Workouts & Activities

A 7-Minute Core Workout for Absolute Beginners

Core strength goes deeper than aesthetics — it’s essential for preventing back pain and injury and improving sports performance. This beginner ab workout will get you started.

Karen Asp
By
Reyna Franco, RDN
by
Published on May 8, 2024
beginner abs workout
Beginner-friendly ab exercises like Bird Dog strengthen several core muscles, helping stabilize the spine for everyday movements.Getty Images

Nearly every movement you make calls on the muscles of your midsection (aka your core), from walking your dog to squatting with a heavy load to simply reaching for a glass of water. If you haven’t been working out these muscles (or haven’t in a while) try this absolute-beginner-friendly workout.

“The core is where all movement begins,” says Maricris Lapaix, a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified personal trainer in Los Angeles who leads workouts on the Centr app.

The core, which comprises several abdominal muscles and the muscles in your pelvic floor, spine, and hips, stabilizes and controls the pelvis and spine and, by extension, affects upper- and lower-body movements.

In addition to making everyday activity possible (and easier), strong core muscles help make fitness pursuits safer and more efficient by improving balance, stability, and posture. Because the muscles in your torso help support your spine, a strong core is also one of the best ways to keep your back pain- and injury-free as you age, per the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

?Some research suggests core strength could help with performance in other sports, too, like running.

Bodyweight Core Workout for Beginners

Are you ready to start strengthening your abdominal muscles? This workout includes five exercises that are designed (by Lapaix) for absolute beginners.

The five exercises are simple but effective. “They require you to be in specific positions that allow maximum opportunity to feel your core activate,” Lapaix says, adding that the positions don’t leave much room for error or sloppy form.

What to Know Before You Try These Exercises

Is this workout safe and appropriate for everyone?
It’s a good idea to get clearance for exercise from your doctor if you have any ongoing or underlying health issues. You should also check with your doctor about starting this workout if you have back pain or injury, are recovering from abdominal surgery, are pregnant, or recently gave birth.
What equipment will I need?
All you need to perform this routine is a yoga or exercise mat.
How do I warm up?
The exercises in this routine are gentle and don’t require a warm-up. If you’re feeling stiff, Lapaix suggests warming up with Cat-Cow (get on all fours; arch your back and lower your chin to your chest on an inhale; drop your back down as you lift your head on an exhale), knee drops (lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor; keeping your upper body in place, gently drop both knees to the floor on your left side; lift your knees back to center and gently drop them to the floor on your right side), and Cobra (lie on your stomach with your palms on the floor beneath your shoulders; draw your legs together and press the tops of your feet into the floor; press into your hands to lift your chest, draw your shoulders back, and straighten your arms; gently release to return to the starting position; repeat). Do as many repetitions as needed to loosen up.
How often should I do the workout?

Perform the routine three to four times per week on nonconsecutive days.

Do each exercise for 30 to 45 seconds and rest for 15 seconds before moving on to the next one. Start with one set (it should take about 7 minutes) and gradually progress to four sets as you get stronger.

While this workout is a great way for beginners to build core strength, your fitness routine should also include cardio and strength exercises that target every major muscle group.

1. Dead Bug

Lie faceup on the floor with your arms extended, reaching straight from your shoulders to the ceiling. Bend and raise your knees so they form a 90-degree angle, shins parallel to the floor. Brace your abdominals and press your lower back into the floor. Then, extend your left leg straight in front of you and your right arm behind you, so that the extended limbs hover a few inches off the ground. Return to the starting position. Repeat with your right leg and left arm, and then continue alternating sides.

2. Glute Bridge

Lie on your back with your arms down by your sides. Bend your knees and place both feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Your heels should be about six to eight inches away from your glutes and toes pointed forward. Engage your abdominals and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips toward the ceiling. Only lift your hips as high as you can without arching your back; your body should form a straight line from your knees to your hips to your shoulders. Squeeze your glutes in the top position for two seconds before slowly lowering the hips to the floor. Repeat.

3. Bird Dog

Start with hands and knees on the floor; stack your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees. Gaze toward the floor so that your neck aligns with your spine, forming a straight line from the crown of your head to your hips. While keeping your core engaged and stable, raise your left arm straight in front of you and extend your right leg straight out behind you, reaching both away from the body and parallel to the floor. Hold briefly; then return your hand and knee to the floor. Repeat with your right arm and left leg, and continue alternating sides.?

4. Bear Plank With Knee Taps

Start with hands and knees on the floor; stack your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees. Press your palms into the floor and engage your abdominal muscles by pulling your belly button in toward your spine. Keep your abdominals tight as you lift your knees about an inch off the floor. Hold this position as you alternate tapping the floor with one knee. Keep your head in line with your spine the entire time.

If this exercise causes wrist discomfort or pain, modify it by forming fists with your hands instead of placing your palms on the floor.

5. Modified Side Plank

Lie on the floor on your right side and bend your knees so your feet are behind you. Place your right forearm on the ground with your elbow underneath your shoulder. Brace your core and push off the ground so your upper body is supported by your right arm and knee. Then, lift your hips; your body should form a straight line from head to knee. Hold this position for 30 to 45 seconds, then repeat on the other side.

The Takeaway

The core comprises the abdominals and muscles in your pelvic floor, spine, and hips. These muscles make everyday activity possible and fitness pursuits safer by supporting balance, stability, and posture. This routine includes five gentle exercises to help beginners build core strength.?

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Sources

  1. Ribaudo A. A Guide to Your Core Muscles, From a PT. Hospital for Special Surgery. February 12, 2024.
  2. Preventing Back Pain at Work and at Home. American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. April 2022.
  3. Hung KC et al. Effects of 8-Week Core Training on Core Endurance and Running Economy. PLoS One. 2019.
  4. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2018.
Show Less
Meet Our Experts
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
Reyna-Franco-bio

Reyna Franco, RDN

Medical Reviewer

Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.

In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.

Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size.?She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.

She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's?Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.

See full bio

Karen Asp

Author

Karen Asp is an award-winning journalist who covers fitness, health, nutrition, pets, and travel. A former contributing editor for Woman’s Day, she writes regularly for numerous publications, including Women's Health, Woman's Day, O: The Oprah Magazine, Prevention, Real Simple, Reader's Digest, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Forks Over Knives, VegNews, Weight Watchers, Oxygen, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, Sierra, USA Today and its magazines, Cosmopolitan, Delta Sky, Costco Connection, Eating Well, Harper's Bazaar, Glamour, Parade, Runner's World, SELF, Shape, WebMD, Allure, and Best Friends, to name a couple of dozen.

Karen is the author of Anti-Aging Hacks and coauthor of?Understanding Your Food Allergies & Intolerances. She speaks frequently about healthy living on radio shows and podcasts, as well as on live TV. She is a certified personal trainer, a health educator certified in plant-based nutrition, and a plant-powered athlete who holds several world records in Nordic walking.

See full bio
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
xxfseo.com