plank to build more strength and stability, or build up to the full move by performing the plank shoulder tap with your knees on the floor to begin with.

The dead bug might sound like a dance move, but in fact it’s a safe and effective core exercise which is widely used across a number of settings. Variations of the dead bug exercise are performed in Pilates to develop abdominal strength and pelvic stability, and Coach staffers have been prescribed it by numerous physios after sundry running injuries to improve core strength and reduce the chances of future injury.

It also works as both an exercise to make you a faster runner and a home exercise for cyclists to build strength and resilience to injury. It’s an excellent move for beginners too because it doesn’t put excess strain on your lower back, which can be a concern with sit-ups and many other common abs exercises.

How To Do A Dead Bug

Lie flat on your back with your arms extended towards the ceiling. Then lift your legs and bend your knees at 90° so your lower legs are parallel with the floor. Engage your core and draw your bellybutton in to get your back as flat against the floor as possible—you shouldn’t be able to get a hand in between your back and the floor, and you need to maintain this throughout.

Slowly lower your right arm behind your head and extend your left leg forwards at the same time, exhaling as you go. Keep going until your arm and leg are just above the floor, being careful not to raise your back off the floor. Then, as you inhale, slowly return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite limbs.

Dead Bug Form Tips

“The point of the dead bug is to train your deep core but also spine stabilization,” says D’Orazio. “So you want to keep your core tight and your pelvis down on the mat without letting it wiggle back and forth when you’re moving your arm and leg.”

When your leg is extended you want it to be just above the floor. How far above may be dictated by your core strength. “If you feel it in your lower back, that means the leg is dropping a little bit too low for you,” says D’Orazio.

Dead Bug Variations

Kettlebell dead bug

To progress the dead bug, hold a kettlebell in one hand while you lower and raise your other arm and its opposite leg. Don’t lower the kettlebell. Do all the reps on one side, then switch sides. 

Once you’ve had lower-back pain you’re always on the look-out for ways of ensuring it doesn’t happen again. While getting an expert’s take on the leg raise we discovered it’s a move with injury-prevention credentials. 

Here’s Fiona Scott, head of physical performance and academic liaison at Performance Herts at the University of Hertfordshire, to explain all. 

Benefits Of The Leg Raise

“It’s a core exercise, and by core I mean the true core muscles: your pelvic floor, transverse abdominis, internal obliques and multifidus, which run down the spine,” says Scott. 

“It works those muscles because you are keeping your body still while moving your legs. This style of core exercise works your lower core muscles more – the pelvic floor and the transverse abdominis – so you should feel it in the strip of muscles below the bellybutton.

“The transverse abdominis wraps around our lower stomach like a waistband and helps support our back. Lower-back injuries are common, unfortunately, so if we can keep the core strong we can alleviate the pressure put on the lower back.

“Another positive is that they’re easier to do for people with back injuries, keeping the spine neutral throughout while the legs do the movement. You don’t need any equipment, you just need to lie down, and there are loads of ways to make it easier or harder.”

How To Do The Leg Raise

“Lie stretched out on your back and imprint your lower back into the floor,” says Scott. A coaching cue Scott uses is to think about drawing your bellybutton towards the floor. 

She suggests placing your arms by your sides with your palms pushing into the floor for extra support. This way, your body will naturally create some downward force, making the movement slightly easier. Or, if you want more of a challenge, try keeping your arms across your chest. 

“Lift both legs as high as your hamstring mobility will allow. On the way up, you’ll feel it in your core, in that strip of muscles below your bellybutton – this is a sign you’re doing it correctly.

“Don’t let gravity take over on the way down. Stay in control of the descent, so you’re training your core during both halves of the movement.”

She adds that you should “only lower your legs to a point where you can keep those muscles imprinted. I often get people to place their hands underneath their lower back and try to squash their fingers, so if they tried to wiggle them they would be clamped down.”

Leg Raise Variations

Knee raise

This is an example of what Scott calls a “short-levered version” of the leg raise, putting less force through your core by bringing your legs closer to your body.

“Lie on the floor, as you would for a lying leg raise, then bring both knees up to 90° with your thighs vertical,” says Scott. “Keep your lower back on the floor, lower your legs to tap your heels on the floor, then bring them back up to the starting position, keeping your knees at 90° throughout.”

Single leg raise

As explained above, one way to make the leg raise easier is to bend your knees during the movement, but another less taxing variation is to lift one limb at a time. Keeping one leg grounded will help stabilise your body as you raise the other leg, so you can focus on perfecting your form.

Medicine ball leg raise

Add an extra challenge for your abs, hips and adductors (the insides of your thighs) by gripping a medicine ball between your feet.

Weighted leg raise

As with most exercises, you can make the leg raise tougher by introducing some weight. With this variation you hold a dumbbell or sandbell between your feet as you perform the exercise. Keep the weight light, because it really doesn’t take much to make the leg raise very challenging indeed, and also you don’t want a heavy dumbbell to slip when you’re holding it with legs fully extended above your crotch.

Leg raise on dip station

If you’re looking to take your leg raises airborne but aren’t quite ready to try the hanging leg raise yet, head for the dip station. You’ll work your core all the harder to keep your torso still, and your arms and shoulders get a workout as well. Supporting yourself on both arms, which should be extended and by your sides, raise your legs straight out in front of you, then slowly lower them again. If this is proving too tough then you can bend your legs and bring your knees up instead.

Hanging leg raise

About as tough as leg raising gets, this variation involves hanging from a pull-up bar or gymnastic rings while you raise your legs until they are parallel to the ground. Once again, you can start by bending your legs and raising your knees to your chest as a way of working up to the full exercise, and it’s also worth trying some dead hangs first to ensure you have the upper-body and grip strength to hold yourself up while leg raising.

Hanging knee raise

If you’re building up to the hanging leg raise, or halfway through a set of them and realise you haven’t got the strength to get through to the end, give the hanging knee raise a go. Hang from a bar with an overhand grip. Draw your knees up slowly until your thighs are parallel to the ground, then lower them slowly. It’s still a great move for hammering your abs, just not quite as tough as the full hanging leg raise.

Garhammer raise

Hanging knee and leg raises are both great exercises for working your core, but the garhammer raise makes one adjustment that makes it even more effective – if you can manage it. With both the leg and knee raise you extend your legs beneath you after each rep, which releases the tension in your abs; with the garhammer raise you don’t get that break, because you never extend your legs fully until the set is completed.

Hang from the bar with an overhand grip. Bend your legs and bring your knees up until your thighs are parallel to the ground. This is the starting position for the exercise. Bring your knees up as high as you can towards your chest, then lower them slowly until your thighs are parallel to the ground again. Don’t be surprised if you tap out earlier in the set than you expect, because maintaining the tension in your core muscles like this is brutal. You can always switch to the standard hanging knee raise halfway through a set if you do need the release.

About Our Expert

It’s a well established fact that you don’t need to move to build a stronger core. Planks and all manner of other holds, also known as isometric exercises, can strengthen your core muscles, often far more effectively than rattling off 100 sit-ups.

The Pallof press is anti-rotation hold exercise that will work wonders in helping you develop a stable core. It’s an especially good move for those training for sports where you’re expected to spin on a sixpence at speed, because it helps build the core strength to cope with twists and turns without getting injured. Furthermore, if you like your functional workouts to come with a side of aesthetics, the Pallof press will become your new favourite, because it will sharpen up your exterior abs and obliques just as much as the interior core muscles.

How To Do The Pallof Press

How you do the Pallof press depends on what equipment you have to hand – you will need either a resistance band or, if you’re in the gym, a cable machine. It’s slightly easier to do with the latter, but if you can secure a resistance band to something at around shoulder height – something stable, a floor lamp isn’t going to cut it – then that works just as well. With a cable machine it’s best to attach a standard handle at around shoulder height.

