Revitalize Your Core: 4 Superior At-Home Exercises for Over 60s Beyond Crunches

Mastering four straightforward exercises can lay the foundation for a robust and steady core.

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As the years pass, having a solid core is a favor you’ll be glad you granted yourself. The core is the linchpin of your physique, encompassing muscles around the obliques, abdomen, back, hips, and pelvic floor. It plays a vital role in powering limb movement and maintaining proper posture.

While crunches are a classic part of many exercise regimens, Jacob Siwicki, the mastermind behind Siwicki Fitness and former elite Equinox group fitness instructor, offers a more effective pathway. Siwicki, an esteemed fitness coach and former Dartmouth athlete, suggests four transformative at-home exercises that can enhance core strength more efficiently than crunches after 60.

Siwicki advocates for these moves over crunches because they focus on the core’s fundamental purpose—stabilizing the spine rather than repetitive folding. “Crunches focus on a single muscle and can strain aging necks and lower backs,” he comments.

Dead Bug

1. Lie face-up on a mat with your arms extended toward the sky and legs lifted to a tabletop position.
2. Press your lower back into the mat as you gradually lower your left arm and extend your right leg.
3. Return to the center.
4. Then, lower your right arm and left leg.
5. Continue to alternate.

Bird-Dog

1. Start on all fours.
2. Extend your left arm and right leg.
3. Hold for a moment before returning to the start position.
4. Switch sides, and continue to alternate.

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Plank

1. Assume a forearm plank: Place your forearms on the ground with your elbows under your shoulders and arms parallel to your body, shoulder-width apart.
2. Keep your body straight from head to heels.
3. Activate your core, legs, and glutes as you hold the position for the prescribed amount of time.

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Glute Bridge

1. Begin by lying flat on your back with bent knees, feet hip-width apart, and arms at your sides with palms pressing into the floor.
2. Press through your heels to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
3. Squeeze your buttocks, holding at the top for 2 to 3 seconds.
4. Lower your hips back to the start position.