Core strengthening exercises for beginners

Written by Dr Ajay Shakya, BPT, MPT (Neurological Conditions)  
Published: 28 May, 2023 | Last updated: July, 2026
The clinical content has been checked against peer-reviewed literature. See the References listed below.

Your core is your body's tree trunk, the sturdy center from which everything else branches. It's not just visible abs; it's a network of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support your spine, stabilize your pelvis, and keep you moving, balanced, and functional daily. Here's why core strength matters and the exercises that build it.

Quick Summary

• The main components are the abdominal muscles, the lower back, and the deep stabilizers such as the pelvic floor and the diaphragm, not just the "abs".
• Research supports the use of core stability exercises to reduce pain and improve function in people with low back pain, particularly in the short term.
• Research shows that bird-dog and side-plank exercises activate the deep stabilizing muscles the most. Planks are especially good for working the rectus abdominis and obliques.
• Doing core exercises alone won't get rid of belly fat in just one area; if you want to lose fat all over your body, you need to combine healthy eating with full-body exercise.
• Try doing core exercises two or three times each week, with rest days in between. If you have a back problem, you should consult a professional before beginning.

What is the Core? 

The main group consists of the muscles surrounding the trunk since they support both the spine and the pelvis — you can imagine this as the trunk of a tree, which keeps the entire structure steady. It goes beyond just the visible 'abs' and comprises the abdominals (that is, the rectus abdominis, the transverse abdominis, and the obliques), the muscles in the lower back (the erector spinae), as well as deeper stabilizing muscles such as the pelvic floor and the diaphragm, all functioning together like a sort of muscular cylinder around the spine.

Significance of Core 

Core muscles are essential for maintaining stability, balance, and general well-being. Below are some important reasons explaining why they are important.

• For posture and spinal support, it helps keep the spine and pelvis in place, enabling you to remain upright, maintain alignment, and reduce the risk of strain and injury during daily activities.
• Clinical evidence indicates that core stability exercises are more effective than general exercise in reducing pain and improving movement in both acute non-specific and chronic lower back pain.
• Balance, coordination, and performance function as a unified system in order to improve balance, agility, overall movement efficiency, and general physical performance.
• Preventing injury involves providing stability to the spine and back so that proper body mechanics can be maintained, thereby guarding against sprains and strains during lifting, sports, and everyday activities.
• Daily Movement Efficiency: This helps with everyday movements—such as bending, lifting, twisting, and reaching—by relieving stress on other joints and muscles.
• The true core strength goes beyond the obvious "six-pack" (the rectus abdominis) and depends on the deeper muscular cylinder, consisting of the transverse abdominis, the multifidus, the pelvic floor, and the diaphragm, functioning as a unit.
• For postpartum recovery, the aim is to help women regain stability and provide support for their lower backs. Programs that focus on the deep core muscles (such as planks) may help reduce pain, improve function, and assist in closing the diastasis recti, but it is advisable to consult a physiotherapist, as results from general research vary.
• For a well-rounded routine, it is important to include a variety of exercises such as planks, bridges, twists, and specific exercises for the abdominal and back muscles, and it is best to have a fitness or healthcare professional give guidance.

Core strengthening exercises for beginners 

Here are six core exercises you can add to your workout routine:

• Start in a push-up position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your toes on the ground. Contract your core and keep your body in a straight line from head to heels. Hold this position for 30 seconds to one minute or as long as you can without losing proper form. A study using ultrasound found that the plank is one of the most effective beginner-friendly exercises for activating the rectus abdominis and obliques.
• To do Russian Twists: Sit down on the ground with your knees bent and your feet flat against the floor. Lean back slightly and lift your feet off the ground so you balance on your sit bones. Either interlace your hands or hold a weight in front of your chest. Twist your upper body to the right until your hands or the weight is next to your right hip. Return to the center position, then repeat on the left side. Keep alternating for 10 to 12 repetitions on each side.
• To do Bicycle Crunches: Lie on your back with your hands placed behind your head and your knees bent. Lift your shoulder blades off the ground and move your right elbow towards your left knee while straightening your right leg. Then repeat on the other side by bringing your left elbow toward your right knee. Keep alternating in a bicycling motion, doing 10 to 12 repetitions on each side.
• To perform the Bird Dog, begin on your hands and knees with your hands positioned below your shoulders and your knees under your hips. At the same time, extend your right arm forward and your left leg backward. Contract your core to maintain stability. Return to the starting position, then perform the movement on the opposite side. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions on each side. This exercise should receive special attention, as ultrasound research comparing seven commonly performed core stability exercises found that the bird dog activates the deep transverse abdominis more than either the plank or the bridge. Electromyography research also demonstrated that it effectively activates the lumbar multifidus, a key deep spinal stabilizer.