Grasp the handle (or one end of the resistance band) in both hands and hold it against your chest. Stand or kneel side-on to the cable machine with your feet hip-width apart, then step away so the cable becomes taut. Engage your core and press the handle out with both hands so your arms are extended in front of your chest. Hold this position, resisting the pull of the cable and not letting your torso rotate towards the machine, for five to ten seconds then bring the handle back in to your chest. Do all your reps facing in one direction, then turn and stand with your other side to the machine. Alternatively, you can hold the press for as long as possible, rather than doing reps.

If you’re looking to increase the challenge of the Pallof press, move your feet closer together. Having a narrower base forces your core work even harder to keep your torso steady.

See related

• The Best Resistance Bands For Home And The Gym
• Try These Isometric Exercises And Get Stronger Without Moving
• How To Get A Six-Pack

Pallof Press Variations

Half-kneeling Pallof press

Once you’ve become comfortable with the Pallof press it’s time to move onto your knees to make the exercise a little trickier. The half-kneeling Pallof press is a good first step, because having one foot planted provides a more stable base than kneeling on both. Set up with the cable machine to the side of you and drop to one knee. Your position should resemble a lunge, but with the back knee grounded. Press the cable out in front of you and hold for five to ten seconds, resisting the rotation, then bring it back to your chest.

Kneeling Pallof press

Moving from one knee to two makes your base even more unstable, and increases the challenge to your core when resisting rotation in the exercise. If you find that you’re getting pulled off-balance during your sets, either reduce the weight a little or switch back to the half-kneeling variation to complete your final reps.

Main image: PT and sports dietitian Kerri Major, taken from her book The Dietitian Kitchen: Nutrition For A Healthy, Strong, & Happy You. Reused with permission. Photographer: Daniel McAvoy

Is it a bird, is it a plane, or is it Superman? You’ll certainly channel your superpowers with this simple core exercise that will strengthen and stabilize your hips, lower back and spine. Variations of the bird-dog exercise are performed in yoga, where it’s known as the balancing table pose, but you don’t need to be a veteran yogi to reap the benefits. All that’s required is a mat to protect your knees and a good sense of balance—or at least the desire to improve your balance.

Bird-Dog Exercise Benefits

According to certified personal trainer and owner of CGM Fitness Cara D’Orazio, this simple yoga-inspired exercise uses your whole body to target and strengthen your transverse muscles, including the abdominals, obliques, rectus abdominis and your pelvic floor, which in turn promotes good posture and increased range of motion. 

“This one is more posterior chain than the dead bug for example, so you’re going to work your hamstrings with this exercise, especially if you focus on rounding your spine and limb extension,” says D’Orazio. “You’ll also work your glutes, hamstrings and even the shoulder blades. There’s more shoulder mobility in this than the dead bug.”

How To Do The Bird-Dog

The bird-dog is a simple pose that you can do at home without any equipment. However, it does require strong balancing skills and good alignment, so it will help if you have a comfortable mat to kneel on and a mirror to check your body position the first time you try it.

To perform the bird-dog exercise, start on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees hip-width apart. To begin, extend your right leg behind you and point your toes and at the same time extend your left arm in front of you, pointing your fingers forward. 

Hold steady for a few moments and focus all your energy on stretching your extended fingers and toes, then return to the starting position. Then switch sides, stretching your right arm forward and your left leg back.

To make the bird-dog more challenging, D’Orazio suggests you perform the movement while holding weights or wearing ankle weights. Adding a knee raise between transitions will also make it more powerful. Alternatively, including a small pulsing movement when your limbs are raised will make the exercise more dynamic.

Bird-Dog Variations

Bird-dog crunch

This is a slightly more advanced variation of the exercise, which increases the challenge to your core and also tests your balance to a greater extent. The exercise starts as normal, as you extend opposing limbs in front and behind, but instead of taking them back to the floor afterwards, you bring them together so your elbow and knee touch under your chest. Make sure the rest of your body stays still as you do this. If you’re finding that impossible, swap back to the standard bird-dog exercise to complete your set.

Resistance band bird-dog

If you really want to increase the difficulty of the bird-dog, grab a large looped resistance band. Loop it around your right hand and left foot so it is taut in the starting position for the exercise. Then raise and point as normal, working against the resistance band as you extend your limbs and attempt to keep your body stable. Do all your reps on one side, then switch the band over. Depending on the strength of the resistance band you have available this can make the bird-dog very difficult indeed, so make sure you are maintaining good form throughout and discard the resistance band if you’re not.

Cable machine bird-dog

If you don’t have access to a cable machine, you can do this advanced variation of the bird-dog with a resistance band attached to a post behind you. If you do, hook one foot into a low handle and then get onto your hands and knees with the machine behind you so there is tension in the cable or band attached to your foot.

Perform your bird-dogs on that side, resisting the pull of the cable, which will try to yank your hips out of shape in particular. Once you’ve done your reps on that side, attach the cable to the other foot and repeat. Resisting the pull of the cable makes your core work even harder during the move, as well as strengthening your hip flexors.

FAQs

About Our Expert

Sometimes it’s hard to see how the exercises you do in the gym will translate to any substantial benefit in the real world. That is absolutely not the case with the Zercher carry.

“Simply put, Zercher carries make you really good at carrying something in front of you,” says Will McAuley, strength and conditioning coach at London personal training studio PerformancePro. “Think of carrying a box down a set of stairs on moving day, lifting luggage into an overhead compartment on a plane, or even picking up one of your children!

“The Zercher carry works a whole bunch of different muscles, but mainly it focuses on your trunk, which has to stay stable while you walk so that the weight you’re carrying doesn’t tip to one side. You also get some work for your forearms, biceps, shoulders – mainly the anterior deltoid – and pecs.”

How To Do The Zercher Carry

“The execution of a Zercher carry is simple, but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy!” says McAuley. “You can use any kind of bar for these, but I would recommend using a log-like implement. If you are using a bar, use a bar pad to avoid getting welts in your elbows – you can thank me later.

“Set up the bar or log below elbow height in a rack or a free-standing squat stand, or elevated on a couple of blocks or benches. Squat down slightly, place your elbows directly underneath the bar, and bend your arms around it so that you’re cradling it in your elbow crease. Take a short, sharp breath, brace your trunk and stand up tall. The weight of the bar should be in your arms.

“Once you’re balanced, start walking. When you reach the end of your track, be it ten, 20 or 50 metres, stop, turn – this is the tricky part – and walk back without dropping the bar. Then put it back in the rack.”

See related 

• Strongman Training For The Gym
• The Farmer’s Walk Is The Epitome Of Training Efficiently
• What Is Functional Fitness?

Common Mistakes

Walking Too Far

“If it’s your first time with a Zercher carry, don’t go overboard,” says McAuley. “If you try to carry it further than you can, you’ll end up dropping the bar, and have no way to get it back to the start other than rolling it along the floor – not a good look. Start off with a light weight and gradually increase the distance over time.”

Not Holding The Bar Tight Enough

“People often forget that this is an exercise for your arms and shoulders, as well as your trunk,” says McAule. “If you don’t hold the bar tight, you won’t get the same benefits from the carry, and will lift a lot less weight than you should be able to. Once you’re holding the bar, squeeze it tight with your upper and lower arms and pull it in close to your chest, almost as if someone’s trying to pull it off you. This will recruit more muscles, and allow you to lift more weight and carry it further.”

Setting The Rack Up Too High

“With a heavy carry, as your arms and shoulders get fatigued, you won’t be able to carry the bar as high as you did at the start,” says McAuley. “So the height you picked it up from may be too high to put it back, and you’ll have to drop the bar and start over again. Make sure to set the rack up fairly low, so that no matter how fatigued you are, you’ll always be able to put it back.”

Holding The Bar In Your Hands

“This isn’t a biceps curl or some sort of arm endurance exercise,” says McAuley. “Don’t hold the bar in your hands, because your biceps will fatigue well before anything else. All the weight should be on your forearms, elbows and upper arms, and your hands should just be there to keep the weight close. Don’t worry – you’ll still get a biceps pump this way.”

