Explore these five effective exercises tailored for home workouts—no gym membership required.
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Nestled between your pelvis and chest lies your midsection, a vital part of your core that plays a pivotal role in stabilizing movement and maintaining proper posture. Despite its critical functions, the midsection can often become a source of frustration as we age. It tends to accumulate weight due to metabolic shifts, hormonal changes, and natural muscle loss. Although shedding unwanted abdominal fat is notoriously difficult, we’re here to offer solutions.
After consulting with fitness experts, we present five at-home exercises designed to tighten your midsection more effectively than typical gym routines for those over 60.
“You don’t need a gym to sculpt a powerful core. In fact, some of the most effective core exercises require nothing more than your own body weight,” reveals Ngo Okafor, Founder, CEO, and Celebrity Trainer at Iconoclast Fitness. “Home workouts can be just as impactful because they emphasize stability, precision, and proper movement patterns over merely increasing weight. While gyms provide varied resistance and progression, maintaining consistency with a smart home exercise plan can significantly enhance core strength, balance, posture, and overall functionality.”
Engaging your body weight provides ample resistance when practicing exercises with precision and control, notes Lyndsey Meade, Founder of BODY Hot Pilates and Certified Pilates Instructor.
“A functional core isn’t measured by how much weight you can lift—it’s measured by how well your body can stabilize while you move,” she tells us.
Below are five stellar moves to add to your home workout routine.
- Begin seated on a yoga mat.
- Roll back, bringing your chin to your chest and hovering your shoulder blades above the floor.
- Extend your legs to a 45-degree diagonal. Bring them together and point your toes.
- Reach your arms forward.
- Begin pumping your arms.
- Perform 4 sets of 25 pulses.
Shoulder Bridges
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1qxWNjcleU[/embed]
“A strong core extends far beyond the abdominals. Shoulder Bridge strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and posterior chain while improving pelvic stability. Strong glutes help support the lower back and contribute to better posture and more efficient movement,” Meade points out.
- Begin lying flat on your back with your feet on the floor hip-width apart and arms at your sides, palms pressing into the mat.
- Activate your core and gently tilt your pelvis so your lower back makes contact with the mat.
- Press through your heels to slowly lift your hips, peeling your spine off the mat.
- Lifting until your body is straight from shoulders to knees.
- Hold at the top and squeeze your glutes.
- Use control to lower.
Toe Taps
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAs2Cgp85LU[/embed]
Toe taps may look like a simple exercise, but they’re incredibly productive. The movement teaches your deep core muscles to activate without relying on momentum.
“It’s one of my favorite exercises for helping clients understand what true core activation feels like while building stability that carries over into everyday movement. Together, these five exercises strengthen the core from every angle while emphasizing breath, control, and stability. That’s what creates a stronger, more functional core over time,” Meade explains.
- Lie flat on your back with knees bent to 90 degrees and hips stacked over your heels.
- Keep your arms at your sides for support.
- Activate your core and press your lower back into the mattress.
- Gently lower your left foot toward the mattress, tapping your toes to the surface.
- Return to the tabletop position.
- Repeat on the other side and continue to alternate.
Planks
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B296mZDhrP4[/embed]
- Place your hands under your shoulders.
- Press into the pads of your fingers and hug your inner arm toward your armpit.
- Walk your feet out to hip-width.
- Engage your abs, squeeze your buttocks, and pull upward through your quads.
- Hold the plank position with proper form.
Dead Bugs
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbWmbhElf3Q[/embed]
- Lie face-up with your arms extended toward the sky and knees lifted and bent to 90 degrees.
- Press your lower back into the mattress as you gradually lower your left arm and extend your right leg.
- Return to the center.
- Then, lower your right arm and left leg.
- Continue to alternate.