Core and abs
Core exercises at home: a routine with minimal kit
Your core is not just the abs you can see: it is everything that holds your trunk steady so force can travel from your legs to your arms without leaking along the way. You can train it well at home with the floor, a mat and little else. This is how to organise it.
By Iván López3 min read
What the core is, and why crunches are not enough
The core is the group of muscles around your spine and pelvis: abs, obliques, the transversus underneath, the lower back muscles and the glutes. Its main job is not to bend your trunk, but to keep it stable when something tries to move it: a load, a twist, a push.
That is why a crunch-only routine falls short. It is worth covering five kinds of work:
- Anti-extension: stopping your lower back from arching. Plank, dead bug, ab wheel.
- Anti-lateral flexion: stopping your trunk from bending sideways. Side plank.
- Anti-rotation: stopping your trunk from twisting. Plank with shoulder taps.
- Hips and glutes: the base of the trunk. Glute bridge and band work.
- Flexion: bending your trunk under control. Crunches, but as one exercise among many, not the only one.
Routine 1: no kit
To get started, or for days with nothing to hand. Three rounds of the circuit, with 30 to 45 seconds of rest between exercises:
| Exercise | Reps or time |
|---|---|
| Dead bug | 8 per side |
| Front plank | 20 to 40 seconds |
| Side plank | 20 to 30 seconds per side |
| Glute bridge | 12 to 15 |
| Plank with shoulder taps | 8 per side |
Dead bug: lying on your back, arms to the ceiling and knees bent at 90 degrees. Lower one arm and the opposite leg towards the floor at the same time without your lower back lifting, and come back. It is the best exercise for learning to hold your back steady.
Plank with shoulder taps: in a straight-arm plank with your feet slightly apart, tap the opposite shoulder with one hand without your hips rocking.
Routine 2: with a wheel and bands
Once the first one feels comfortable, add kit. The glute bands come in four thicknesses —from 0.5 to 1.1 mm— so you can increase resistance without changing exercise:
| Exercise | Sets and reps |
|---|---|
| Ab wheel from your knees | 3 sets of 5 to 8 |
| Side plank | 3 sets of 30 seconds per side |
| Glute bridge with a band above your knees | 3 sets of 12 to 15 |
| Lateral band walk | 2 sets of 12 steps per side |
| Slow dead bug | 2 sets of 8 per side |
The ab wheel is the toughest exercise in the routine: if you cannot control it yet, start against a wall, as explained in how to use an ab wheel.
With the band above your knees, push your knees out against it throughout each bridge: that way it also works your glute medius, the muscle that stabilises your hips.
How much and how often
- Frequency: two to four times a week. Your core recovers well, but it does not need daily work.
- Progression: technique and time first, difficulty after. Add seconds to your planks and reps to the rest; when everything feels comfortable, move to routine 2 or up a band thickness.
- Surface: a mat with a rubber base does not slide across the floor, and its suede surface grips even when sweaty, which is when your hands slip most in planks.
Common mistakes
- Letting your hips sag in the plank: if your lower back drops, the plank stops working your abs. Better 20 seconds done well than a minute with your hips down.
- Rushing: with core work, going slowly is part of the exercise. A fast dead bug does very little.
- Pulling on your neck in crunches: your hands support your head, they do not push it.
Frequently asked questions
- How many times a week should you train your core?
- Two to four times a week is enough. It recovers well, but it does not need daily work, and the rest of your training already works it indirectly.
- Do you need kit to train your core at home?
- Not to get started: dead bugs, planks and glute bridges are enough. The ab wheel and bands are for keeping on progressing once those feel comfortable.
- Which band thickness should I use for bridges?
- Start with one of the lighter ones and move up when you can do 3 sets of 15 with the band taut the whole time. The bands in the set range from 0.5 to 1.1 mm thick.
This guide is general training information, not medical advice. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, speak to a professional before you start, and stop if anything hurts sharply.
About the author
Iván López. I have been training for years and I choose every item in this shop one by one. I post workouts and product tests on my social media.