When choosing core-strengthening exercises, too many of us opt for surprisingly ineffective moves like sit-ups and crunches. If you really want to target your core muscles, isometric moves like the plank are a better option: holding a position under tension for long periods is tougher on the muscles than moving up and down and releasing the tension between reps, as with sit-ups.

The hollow body hold is another excellent isometric move, working both your deep-lying core muscles and your abs, as well as an array of other muscles around the body including the glutes, quads and lats. It’s a move that’s popular with gymnasts thanks to the way it helps you build the strength to control your body position – if you’re planning on performing a flawless handstand in the near future, the hollow body hold will help you achieve it.

Sounds great, right? And it is, but all those benefits come at a cost, which is that the hollow body hold is really hard. Even if you fancy yourself a plank master and can hold that position for two or three minutes, you might struggle to maintain perfect form with the hollow body hold for longer than a minute. It’s a great finisher move for your workout, if you want to head to the shower absolute certain you’ve thrown absolutely everything at your core muscles.

See related 

• Try The Five-Minute Hollow Victory Abs Workout
• A Very Different Kind Of Bodyweight Workout

How To Do The Hollow Body Hold

Lie on your back with your legs together and your arms extended behind your head. Raise your arms, shoulders and legs off the ground at the same time, until they’re hovering about 15cm above the floor.

Your lower back should be pressed into the floor at all times during the exercise, and if you find you’re struggling to do that even before you begin the hold proper, it’s worth doing more work on your core in preparation for attempting the hollow body hold.

Hold the position for as long as you can while maintaining strict form. As with all isometric moves, as soon as you drop out of position at all it becomes counterproductive to continue, so don’t hold on just to hit a time goal if your form has got sloppy.

Few would dispute that the advent of indoor ovens and central heating has made human lives easier, but if there is one downside to ditching real fires it’s the consequent lack of a need to regularly chop wood. Sadly those days are long gone, but you can still recapture some of the magic with the dumbbell woodchop.

The woodchop is a fantastic functional core exercise. Your abs and obliques are working overtime as you twist and lift, and the overall movement of the exercise means the core strength benefits created will translate to everyday activities and sports.

If you’re a golfer, the woodchop should definitely be part of your regular training routine. The rotational movement of the exercise enlists the same core muscles as are required to send a ball flying down the fairway, so if you are looking to add 30 or 40 metres to your drive, hit the gym and start chopping wood toot-sweet.

How To Do The Dumbbell Woodchop

Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and turned out slightly. Crouch until your thighs are parallel to the floor, keeping your back straight. Hold your dumbbell with both hands next to the outside of your right thigh. Twist your torso to the side and lift the weight up and across your body with straight arms. As you lift, stand up and turn your torso so you end up facing the dumbbell, which is above your left shoulder. Rise onto your toes as you twist and lift. You should be using your core muscles to control the movement. Return to the starting position, reversing the twist and bringing the weight down as if chopping wood. Don’t rush; it’s all about control. Aim for three sets of 10-15 reps a side.

Woodchop Variations

Cable woodchop

Set a cable pulley at the lowest rung and stand side-on with the right side of your body parallel to the machine. Keeping your core engaged and back straight, bend your knees slightly. Fully extend your arms across your body to grasp the pulley handle. Pull the handle up and across your body diagonally, keeping your arms outstretched. Lower to the start point and repeat for your target rep range. Then change sides.

High pulley woodchop

This variation works the same muscles as the cable woodchop above, just through a different range of motion. Set a cable pulley at the highest rung and bring it downwards across your body diagonally. Otherwise, follow the form guide above.

Resistance band woodchop

This is the best form of the exercise to do when you’re travelling, since a resistance band is a lot easier to pack in a suitcase than a dumbbell. You’ll need a sturdy fixture above your head or by the floor to attach your band to. Depending on where the fixture is, you can do a high-to-low woodchop or a low-to-high woodchop. If it’s in between you’re bang out of luck woodchop-wise, though you can still do an anti-rotation exercise like the Pallof press to strengthen your core.

Once your band is secure, hold it in both hands near to where it’s attached. Pull it down or up as appropriate and across your body, then take it back to the starting position in a controlled manner. Moving slowly in the second phase of the exercise means you’re still resisting the pull of the band, so you’ll cash in on some core benefits there as well.

Woodchop lunge

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in both hands above one shoulder. Engage your core, keeping your back straight, and step forwards into a lunge – leading with the leg on the same side as you're holding the dumbbell. Bring the dumbbell down and across your body diagonally in the same movement as your lunge, keeping your knees and toes pointed forward. Reverse to the start. Complete all your reps on one side, then switch.

Imagine a vertical line that runs through the body, neatly dividing it into halves. Any movement you make parallel with this line is done in the sagittal plane. Now consider the movements you make during your workouts and how many of them are parallel to this line. It’s probably most of them—from classic bodyweight moves like lunges and squats to free-weight exercises like presses and curls. Then, when you do mix it up, the chances are you’ll start moving laterally, with side lunges or skater jumps. These are movements done in the frontal plane.

All of these are excellent exercises that will do you a world of good, but they do not prepare your body for another kind of movement you do regularly, especially if you play a lot of sport—twisting. Consider another imaginary line that cuts your body in half at the waist. Movements where you twist your upper or lower body parallel to this line are said to be done in the transverse plane. The chances are you don’t include so many rotational exercises in your workouts.

Rectify that by doing the Russian twist, which works in the transverse plane and strengthens muscles that you might be missing with your straight-up-and-down crunches and sit-ups, such as the obliques. Regular Russian twisting can also help improve your posture and if you’re about to take up kayaking or canoeing with a vengeance, there is no better core exercise to prepare for life with a paddle.

How To Do The Russian Twist

Start by sitting on the floor, with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Then lean back so your upper body is at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Keep your back straight at this angle throughout the exercise, as it will be tempting to hunch your shoulders forward. Link your hands together in front of your chest, then brace your core. Rotate your arms all the way over to one side, then do the same in the other direction. Count that as one rep.

To make the Russian twist more challenging, raise your feet off the floor while you rotate from side to side. This movement will work your lower abs and hip flexors, Sayer says. However, if you find keeping your feet raised compromises your form, place them back on the floor. “If you’re not strong enough to do that,” says Sayer, “put your feet down and you will still get the oblique benefits. It’s the same with any abs exercise. It’s better to use proper form than to do it the hard way.”

Russian Twist Form Tip

The biggest mistake you can make with the Russian twist is rounding your back. “You want your back to be straight. It needs to be angled towards the ground, but it shouldn’t be curved,” says Sayer. “I see a lot of people sink into that position with their lower back, but you need to use your abs. Think about tightening your entire trunk so that you stay in that position otherwise, it’s bad for your back. Plus, you won’t really work your abs if you sink into a curved position.”

Russian Twist Variations

Weighted Russian twist

This progression is probably the most common form of the Russian twist done in gyms, and can be done with any kind of weight you have to hand: a dumbbell, kettlebell, medicine ball, weight plate, sandbag—anything that you can hold in two hands as you twist from side to side. The extra weight increases the challenge to your core, especially when you try to twist back from taking the weight over to the side. For extra credit, try to gently tap your weight on the floor on each side as you twist.

Whatever weight you’re using, it’s important to ensure your body isn’t being dragged out of position during the exercise. Only your torso should be twisting, so if you’re struggling to maintain good form then reduce the weight or go back to the unweighted exercise.

Gym ball Russian twist

As the old saying goes, if you want to make a core exercise harder, introduce a huge inflatable ball. Supporting your upper body on an unstable surface during the Russian twist means that your core has to work all the harder to keep your form and balance. Lie with your upper back on the ball and your feet flat on the ground. Extend your arms straight up. Twist your torso to one side until your arms are parallel to the ground, then twist to the other side.

Standing cable Russian twist

Using the cable machine to resist your twist provides a constant challenge to your core throughout the movement. Set up a handle at chest height on the machine. Stand side-on to the machine and hold the handle in both hands with your arms straight. Keep them straight and twist your torso to move the handle to the other side. Look forwards throughout—this will help ensure you move just your torso, rather than twisting your entire body.