Clinical tip: If you only have time to choose two exercises from this list, the best evidence-supported combination is the plank and the bird dog, since together they work both the superficial abdominal muscles and the deep spinal stabilizers.

• Dead Bug: Lie flat on your back with your arms stretched towards the ceiling and your legs in a tabletop position (that is, with your knees bent at 90 degrees). Lower your right arm slowly behind your head at the same time as you straighten and lower your left leg towards the ground. Return to the starting position, then repeat on the other side. Keep alternating sides for 10 to 12 repetitions on each side.
• To do Mountain Climbers, start in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your body in a straight line. Contract your core and pull your right knee toward your chest. Quickly switch, bringing your left knee toward your chest while extending your right leg back. Alternate knees in a fast, running-like motion for 20 to 30 seconds continuously.
• Focus on good form and keep your core tight during each exercise. Start with a number of reps or time that is challenging but lets you keep good technique. As you get stronger, slowly increase how long or how hard you work.

Conclusion 

In summary, core strength is important for your overall health. Core muscles like your abs, lower back, and deep stabilizers help you stay stable and balanced and maintain good posture.

Including core exercises such as planks, Russian twists, bicycle crunches, bird dogs, dead bugs, and mountain climbers in your workouts helps you build core strength. These moves improve your stability and coordination, help prevent injuries, and make you stronger for daily activities.

Core strength is just one part of a balanced fitness plan. For the best results, combine core exercises with cardio, strength training for other muscles, flexibility work, and a healthy diet.

When you do basic exercises, focus on good form and listen to your body. If you have any health concerns, talk to a healthcare professional or fitness trainer before starting a new workout routine.

If you add core exercises to a balanced fitness plan, you will build a strong core, support your health, and do better in many activities.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Here are some frequently asked questions about core muscles and core strengthening:

Q1. What are good core strengthening exercises for seniors?

Good exercises to start with include seated marches, wall planks, standing leg lifts, and slow bridges. These develop core stability without much movement or stress on the spine. It is also useful to do balance exercises, such as weight shifting or seated core rotations, since core strength is closely linked to fall prevention. However, seniors with osteoporosis, joint replacements, or balance problems should get permission from a physiotherapist before starting any exercise. Some conventional exercises, such as full crunches, might need to be modified.

Q2. What are deep core strengthening exercises?

Deep core exercises focus on muscles that are not visible, primarily the transverse abdominis, multifidus, pelvic floor, and diaphragm, not the more superficial 'six-pack' muscles. Exercises such as the bird dog, the dead bug, and pelvic tilts with abdominal bracing are classic examples because they activate these deep stabilizers before you move your limbs. This level closely supports the spine and helps prevent injury. That is why rehabilitation environments usually give it priority.

Q3. What are some core-strengthening exercises that are safe for children?

The core exercises for young children generally seem more like play than a typical gym session—for example, animal walks (such as the bear crawl and crab walk), balance games, superman positions, and modified planks held for brief periods. At this stage, it is important to focus on variety in movement and enjoyment rather than on intensity or the number of repetitions, and a pediatrician or pediatric physiotherapist should supervise any structured exercise program, particularly if there is an existing condition.

Q4. What are the best core strengthening exercises for back pain?

Bird dog, dead bug, and the modified (or wall) plank are always suggested as the first exercises to use when suffering from low back pain since they prevent spinal flexion (bending forward) while a load is being supported, this being the kind of movement most likely to worsen a disc problem that is sensitive to flexion. With all three exercises, the spine is trained to remain stationary whilst the limbs move – a technique known as motor control or anti-movement training, since what you are teaching the deep stabilizing muscles (the transverse abdominis and the multifidus) is to resist rotation, extension, or sagging rather than actively bending the trunk.

There is a particular clinical lineage that deserves to be identified: the bird dog, the side plank, and a modified curl-up together make up what spine biomechanist Dr. Stuart McGill refers to as the "Big Three" — a group of exercises intended for building spinal endurance while placing only minimal compressive and shear loads on the discs and which are generally used as a basic starting point in back rehabilitation programmes. The dead bug is often introduced before the bird dog for individuals experiencing considerable pain, since lying on the back eliminates the balance required in the quadruped position, making it easier to prevent the lower back from arching.

The exact starting point still depends on what's driving the pain:

• Exercises such as the dead bug or bird dog, which avoid excessive lumbar extension, are generally better tolerated when the pain increases with extension.
• When the pain increases during flexion, it is safer to start with exercises that prevent the lower back from rounding, for example, the wall plank or a shortened version of the dead bug exercise.
• When there is any radiating leg pain, numbness, or weakness, it's not something you can just pick an exercise and get going on—this combination should be evaluated before beginning a program, as it could indicate nerve root involvement and thus require a different approach.

