Best Beginner Ab Workouts At Home – Building A Strong Core

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MAY, 2021

The abdominal muscles are commonly associated with 6 pack abs. Yes, they’re damned good looking. But they can also be skewed and gross, the result of poor training!

The rectus abdominus – is essentially the 6 pack. It’s the most obvious and dominant of the abdominal muscles. The obliques are the side abdominal muscles that cradle the mid-section like shark gills. The transverse abdominus is an internal muscle that has no aesthetic appeal but that nevertheless is super important for core stability.

Erectus spinae can be thought of as 2 taught ropes that run on either side of the spine. They are made up of several smaller muscles that contribute to back extension and rotation. These muscles work antagonistically to the inward ‘crunching’ of torso flexion generated by the rectus abdominus.

These muscles are largely associated with lower back strength, and their weakness can cause back pain. Conversely, when they are super tight they can restrict movement and can cause aches. 

The hips play a major role in the core as they act as a second bastion of stability around the mid body. The glutes are comprised of 3 muscles, the biggest of which is the gluteus maximus. They are commonly associated with explosive hip extension – essential for jumping! However the smaller glute muscles also have other roles such as external rotation of the legs.

Hip flexors are comprised of the illiosoas (several muscles that have attachments on your pelvis, femur and spine), and the rectus femoris (the largest quadricep muscle). These muscles help bring the legs up and flex the hips. They work antagonistically to the glutes and are often tight due to modern sedentary lifestyles.

Generally, the best core exercises are done with bodyweight only. Despite what the fitness industry would have you believe, it’s not necessary to use their absurd arsenal of toys. Fitness equipment like the BOSU and Swiss Ball, are great tools for beginners, don’t get me wrong. However, at the advanced level, all the possible exercises they allow for are far too easy.

Bodyweight exercises allow for a much wider range of possibilities, from easy to extreme. The rest of this blog post will be dedicated to running through 2 core workouts. The first will be tailored for beginners, while the second will be an advanced core workout.

The workouts will be divided by way of the 3 types of core muscles already mentioned: abdominal muscles, back stabilisers, and hip stabilisers.

Hip flexors will be left out because – they are usually tight due to the high volumes of sitting we do, but also because they are usually engaged to some capacity in ab exercises where the legs are suspended in the air. 

Let’s start with abs, as that’s probably why you’re here! As a beginner it can be difficult to work abs as every exercise can seem far too hard. This is likely because:

a) If you don’t exercise, chances are you don’t use your abs at all. Unlike other muscle groups that are used on a daily basis, abs are mostly stabilisers and are not used to vigorous activation.

b) You’re throwing yourself into the deep end without adjusting your exercise routine.

1. Keep lever length short – that is, bend your legs! The more extended your legs are the more work your abs have to do to keep them from touching the ground. 

2. Stay away from 90 degrees. When you are perpendicular to the ground you will experience the most pull from gravity. As a beginner this can be too much for your abs. Essentially just don’t go all the way down on tough exercises!

The best beginner ab exercise is the dead bug. This exercise is great for teaching you body tension and working the rectus abdominus and to a smaller extent the hip flexors.

Lie down on your back, bring your shoulders and feet off the ground. Bend your arms and legs and curl up into a ball. Then straighten opposite arm and leg and bring them close to the ground. Make sure your lower back remains on the ground – there should be no space between your back and the floor.   

The best beginner lower back exercise is the bird dog. This is a yoga exercise and is essentially the reverse of the dead bug. The exercise is performed in the all 4’s position.

Opposite limbs come up and can be alternated. To make the exercise more challenging instead of coming down every time, you should try to touch your elbow to your knee and come back up without resting. 

The best beginner glute exercise is the glute bridge. The glute bridge is performed from the back. Legs should be bent and placed shoulder width apart. The idea is to bring your hips off the ground as high as you can.

Squeeze for 3 seconds and then come back down. To maximise glute engagement externally rotate your knees when you come up.

This is a exercise can be made more difficult by elevating the legs onto a platform, or by putting a resistance band around your legs.

The best advanced ab exercise is the dish rocks exercise. The dish position is achieved by taking the shoulders and feet off the ground while on your back. Rocking is achieved by bringing the lower body up and then the upper body up like a seesaw (and not coming up together). Make sure your lower back stays on the ground. 

The best advanced lower back exercise is the super man rocks exercise. This exercise is essentially the opposite of the dish rocks exercise, in that you are rocking on your stomach instead of your back. Again, hands and feet off the ground and rock like a seesaw. 

The back support is the best advanced glute exercise. To achieve the back support position sit down on the ground and lift your body up by stratening your arms and legs and bring your hips to the sky.

When done correctly, the back support is an insane glute exercise. To get the most out of it try to bring your feet out slight beyond shoulder width and externally rotate your knees!