About Our Expert

There are some exercises you have to try before you realise how difficult they are and the L-sit is undoubtedly one of them. Sure, it looks quite tough and you’ll probably sense that supporting yourself on your hands could be tricky, but it’s not until you actually sit on the ground and try to lift your body that you realise quite how preposterously difficult it is.

Once you’re in the air, it doesn’t get a whole lot easier, but we promise that the benefits are worth the challenge. Maintaining the L-shape while holding your body up works muscles all over the body, with your abs, hip flexors and triceps being hit particularly hard. Also, you’ll look like an absolute stud in the gym. The L-sit is a very efficient exercise too, because holding it for just 10 seconds deliver big benefits. It’s one of the best abs exercises. It’s one of the best core exercises. It’s one of the best exercises – period.

How To Do The L-Sit

Sit with your palms on the floor by your sides. Point your fingers forwards and spread them out as if you’re trying to grip the ground. Brace your legs, abs and glutes – everything, basically – and lift yourself off the ground. Leaning your torso forwards slightly will help with your balance, but there’s nothing we can do about the screaming muscles in your abs and hip flexors. Then hold that position. Don’t worry if you can’t last more than 10 seconds – even getting airborne is quite the achievement.

L-Sit Variations

V-hold

This hold exercise is a great way to strengthen your abs to prepare them for the L-sit. Sit on the floor, then lean back slightly and raise your legs up straight so your body forms a V.

Tuck sit

The tuck sit is another useful step on the road to the full L-sit. The exercise is mostly the same, but you bend your legs and bring your knees towards your chest, which makes your position more stable so the lifting part is easier.

Hanging knee raise

This variation doesn’t work the arms and shoulders in the same way as the classic L-sit because you hang from a bar rather than holding yourself up from the floor, but it will help strengthen your core and help you build up to the L-sit or hanging leg raise.

Hang from a bar using an overhand grip. Bend your knees and lift your legs until your thighs are parallel to the ground, hold for a second, then slower lower them.

Elevated L-sit

Performing the L-sit on gymnastic rings or dips bars – also known as the hanging leg raise – is easier than on the ground, so it can help you to build up to the L-sit proper. To form the L-shape on the bars or rings, you first raise your body, then bring your legs straight out in front of you.

Gymnastic rings L-sit

The L-sit is a go-to move for anyone who works out using gymnastic rings. It works your arms, shoulders and core in an even more effective way than the standard L-sit because you’re supporting your body on the unstable rings, rather than the ground, so your muscles have to work all the harder to hold the position.

Start by getting into a dip position, supporting your body with your arms straight and at your sides. Your legs should be extended towards the floor and your feet together. Raise your legs until they are parallel to the ground, keeping them straight throughout. You can lift one leg at a time or bend your knees for an easier version of the exercise.

If your Christmas traditions involved settling down to watch burly men achieve incredible feats on The World’s Strongest Man, you’ll likely be familiar with the farmer’s walk, or the giant farmer’s walk as it’s known on the show. The hulking behemoths that compete for the title generally carry an absurd 160kg in each arm.

The current Guinness world record for the fastest farmer’s walk uses slightly more modest 150kg weights and is competed over a distance of 20m, with Laurence Shahlaei from the UK currently topping the charts with a time of 6.73 seconds. So far, so what has this got to do with you? Well…

“Loaded carries such as farmer’s walks are now receiving appropriate recognition within the wider strength training community, having previously been in the exclusive realm of the World’s Strongest Man contest,” says strength and conditioning coach Jack Lovett (spartanperformance.co.uk). “And it’s about time too, because these lifts are simple to perform and extremely effective at providing a multitude of benefits simultaneously.”

These benefits include developing a strong core brace, which ensures the spine remains neutral by protecting against both shear and compressive forces; enhanced proprioception (your sense of where your body parts are positioned), because you must move with the load while maintaining a braced core; increased willpower and focus, because loaded carries are tough to do; and, of course, muscle growth because of the extended period of muscular tension, especially in the upper back, forearms and legs.

“If you never perform any type of loaded carry then you are missing out on all the above benefits from a single exercise,” says Lovett. “They are the epitome of training efficiently. In terms of simple impact, [US strength coach] Dan John rates loaded carries as the number one ‘game changer’ for athletes. I couldn’t agree more, and they will work just as well for the non-athlete too who wants to increase strength and muscle mass.”

The farmer’s walk is the original loaded carry and the easiest to perform. You can use dumbbells, kettlebells, regular barbells, a trap deadlift bar or specific farmer’s walk handles. Here’s how to do it.

How To Do The Farmer’s Walk

Stand tall with weights held by your sides. Keep your shoulders tight and your back straight. Take short, quick steps as you walk a set distance, which will likely be limited by the size of your gym, unless you really are a farmer and have the luxury of a field.

It can be tricky to get the weight right, but given that you’re just holding it by your side, you can carry a hefty amount. Start off with some of the heavier dumbbells and kettlebells (20 to 30kg), and if that’s not enough of a burden, grab a small barbell and load it up. Some gyms will have special farmer’s walk barbells or handles you can strap onto the heavier disk weights.

Walking for a longer distance in one go or increasing the amount of walks will also ramp up the challenge.

See related 

• Strongman Training For The Gym
• A Strongman Champion Reveals How To Beast Tyre Flips

Farmer's Walk Variations

Zercher Carry

And if you still want a hypertrophy benefit from your strength work, try the Zercher carry, where you walk with a barbell in the crook of your arms. To perform a Zercher carry, take a barbell out of a rack by positioning it in the crook of your arms. Brace your core before you lift and keep your torso upright throughout the move. If you need to put a pad on the bar to protect your arms, that’s fine. Walk either for a set distance or for time – 40 seconds will provide a good challenge.

Kettlebell Carries

If your gym doesn’t have standard farmer’s walk handles, kettlebells make for a more than handy replacement. They have shorter handles and, thanks to their shape and size, are much easier to keep stable. While this may not call upon as much core strength, it acts as an excellent precursor for progression. Kettlebells are also great for grip strength.

One-Arm Carry

A tricky test of core strength, the one-arm farmer’s walk is the natural progression from the standard two-arm version. In addition to the trap- and back-building benefits garnered from the standard carry, this variant recruits much of the core abdominal fibres in order to stabilise the body. One-arm lifts are also a great way to iron out any muscular imbalances.

Inverted Kettlebell Carry

If your shoulders are feeling battered and bruised from a heavy benching session or too much time at a desk, then give the inverted kettlebell carry a try. Holding a single kettlebell in one arm upside down by its handle, brace your core and keep a neutral spine. This move activates the rotator cuff muscles like no other carry, and the rotator cuffs are crucial for shoulder mobility and range of motion.

The mountain climber is one of those full-body exercises that look simple enough, yet are painfully easy to get wrong. Like using a rowing machine and failing to synchronize your arms, legs and core, a poor set-up or poor execution can make you dread mountain climbers. 

But get the form right and remember a few simple cues to keep your technique on track and you’ll quickly see why they’re so often used by personal trainers. 

Once you realize their effectiveness for boosting your cardiovascular fitness, torching calories and simultaneously strengthening your abs, chest and shoulders, you might even learn to love them. 

To learn how to perform the mountain climber with flawless form, how to avoid common pitfalls and identify variations to spice up your bodyweight workouts, we spoke to Matt Wright, co-founder of the Earn Your Stripes fitness program and chief growth officer at The Fort Athletic Club in New Jersey, USA.

How To Do A Mountain Climber

The set-up

Start on all fours, with your hands shoulder-width apart and arms extended. From here, step your feet back to assume the top position of a push-up, supporting your weight on your hands and toes, with your core muscles engaged to keep your body in a straight line from shoulders to ankles. 

“Your hands should be positioned underneath your shoulders throughout,” says Wright. “This will alleviate any stress through the joint. And don’t forget to breathe.”

The movement

 Keeping your core braced and shoulders above your hands, bring one knee forward to your chest, then return it to the starting position as you simultaneously bring the other knee forward. Keep bringing one knee to your chest while the other returns to the starting position, ensuring the rest of your body remains stable. 

