Your core is essential for pretty much every exercise out there, so building a strong midline whether you are at the gym, travelling or at home will translate directly to your performance. These home core workouts can be performed pretty much anywhere without the need of additional equipment.
While GHD sit-ups and toes to bar are brilliant core exercises, you can also forge a strong midline at home without the need of all the fancy equipment.
A strong core is about much more than its aesthetic, it will help you:
- Carry weights: every time you pick something up from the floor, whether it’s groceries, something obstructing your path or your children.
- Pull external loads: like when you’re faced with a very heavy door or move furniture around.
- Push objects: like storing things overhead.
- Stabilise your entire body: in addition to balance and a strong posture, which will then translate into improving your performance in pretty much all areas of sport.
You rely on your core during daily life as much as you do when doing sports.
Developing a powerful midline will increase your overall stability and balance, thus helping you perform high-level movements easier and make exercises that require less skill more efficient. Try out these home core workouts and upgrade your performance.
HOME CORE WORKOUTS
1 – Gymnastics basics
5 Rounds for Time:
- 10 seconds Hollow Hold
- 10 Alligator Rolls
- 10 seconds Arch Hold
- 1 minute Rest
The hollow hold is a classic CrossFit exercise taught to every beginner who steps into a box. A relatively simple movement, it forms the basis of solid gymnastic movement – swings and kips derivate from the hollow body position.
Dave Durante, creator of this workout, explains athletes should start with 10 repetitions or 10 seconds and build up over time to try and achieve 60 reps or 60 seconds respectively.
The goal should be to increase the total repetitions (or seconds for the holds) of each movement while retaining the ability to perform the entire series unbroken.
Workout by Dave Durante
2 – Suffer in Place
AMRAP (with a Partner) in 18 Minutes (6 Rounds):
- Partner 1: 1 Minute Plank Hold / Partner 2: 1 Minute Push-Ups
- Partner 1: 1 minute Wall Sit Hold / Partner 2: 1 Minute Jumping Squats
- Partner 1: 1 minute Handstand Hold / Partner 2: 1 Minute Hollow Rocks
One partner does the holds while the other does the movements. Swap after each completed 3-minute round.
Score is the total number of repetitions (Push-Ups, Jumping Squats, and Hollow Rocks) completed with partners’ scores combined.
Athletes should be able to recover a little through the holding stations.
All movements involved in this workout will tax your core, so ensure you keep good form throughout.
Workout by Brendan Walcoff
3 – Quick home core workout
AMRAP in 20 Minutes:
- 4 Box Step-Ups (24/20 in)
- 4 Seated Leg Lifts
- 4 Shoulder Taps
Continue with this pattern, adding 4 reps to each movement after every round.
As well as a core workout, the seated leg lifts are a very efficient hip flexor strengthening exercise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl4AYciTHy4
Shoulder taps start from a plank position, with the athlete aiming to keep most of his/her body still while lifting one hand up and tapping the opposite shoulder, then repeating the movement with the opposite hand and shoulder respectively.
In order to make shoulder taps as efficient as possible, make sure you engage your core throughout and don’t swing sideways while doing this movement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0_ARTrPqfY
Workout by WOD Roulette
4 – Kari Pearce PowerAbs Workout
4 Rounds for Quality:
- 12 Single Leg Lifts Over Object
Kari Pearce, 2020 third Fittest Woman on Earth, is also known for her Power Abs. The American athlete recommends using a dumbbell for the single leg lifts, but says you can also use any other object: “The higher the object, the harder it will be and the more of a workout you’ll get.”
This will work your abs, hip flexors, and quads.
View this post on Instagram
–
5 – Durante Core – At Home Ab and Core Workout
5 Rounds for Time:
- 10 Hollow Rocks
- 10 V-Ups
- 10 Tuck Ups
- 10 second Hollow Hold
- 1 minute Rest
“You only reap the rewards of “Durant Core” if you perform the movements with virtuosity and execute these common movements uncommonly well, so prioritize good form over a good time,” the workout description reads.
This workout is designed to leave your core shaking and hot – all athletes will feel muscular fatigue.
Workout by Dave Durante
6 – Wall Walks and Stuff
AMRAP in 12 Minutes:
- 2 Wall Walks
- 30 Flutter Kicks
- 30 Second Frog Stand
This is a relatively short workout, so go all in from the start.
A great movement to practice handstands, the wall walk taxes your shoulders and core.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQV1TcApDJs
Frog stands also work your wrists, arms and shoulders together with your core. Even if you can’t hold a frog stand for 30 seconds try to come back up into the exercise to cover the vast majority of the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3iThM-p0CM
–
7 – All the Planks
For Max Effort:
- 15 Second Plank Shoulder Taps
- 15 Second Rest
- 30 Second Plank Around the World
- 30 Second Rest
- 45 Second Plank Walk Outs
- 45 Second Rest
- 1 Minute Plank
- 1 Minute Rest
- Max Effort Plank
- 1 Minute Rest
- Max Effort Plank
Increase the time you hold your planks with every round until you reach round 5, where you’ll hold a classic plank for as long as possible. When you can’t hold the position anymore rest one minute and try again.
The score is the longest time you held the plank for.
The plank around the world is a harder variation of the plank, as it requires athletes to balance on three out of our four limbs – it’s all core. Prevent your hips from wobbling and keep a strong midline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR8aThnW_7g
The plank walkouts will improve your core strength and stabilise while you’re moving. It simply requires athletes to walk their hands forward from a plank position. The further the hands go the harder the movement becomes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmCe_5KADdU
Feel free to exchange the planks for side planks or plank step ups. You can add rounds to this workout as well as you progress.
8 – Kari Pearce Home Core Workout – Monday PowerAbs
10 Rounds for Quality of:
- 12 Flutter Kicks
- 6 Alternating V-Ups
“Here’s a workout that looks a lot easier than it is and will give your abs incredible definition…” Kari Pearce wrote when sharing this workout.
“This will work your abs, hip flexors, and transversus abdominus (your 6 pack muscles).”
View this post on Instagram
