Want to strengthen your core without lying or sitting down? You’ve come to the right place. Stop with the sit-ups already and try building your deeper core muscles with these standing exercises.
Combined, they help boost balance and increase functional strength, keeping you strong and injury-resistant for years to come. And you’ll still be able to benefit from that satisfying ab burn without endlessly repping out the crunches or sit-ups.
Here are four beginner-friendly standing core exercises that will get your midsection trembling within minutes. And when you're done here check out this 20-minute standing workout that can boost full-body strength and muscle at home.
4 standing exercises for deep core muscle
These are four of the best standing ab exercises for deep core muscle strength, and you need little equipment to try them from home. When you stand, your core muscles work to keep you stable and your torso upright, plus you need your deeper stabilizer muscles to help you move and exercise.
When we trainers talk about learning to engage your core, we don’t just mean bracing the abs; there’s a belt of deeper core muscles (the transverse abdominis) that sit beneath the abs and wrap around the torso; there are also muscles that hug the spine (multifidus and erector spinae) and ones that run along the pelvis (the hip flexors) and attach at the hips.
Your diaphragm and glutes even count as core muscles. Together, they provide protection and support for your body (read: abs vs core muscles).
Strengthening the deep core muscles is called functional training; this will make your daily activities easier, not just your workouts. Standing core exercises can help you target these muscle groups, so they’re well worth adding to your ab workout routine from now on.
1. Pallof press
Coined by the physical therapist John Pallof, this anti-rotation exercise challenges your entire core to resist movement and maintain stability while working with a load. By training your core muscles to resist rotation, you can withstand impact and perform twisting movements better, which is ideal if you play sports like tennis.
For this move, you just need one of the best resistance bands and an anchor point you can tie it to, like a squat rack. Secure your band at chest height, then stand to the side and extend the band out in front of you to create tension.
Without rotating toward the anchor point, practice pressing the band out, then bending the elbows and bringing the band to your chest. Practice 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.
2. Bear hug standing Russian twists
Keeping the weight close to your body and squeezing the weight will increase upper-body activation without straining your lower back; a kettlebell usually works best for this.
Stand with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart and, while hugging the weight, focus on rotating from left to right, allowing your gaze to follow. Keep a soft bend in the knees and keep your core engaged so that you feel your waist muscles (the obliques) switching on. Complete 3-4 sets of 20 reps (10 per side).
If you choose to extend your arms, I recommend using a band (pictured above) that you can rotate side to side with.
3. Overhead farmer's walk
The overhead farmer’s walk (or offset farmer's walk) builds strong and stable shoulders, but it’s actually a full-body exercise and demanding on your core.
This move builds strong obliques using unilateral movement to develop coordination and balance. You’ll need to maintain a strong torso to prevent leaning forward, backward, or sideways, switching on your waist and testing torso stability.
Press a weight (I recommend a dumbbell) overhead and keep your arm close to your ear, then begin walking. You could walk for a set distance or time cap, depending on the workout. Remember to switch arms and control the weight, rather than the weight controlling you.
- How to do the offset farmer's walk
4. Windmills
Windmills are tricky, so I recommend using a light dumbbell or kettlebell and building slowly. You’ll start with your legs wide and toes pointed slightly outward, then punch your weight overhead using your left arm. From here, practice hinging sideways at the hip and sliding your right hand down your right leg while keeping the weight punched overhead in your left hand.
Send your gaze up to your top hand as you move. Once you reach your ankle, pause, then use your core to drive up to stand. Complete 6-8 reps on one side, then switch, aiming for 3-4 sets.
This sideways hinge hits the obliques and requires upper body and shoulder stability to keep the weight in position. It’s a great spinal and hip activator and also stretches the inner thighs and hamstrings.
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