The tempo

Once you’ve nailed the basic form, try experimenting with your pace. Speed up to challenge your cardio fitness, or slow down to make your abs work harder. “When driving your knees under your body, don’t think only about what your legs are doing,” says Wright. “Emphasize pulling with your core.” 

He also stresses the need to keep your hips level. “Speed usually leads to poor form—especially causing the hips to shift above the rest of your body so keep them low.”

Common Mistakes With Mountain Climbers

The most common mistake people make with mountain climbers, especially as they tire (which doesn’t take long with this exercise), is allowing their hips to rise while the shoulders move towards their feet. You’ll know it’s happening to you because blood will start rushing to your head, compounding the effect of your heart beating furiously through your chest. Here, Wright explains why this happens and how to correct it. 

Chest shifts towards feet 

This frequently happens for the purposes of self-preservation. “People often push their hands away to help take the strain off their core and shift the weight onto their chest and shoulders, which are often stronger,” says Wright. Instead, hold firm and trust your core muscles to stabilize your body as you shift your weight forward so your hands are directly under your shoulders.

Hips lift

This tends to occur in tandem with the chest shift. Raising your hips too high, Wright says, “is an indication of a weak core”. If you can’t keep your hips in line with your shoulders and ankles for the required duration of your working set, he suggests breaking the move down into one leg drive at a time.

The Benefits Of Mountain Climbers

The chief benefit of the mountain climber exercise is in raising your heart rate. For that reason, it’s commonly included in bootcamp-style workouts where the goal is to improve cardiovascular fitness, using functional, bodyweight exercises. 

There’s no kit required, it’s relatively entry-level—so long as you heed our advice on common mistakes to avoid—and it’s ruthlessly effective. Just 30-60 seconds of well-executed mountain climbers is usually enough to have you blowing hard. 

Part of the beauty of the mountain climber exercise is its versatility. “There are so many variations,” says Wright. “The push-up to mountain climber, inchworm to mountain climber and cross-body mountain climber are some of my favorites.” Small tweaks with the tempo of the exercise can also shift the emphasis of the move, turning it from a cardio challenge into a strength exercise for your core muscles. 

“If I want to switch from cardio to strength with my clients,” says Wright, “I’ll get them to hold a plank for 10-15 seconds to start, then shift into a slow and controlled alternating knee drive for the remainder of the minute.” 

Mountain Climber Regressions

Elevated mountain climber

If you find the traditional mountain climber a little tough on your arms, shoulders and core, Wright suggests placing your hands on a raised surface like a bench or box. This lightens the load on those parts of your body, allowing you to focus on effective technique.

Mountain Climber Progressions

Cross-body mountain climber

To enlist the obliques in your mountain climber workout, move your knee towards the opposite elbow when you bring it forward and slightly rotate your torso. You should still be able to maintain a good pace while you do this, but move slightly more deliberately than you do with the classic mountain climber to ensure good form.

Gym ball mountain climber

Supporting your upper body on a fixed surface makes mountain climbers a little easier, but putting your hands on an unstable surface like a gym ball makes them infinitely harder. Trying to maintain perfect form while the ball moves beneath you increases the challenge to your core significantly. For these, focus on slow and controlled movements and build the pace gradually. 

Spider-Man mountain climber

This testing variation targets the obliques as well as the lower abdominals and will help improve your balance and hip flexibility to boot. From the top of a push-up position bring your right knee toward your right elbow. You can either tap that foot to the floor before taking it back to the starting position or keep it raised throughout the movement for an extra superhero-worthy challenge. Once your right foot is back in place, repeat the movement on your left side.

Wall mountain climber

Be warned: this advanced progression should be performed with extreme caution to avoid face-planting. Raise the stakes for your arms and shoulders by taking your feet off the floor and pressing them against a wall. Your body should now be parallel with the floor. Slowly bring one knee forward to your chest, then replace it on the wall and bring the other one forward. The pace will be slow, but the rewards will come in the form of greater upper-body strength.

About Our Expert

Photograph: Dan Hearn/Red Bull Content Pool

A good core workout is something you’ll never regret doing. Whether you’re training for a certain sport or just trying to improve your posture when sitting at a desk, spending some time on your core is an investment that always, always, pays off.

According to mountain biker Dan Atherton, who has won international competitions in 4X (aka mountain-cross), Mass-start Downhill and Enduro, that’s especially true in his sport.

“As a rider I’ve never focused on big leg workouts, or the strength of my arms. Everything comes from the core,” says Atherton.

“It’s no use having a chiselled upper body and legs like pistons if the bit in the middle is as weak as water. Your core connects the upper and lower body and will help you to produce and absorb force, ensuring you get down the run without being thrown out of shape too much.”

When it comes to core training for MTB riding, Atherton says there are four main areas to consider – stability, strength and power, function, and flexibility.

“The key is to develop a strength programme that improves riding dynamics – that’s being able to control the bike through technically challenging terrain at the same time as maintaining your speed through pedalling and pressure control,” says Atherton.

If, like Atherton, you are used to building your own MTB courses, you’ll also get a great core workout from all the digging you’ll be doing.

“Everyone jokes that all I do is sit in a digger and pull the digger handle, but being out digging, lifting and carrying when building courses can be a bloody tough workout,” says Atherton, who has designed and built the course for the Red Bull Hardline downhill race this year.

RECOMMENDED: Pro MTB Rider Brendan Fairclough On The Joys Of Getting Muddy

Core Exercises For Mountain Bike Riders

To help improve your form on the bike, Atherton – who works with strength and conditioning coach Nick Grantham – recommends these nine exercises. There is no digging involved here, but feel free to add some

Stability

1. Bird Dog

Start on all fours, then raise your right arm and left leg so they point out straight in front/behind you. Then lower them and raise the opposite limbs.

2. Plank

The core classic. Support your weight on your forearms and toes, and form a straight line with your body from your shoulders to your ankles. If you can hold a plank for long periods with ease, mix it up.

“We only hold for 60-90sec before Nick starts to make the exercise more challenging with things like moving limbs and unstable surfaces,” says Atherton.

3. T Rotation And Hold

Start in a press-up position, then shift the weight onto your left arm and raise your right, rotating your upper body until you can point at the ceiling – forming a T-shape. Hold for a few seconds, then rotate back down. Then do the same with your other arm.

Strength And Power

1. Standing Band Hold

Either attach a resistance band to a pole, or use the cable machine in the gym. Stand perpendicular to the machine and pull the band taut so you’re holding it out in front of your chest in both hands, with your arms fully extended. The aim is to hold that position and not succumb to the pressure by rotating your torso back towards the machine and relaxing the band.

“This is a great exercise to develop the ability to resist rotation so you don’t get thrown out of shape on the bike,” says Atherton.

2. Barbell Roll-Out

Kneel on the floor, lean forward and hold a barbell with both hands so the barbell’s below your shoulders. Roll the barbell forward, using your abs to control the movement. When fully extended, roll the bar back.

“This challenges the ability to maintain a stable trunk while the arms are moving,” says Atherton.

3. Aleknas

Lie on your back with your arms extended up towards the ceiling and your legs bent at 90° at the hips and knees. Lower and extend your arms and legs until they are just above the ground and pointed out straight, then bring them back to the starting position.

“Another great exercise for getting the arms and legs working at the same time while challenging the trunk,” says Atherton.

Function

1. Turkish Get-Up

“These are a firm favourite – they challenge everything!” says Atherton.

The basic principle of the Turkish get-up – you lie on the floor holding a kettlebell and stand up – is simple, but nailing the form requires more instruction. Check out our five-point guide for the exercise.

2. Standing Plate Rotation

Hold a weight plate out in front of your chest in both hands and rotate your upper body to move it from side to side.

3. Medicine Ball Throw

Grab a medicine ball and chuck it around, don't be afraid to mix it up.

“Throw from the front, from the side, up high, down low – build in lots of variety,” says Atherton.