That is why the initial statement — "core stability exercise has reasonably good support for reducing pain and improving function" — includes a caveat rather than offering a general endorsement. While the research supports core stability training as a broad category, it does not indicate which particular exercise is appropriate for your specific pain pattern, and making the wrong choice (for example, prescribing an exercise that involves a lot of flexion to someone who is intolerant of flexion) can hinder rather than help recovery. It is this kind of clinical judgment that a physiotherapist reaches through their assessment, something that a general list of exercises cannot do.

Q5. What are the best core strengthening exercises for women?

The choice of exercises is not sex-specific, since exercises such as the plank, bird dog, dead bug, and bridges work the same muscles and follow the same logical sequence, regardless of who performs them. For many women, however, it is the context in which the core muscles come into play—that is, during pregnancy and childbirth—that is generally meant by 'core strengthening for women'.

Two things make this period different physiologically:

1. The abdominal wall changes structurally. As the uterus grows, the rectus abdominis stretches and the linea alba (the connective tissue seam down the midline) thins and widens — this is diastasis recti abdominis, and it's a near-universal, expected change in the third trimester rather than a dysfunction in itself. The postpartum question is whether, and how well, it closes back up.
2. The pelvic floor is a mechanical component of the same system; the deep core—which includes the transverse abdominis, the diaphragm, the multifidus, and the pelvic floor—functions as a coordinated unit to manage intra-abdominal pressure. Since pregnancy and vaginal delivery have a direct effect on the pelvic floor and may even cause injury to it, focusing on training the abdominal muscles alone, without at the same time looking after pelvic floor function, only addresses half the system.

That is the reason why postpartum programs are generally different from a standard "core for beginners" routine — they usually begin with breath-coordinated activation of the pelvic floor and subtle engagement of the transverse abdominis before moving on to exercises that involve more load, such as planks. They generally check for symptoms of diastasis recti and pelvic floor problems (such as leaking, a feeling of heaviness, or pain) before introducing exercises that require a lot of intra-abdominal pressure. It is particularly important to have proper guidance regarding the appropriate starting point and the rate at which progression should take place if there is diastasis recti or pelvic floor symptoms, since starting too early with high-pressure exercises (for example, a full plank or heavy crunching), before the body has become capable of handling that kind of pressure, can make both conditions worse rather than improving them.

References

1. Smrcina Z, Woelfel S, Burcal C. A systematic review of the effectiveness of core stability exercises in patients with non-specific low back pain. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy (PMC). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9340836/
2. Wang XQ, Zheng JJ, Yu ZW, et al. A Meta-Analysis of Core Stability Exercise versus General Exercise for Chronic Low Back Pain. PLOS ONE (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3524111/
3. Thabet AA, Alshehri MA. Efficacy of deep core stability exercise program in postpartum women with diastasis recti abdominis: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Musculoskeletal and Neuronal Interactions (PMC). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6454249/
4. What is the evidence for abdominal and pelvic floor muscle training to treat diastasis recti abdominis postpartum? A systematic review with meta-analysis. PMC. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8721086/
5. A Comparison between Core Stability Exercises and Muscle Thickness Using Two Different Activation Maneuvers. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology (PMC). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11036226/
6. Calatayud J, Escriche-Escuder A, Cruz-Montecinos C, et al. Tolerability and Muscle Activity of Core Muscle Exercises in Chronic Low-back Pain. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6801665/
7. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand: Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21694556/
8. Ramírez-Campillo R, et al. A proposed model to test the hypothesis of exercise-induced localized fat reduction (spot reduction), including a systematic review with meta-analysis. Human Movement. https://hummov.awf.wroc.pl/A-proposed-model-to-test-the-hypothesis-of-exercise-induced-localized-fat-reduction,143162,0,2.html

“This content is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for medical advice.”

DR

Ajay Shakya

BPT, MPT (Neurological Conditions) · 10+ years of experience

Certified physiotherapist and manual therapist with over 10 years of clinical experience. Specializes in neurological rehabilitation, back pain, neck pain, and sports injuries.

BPT Graduation MPT Neurological Certified Manual Therapist

Physio Health and Wellness — Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur

Address: Kalyan Tower, Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302021, India

Contact: 99938-37979

Email: ajayshakya.shakya09@gmail.com

Timings: Mon – Sat: Morning 07:00 AM – 11:00 AM & Evening 05:00 PM - 09:00 PM · Sunday closed

Map: View Physio Health and Wellness on Google Maps ↗