The 4th Red Bull Hardline race takes places in Dinas Mawddwy in north Wales on 24th September

The plank is an endlessly variable exercise, which is good, because the classic version is about as boring as an exercise can be, even if you spend the entire time thinking about how much good you’re doing your core.

Tiny tweaks are all that’s required for you to get more out of your average plank. For instance, flip yourself 90° to challenge your obliques with the side plank. The walking plank, also called the commando plank, alternating hand plank or plank up-down by some, might sound like a major change, but in reality just adds a little movement up and down. Despite this minimal variance, you should find it considerably harder to pull off than the standard plank when done correctly – and it shakes things up enough to stave off boredom.

Benefits Of The Walking Plank

The challenge to your core of a plank is well known, and adding in the movements only increases how hard your core has to work to keep you stable. You’ll also hit your shoulder, chest and arm muscles, and by pushing up one arm at a time a weaker side can’t rely on the stronger side to carry it.

How To Do The Walking Plank

Start in a prone plank position, resting on your forearms with your body forming a straight line from shoulders to feet. Then push up from the ground, one arm at a time, into the elevated press-up position, all while maintaining your rigid plank form.

At first, keep your movements measured, it’ll make the move all the harder and ensure you don’t get sloppy and start sagging in the middle. Rather than aiming for a set amount of reps, shoot for a minute’s worth of the walking plank.

Walking Plank Variations

Jacking up the challenge of the walking plank is as simple as holding both the plank and press-up positions for 10 to 30 seconds during the exercise. This isn’t for the faint-hearted. Another way to make things harder is to add in three to five press-ups before moving back to the plank position.

It’s also easy to make the walking plank easier. Dropping onto your knees and then carrying on as normal will reduce the strain but still ensure your upper body gets a comprehensive workout.

If you feel cheated that this plank “walk” involves no movement from your feet, you might prefer the lateral plank walk. Start in a press-up position, then move your left hand across your right, stepping out with your right foot. Then move your right hand and left foot so you are back in a press-up position. That counts as one shuffle. Keep moving laterally, with your core braced correctly at all times, until you reach 10 shuffles.

Once the regular plank no longer thrills your core, and you start having to hold the position for five minutes to feel any semblance of a burn, it’s time to move on to pastures new. Pastures harder.

Some plank variations involve targeting slightly different parts of the core, like the side plank, or reverse plank, while some introduce movement to up the ante, like the walking plank. The RKC plank, or Russian Kettlebell Challenge plank, doesn’t do any of that. From afar, it looks just like a normal plank, but some small differences increase the difficulty considerably to make it one of the best core exercises you can do and a worthy progression from the classic plank.

The RKC plank was invented by former Soviet special forces trainer Pavel Tsatsouline as part of his fitness programme. It doesn’t involve kettlebells, but don’t think that will make it any easier.

How To Do The RKC Plank

At first glance, the RKC plank looks much like a normal plank, but the slight variations between the two exercises make it twice as hard. The focus is on whole-body tension—the kind of butt-clenching intensity you would feel while watching your favorite sports team lose an overtime thriller. But in plank form.

Starting from the standard plank position, clench your hands together in front of you and pull your shoulders in—a kind of reverse shrug. Then tense your quads to force your knees up and clench your glutes as hard as possible. To increase the tension further, squeeze your shoulders towards your toes and toes towards your head as if you’re trying to raise your midriff into the pike position. This increases the stabilizing force required from your glutes to maintain the plank position. Even if you’re an experienced planker, your muscles will start to shake pretty quickly.

Benefits Of The RKC Plank

The tension throughout your body sees different muscle groups work against one another to maintain the plank position. Your abs take far more of a pasting than in a regular plank, as do your glutes. In fact, just about every muscle that benefits from a normal plank gets a much tougher workout with the RKC plank. And in less time.

In This Series

• The Classic Plank
• 30-Day Plank Challenge
• Side Plank
• Reverse Plank
• Plank Jack
• Body Saw
• Plank Shoulder Tap
• Walking Plank
• Superman Plank
• RKC Plank

It’s a story as old as time. You start off planking the classic way, and for while, it’s enough. But after a couple of weeks, you start to want more. You see new, exciting planks all around you and wonder why you can’t get a piece of that action.

Luckily, you can, starting by reversing the plank process entirely. Building the reverse plank into your exercise regime will help ensure that none of your core muscles get off lightly.

Reverse Plank Benefits

Like all plank variations, the reverse plank is an excellent way to strengthen your core. It’s especially good for the muscles in your lower back, your hamstrings and your glutes, but if you are properly braced, your abs will also feel the pinch.

If you have lower back troubles, a properly performed reverse plank could ease the pain by strengthening the core muscles. However, if you’re not doing it right and feel back or neck pain during the exercise, start with an easier variation first, like a regular plank.

How To Do The Reverse Plank

Start by sitting on the floor with your legs out in front of you. Put your hands on the ground palms down just behind and outside your hips. Then push up and lift your body until it forms a straight line from head to toe.

Keep your arms and legs straight and brace your abs. Just as with every type of plank, don’t let yourself droop. If you can’t hold the position for 30 seconds, try supporting yourself on your forearms rather than with straight arms at first. A saggy plank is of no benefit at all.

Reverse Plank Variation

For those who want to add a little more activity into their workout, you can easily transition from the reverse plank into a set of straight bridges. It involves the same positions, but instead of holding your body up in the plank pose, you keep thrusting up and down. A couple of sets of 20-25 bridges and you’ll yearn for stationary exercise once again.

In This Series

• The Classic Plank
• 30-Day Plank Challenge
• Side Plank
• Reverse Plank
• Plank Jack
• Body Saw
• Plank Shoulder Tap
• Walking Plank
• Superman Plank
• RKC Plank

When you’re thinking of ways to make your exercise routine a little tougher, you really can’t go wrong by imagining what a superhero would do to keep fit. You think Superman does a regular plank? No, he has a special, harder version.

Fortunately it is only slightly harder, so even regular humans can give it a go. Which you should, because it’s an excellent way to build a stronger core.

The main benefits of a regular plank – improved core strength and stability – are all ramped up with the Superman plank, which halves the amount of limbs in contact with the floor to provide an extra challenge to your balance.

A whole host of muscles will feel the burn, particularly the abs, obliques, lower back, glutes and hamstrings. If an intermediate core exercise is what you’re after, the Superman plank is for you.

How To Do It

Whether at home, your local gym or the nearest Fortress of Solitude, start in a standard plank position, holding your body in a straight line supported by your forearms and toes.

While maintaining the plank position with the rest of your body, slowly lift and extend one arm and the opposite leg. Hold them in the raised position for five seconds (or less depending on how hard you’re finding it), then return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.

Make sure you raise your limbs until they are parallel to the ground and also that your body is balanced – you don’t want to be listing to one side.

Should this Superman pose prove too tricky, go back to the regular plank and make sure you can do that for 30 seconds comfortably. You can also build up to the full Superman by doing the exercise with your knees and hands on the ground.

Once you’ve mastered the move, try increasing the amount of time that you hold your arm and leg in the raised position.

After that, all that’s left to do is trying to raise all four limbs at once so you’re actually flying. Not for beginners.

While it’s true to say you can exercise any part of the body effectively without equipment, it’s especially true to say that of the core. The best core exercises like the plank or bicycle crunch require no equipment at all, and they can be done anywhere you have the space to lie down.

The hand walk-out is a great example of this. It’s one of the best bodyweight exercises for your core, and it also targets your shoulders and upper torso while stretching your legs, glutes and lower back. All of the above make it a great addition to any workout or even your warm-up, since it activates so many muscles in the body.

How To Do The Hand Walkout

From a standing position, fold at your hips and put your hands on the ground in front of your toes. Gradually walk your hands forwards past the press-up position and as far as you can stretch. Then slowly walk them back into the starting position. The walk out and back counts as one rep: try to get through three sets of five.

For an easier version of the walk-out, you can rest on your knees and move your hands forwards and back from that position.Once it’s comfortable, you can try the full walk-out.

If you decide that even the walk-out isn’t enough to truly rock your body, then you can throw a press-up into the mix (as you can with almost every situation to make it a little more fun). As you reach the press-up position, with your hands directly underneath your shoulders, drop down and push up before continuing on your merry way.

When you include the hand walk-out in a warm-up, don’t let your hands walk further than your shoulders.

Hand Walkout Vs Abs Rollout

The hand walk-out is an equipment-free version of the abs roll-out, where you roll your hands forwards on a barbell or using a dedicated abs roller designed for the move. Both are great core exercises, but the walk-out is slightly more convenient since you don’t need equipment, and it’s also a little safer because it’s easier to control how far you stretch forwards. However, it’s still possible to overstretch yourself and hurt your lower back or shoulders. Don’t go too far.

The basic sit-out escape is an absolutely essential part of any wrestler’s arsenal, as it allows them to wriggle free from the perilous clutches of their opponent.

Now, most people are unlikely to ever find that particularly aspect of the sit-out especially useful (although if the occasion does arise, you’ll be delighted to have put in some training), but even so, the sit-out is a fine core exercise to incorporate into your workouts.

In fact, the sit-out is just about one of the toughest core exercises in town, due to the challenge to both balance and strength. Muscles all over the body take a hit, especially your abs and shoulders, and the unstable position you put yourself in during the exercise means you have to strain all the harder to stay upright.

How To Do A Sit-Out

Start in an elevated plank position, but with your feet spread apart. Then lift one of your hands, and move the opposite leg inward under your body and extend it out to the side.

In the final position, you should be looking towards the ceiling and you should stretch your raised arm up as well. Both raised limbs should be extended fully.

Hold the final pose for a moment (not for applause, just to make the exercise a mite harder) then return to your starting position and repeat the exercise with the opposite arm and leg.

Keep your movements measured – you should feel the challenge of keeping yourself balanced throughout. If you do start overbalancing then stop, reset and slow down your movements.

This is a great interval exercise, meaning you work through as many as you can – while keeping your form perfect – in 30 seconds, take a break, then go again.

If sets are more your bag, you can also extend how long you hold at the final position to use the challenge. Try for sets of five sit outs on each side, holding the final position for five seconds each time.

Crunches and sit-ups are all very well, but the simple fact is that they’re not what your abs are built for. Or, as trainer Tony Gentilcore puts it, ‘Our “core” is more of a cross-hatched web, and its main functions are actually resisting trunk extension, posterior pelvic tilt, and transmission of hoop stress.’ In other words, you should be training to stop movement with your core, not start it. 

How? With the mighty Pallof press. Named after its creator John Pallof, it comes in several flavours – including cable and band variations – but the TRX version is adaptable, simple and possible almost anywhere. Remember: stick, don’t twist. 

How to do it 

Sets 3 Reps 5 each side

Stand with your feet in a staggered stance to the side of the TRX anchor point. Hold the TRX handles in both hands against your chest, and lean against it so it’s taking your weight. Push your hands out slowly to increase the torque on your midsection. Bring your hands back in to complete one rep. Looking forward to the next four?

How to do it

The humble plank is a fine exercise, but easy to outgrow: once you can hold it for a couple of minutes, anything further is a waste of time. According to a study from the Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research, battle ropes could be the solution. 

During one ten-minute session, volunteers saw their heart rates hit almost 180bpm, while their blood lactate reached almost 12mmol per litre – a similar effect to that of high-intensity sprinting and cycling. Combine that with holding a plank, and it’s like unleashing an earthquake on your abs.

Sets 5 Time 15sec each side Rest 30sec

Start in a plank position with the rope in front of you. Once you’re settled in the position, grab the rope with one arm and commence thrashing. For extra points and a further test of your core, keep your torso as parallel to the ground as possible.

Battle hardened

Need a further challenge? Trainer Jeremy Scott has the battle rope workout that’ll carve you a core of iron

1. 1. Easy side plank
2. Simple: rest on one elbow and make waves with the rope. It’s slightly easier than the rope smash plank because your centre of gravity is more forgivingly placed.
3. 2.  Moderate grappler throw
4. The next best thing to being in a wrestling match. Thrash the ropes from side to side while standing and let your obliques take the strain. 
5. 3. Advanced one-arm, one-leg plank
6. Like the rope smash plank – only worse. Get into a plank position with one hand and the opposite foot on the floor and begin waving. Try not to collapse, as much as it might amuse other gym-goers. 

There are several variations on the L-sit you can add to your workouts, and they all have two things in common: they are extremely difficult, and they are extremely good for your core strength.

The standard L-sit and hanging leg raise are both among the best core exercises, but the dynamic L-sit might just take the biscuit as the trickiest L-sit variation we’ve come across. The gymnastics-inspired move is the invention of strength coach Ben Bruno. 

“Learning to resist swinging is one of the most challenging aspects of the exercise,” says Bruno. “The slower you go, the harder it is. Try to keep your legs as straight as possible.”

Benefits Of The Dynamic L-Sit

It only takes one attempt at the dynamic L-sit to identify the muscles that most benefit from the move. Your abs and hip flexors will probably start to burn mere seconds into the move, and they’ll be joined by your shoulders soon enough. Increased core strength is the major benefit you get from the move, plus the fact you’ll draw a lot of admiring eyes in the gym doing it. On that note, do make sure your shorts do a reliable job of keeping you covered when performing this exercise.

How To Do The Dynamic L-Sit

Hang straight down from a bar with your legs together. Raise your legs in front of you so they are parallel to the floor. Keep your legs together and as straight as possible. This is the L-sit position, and you’re about to get dynamic.

Open your legs as wide as possible, keeping them straight and parallel to the floor. Then bring them back together into the L-sit position. Try to keep the rest of your body as still as possible as you move, and as Bruno says above, the slower you go the harder it will be.

If it’s still not hard enough when moving at a snail’s pace, you can pull yourself up halfway into a chin-up to increase the challenge to your upper body while moving your legs. That progression really isn’t for the faint-hearted though.

Plenty of gym-goers know they have to work their core for a number of reasons – for better sports performance, body stability and, of course, to get the all-important six-pack. While it’s crucial to work your core muscles, simply doing crunches isn’t all that clever – train a bit smarter and you can work other muscles at the same time. Personal trainer Jamie Lloyd (russiankettlebellsuk.com) suggests some compound moves that hit other major muscles as well as the core for an all-around workout that will get you leaner, stronger and on track for hard abs. 

1. Kettlebell overhead press

Overhead pressing – done correctly – presents a tremendous challenge to the anterior core, because you have to brace to prevent excessive arching of the low back. If you make the movement one-sided, that adds the challenge of not side bending. In other words, it becomes a rotational and lateral core challenge.

The kettlebell press offers some very simple, yet challenging, variations. You can perform them kneeling on one or both knees, or simply hold the bell upside down (usually known as ‘bottom-up’) for an added stability challenge.

2. Band-resisted roll-out

You probably think of the roll-out as a direct core stability exercise – and in many cases, I would agree with you. When it’s done with no resistance, the demand on your upper body to roll back isn’t that high. But once you’re proficient at rolling the unloaded wheel or barbell, you can add bands to the wheel or use a loaded barbell. This creates more work for the upper body – and in turn even more for the core, which is trying to resist movement. This will help you not only build a strong midsection, but also target the lats and triceps.

3. Split-stance overhead triceps extension

This one is a killer – and I love it. If you think of it as just another triceps extension, think again. With the lever arm so far away from the lower back, even a small amount of weight can make it seriously difficult to keep the core braced. Plus the need to control the load more, and stay strict with the form, usually leaves people’s elbows feeling a lot better than other extension exercises.

4. Renegade row

Anyone who has ever done a renegade row strictly and with enough weight knows that it’s a brutal test for both the upper back and the core. It offers much the same benefits as a one-arm or gym ball press-up. If you’re hitting your upper body and want an additional core element, this is better than the single-arm dumbbell row.

5. Half-kneeling cable push/pull

The ultimate challenge in moving your upper extremities around a stable mid-section – it requires some set-up, but it’s worth the hassle. Unlike many off-loaded push or pull exercises, you don’t get the opportunity to brace one side of the body and focus your attention mainly on the moving side. Instead, both sides are actively going through concentric and eccentric motions while you brace your midsection and engage your glutes.

Floor flag: This floor-based variation on Bruce Lee’s classic dragon flag will solidify your six-pack and develop the muscles around your spine. The original move is done lying on a bench and gripping its sides to keep your upper body stable, and involves a controlled eccentric movement to grow muscle. But holding a bench makes it easier to lift your legs to the top of the move. With the floor flag you use more brute core strength during the concentric (lifting) phase, so the focus is on the fast-twitch muscle fibres in your abs. Working these builds dynamic strength and spinal support ideal for contact sports such as rugby and MMA, which tend to leave you flat on your arse.

How to do it

• Lie on the ground with your hands by your sides and palms flat on the floor.
• Lift your legs and core off the grounds until they're pointing straight up at the ceiling.
• Lower under control, putting some weight through your hands to stabilise yourself.

Gym ball pike: If you can already see the top third of your six-pack but are struggling to get the crucial bottom part to break through into a full complement of abs, this is the move for you. Raising your body to form an upside-down V recruits all the muscles of the abs plus your deep-lying core muscles, while straightening your legs without allowing your feet to touch the floor places tension on your entire core. Keep each rep slow and controlled for maximum benefit.

How to do it

• Start in the press-up position with both feet resting on a gym ball.
• Draw your feet in towards your arms and bend at the hips until your body forms a V-shape, then return to the start.

Windscreen wipers: Many moves work your six-pack but few test your entire core as thoroughly as the humbly-named windscreen wiper. Just keeping your legs above your head – and under control – keeps constant tension in your abs and obliques, and rotating them from side to side toughens things up considerably. Keep each rep slow and controlled to work these muscles to their utmost capability.

How to do it

• Hang from a pull-up bar with your hands shoulder-width apart.
• Lift your legs until your feet are above the bar.
• Lower your legs by 90˚ to one side.
• Raise them back up above the bar and repeat to the other side.

The star side plank is a great but strangely under-used core stability exercise – add it to your workout to build stability and strength across your whole body.

You can’t overestimate the importance of having a solid core. Not only will it allow you to lift heavier in all the major lifts and move more effectively on the sports pitch, you’ll also have the foundations to build an impressive six-pack.

Like every other muscle, your abs are made up of two types of fibres: slow-twitch and fast-twitch. Static holds, such as the plank, work both types at the same time by making your muscles work hard to maintain a stationary position for as long as possible. That’s why you should end your workouts with planks and side planks to work the entire core region.

This upgrade to the side plank will work your core and obliques – those muscles either side of your abs – really hard, as well as recruiting muscles in your shoulders and quads as you raise and straighten your arm and legs to form a star shape.

If you begin to find it too easy and can hold it for 15 seconds each side, make it harder by holding a light dumbbell in your raised hand.

Star side plank

Sets 4
Time 10-15 seconds each side
Lie on your side, supported on one forearm with your elbow under your shoulder and one leg on top of the other.
Raise your hips off the ground to form a straight line from head to heels, then raise and straighten your arm and leg and hold.

Not sure you’ve heard of the two-point box exercise? It’s possible you have, since it also goes by the moniker bird-dog crunch. There might even be another name for the movement we’re not aware of yet. 

Whatever you call it, the two-point box is a core exercise worth knowing. Read on for a guide to the benefits of the exercise and a form guide.

Two-Point Box Benefits

The two-point box is a progression from the straightforward bird-dog, which involves only the pointing movements. It strengthens your core muscles, working the abs and lower back in particular. It will also improve your balance and strengthen stabiliser muscles around the midsection.

How To Do The Two-Point Box

Start on all fours with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. Throughout the exercise aim to keep your spine in a neutral position, where your pelvis is neither tipped forwards nor backwards. Your hips should be level and your neck should be in line with your spine.

Stretch your left leg out behind you and your right arm out in front of you. It takes a bit of imagination but at this point you somewhat resemble a bird-dog – think pointers, retrievers and setters – pointing out the prey for a hunter.

Hold for a second in this position, then slowly bring your elbow and knee together to meet under your abdomen. You can either return your hand and foot to the floor, and then repeat using the opposite limbs, or complete all your reps on one side and then switch. The latter is more challenging because it maintains tension in your muscles throughout.

It’s all too easy to rush the movement with the two-point box; moving slowly and surely is the key to unlocking the benefits of the exercise. It’s all about challenging your stability and making all the tiny muscles in your core work hard to stop you toppling over.

If you are struggling with your balance during the exercise, go back to the standard bird-dog, where you don’t have to bring your elbow and knee to meet. You can also do the dead bug exercise to work your abs in a similar way and strengthen your core before returning to the two-point box.

MMA fighters have to be prepared for pretty much anything when they step into the Octagon. Not only do they need to be strong and fast with a rock-solid core, they need agility and endurance to overcome their opponents.

Strength and conditioning coach Zach Light, who has trained former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson among others, put together a UFC workout that uses the kind of explosive exercises his fighters do in training every day, one of which is the leg push-down. Enlist a partner and try this abs exercise on your next gym visit – it’s one of the best core exercises you’re probably not doing.

Benefits Of Leg Push-Downs

For one, it’s fun to work out with a partner in this way. Compare leg push-downs with leg raises, where you work alone and grind through a set. With push-downs you’re getting a more varied move and the excitement of someone pushing your legs down at random. And then you get to do it to them!

More material benefits are found in increased core strength, with both the abs and obliques involved in the move since you are working at different angles.

How To Do Leg Push-Downs

Lie flat on your back on the floor, with your partner standing behind you with their legs either side of your head. Reach back and grasp one of their legs with each hand, then lift your legs for them to grab, keeping your feet together and your legs as straight as possible.

From there resist your partner as they throw your legs down in different directions, lifting your legs back up to them after each push-down. Make sure that you get a nice mix of left, right and straight push-downs in each set to work the obliques on each side as well as your central abs. 

If you have an incredibly strong core already, to the point where your partner can’t push your legs down at all, maybe don’t try too hard to resist them – the idea is for your legs to go down so you can raise them again.

Crunches are many people’s go-to abs exercise, and that’s no bad thing. While there is debate about whether crunches are effective for building a six-pack, they undoubtedly work a large section of your core muscles hard.

You can easily complement crunches with other abs exercises like the reverse crunch and bicycle crunches to hit the muscles missed by the classic crunch. Using a variety of exercises like this will whip your midsection into shape in no time, especially if you upgrade your crunch by introducing a Swiss ball (aka gym ball, balance ball and various other names).

The Swiss ball crunch is a great progression on the classic crunch that anyone with access to a big inflatable ball can try. 

Benefits Of The Swiss Ball Crunch

Perform any exercise with a part of your body resting on a Swiss ball and you introduce some instability into the movement – and when doing core exercises, instability is your friend. All your smaller stabilising muscles will be firing to keep you balanced while you perform the exercise, multiplying the benefits to your overall core strength.

The Swiss ball crunch also allows for a greater range of movement than the classic crunch, because you can curve your back over the ball so you start lower than when you’re on the floor. You’ll exhaust your abs more quickly using a ball for the crunch, and will see your core strength and muscle definition increase rapidly as a result.

How To Do The Swiss Ball Crunch

Position yourself on a Swiss ball so it supports your lower back, with your knees bent and feet planted firmly on the floor. You can cross your arms over your chest, or hold your hands by your temples if you need a little extra help with your balance during the move.

Start the exercise by lying back over the ball until you feel a stretch in your abs. Then curl yourself up by contracting your abs. Try not to lurch forwards and use momentum in the movement – it should be slow and controlled for the maximum abs engagement. 

At the top of the move, squeeze your abs for a second, then lower slowly, once again using your abs to control the movement rather than just flopping back onto the ball.