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Forget the plank; instead, try these five exercises to quickly strengthen your core.
Your core strength acts as the cornerstone for your entire body, supporting posture, safeguarding the spine, enhancing balance, and ensuring fluid, confident movement throughout your day. When your core isn’t functioning optimally, you may experience stiffness, instability, and reduced power, even during simple activities like walking, lifting groceries, or rising from a chair.
While static core workouts might seem effective, they don’t always lead to genuine strength improvements. The core’s primary roles are to manage movement, transmit force, and stabilize the spine as your limbs move. Focusing on exercises that involve motion, tension, and coordination usually yields superior results, particularly as your joints and recovery time require more thoughtful exercise approaches.
Bodyweight exercises for core training excel in this area. They allow you to adjust intensity, ensure proper form, and build strength without straining the spine. Additionally, these exercises enhance coordination between your hips, shoulders, and torso, promoting athleticism and resilience as you age.
Bodyweight core training shines here. It allows you to control intensity, reinforce proper positioning, and build strength without loading the spine. These movements also improve coordination between the hips, shoulders, and trunk, helping maintain athletic and resilient performance with age.
The exercises below challenge your core in multiple directions, teach it to brace under movement, and build usable strength that carries over to everyday life. Each one earns its spot because it asks more of your body than holding still ever could.
Dead-bugs
Dead bugs train your core to stabilize your spine while your arms and legs move independently. That skill supports walking, climbing stairs, and lifting objects with control. This exercise reinforces proper breathing and bracing, which helps protect the lower back. It also allows you to scale difficulty without adding impact or strain, making it ideal after 50.
Muscles Trained: Deep abdominals, rectus abdominis, hip flexors, and obliques.
How to Do It:
- Lie on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your knees bent at 90 degrees.
- Gently press your lower back into the floor and brace your core.
- Lower your right arm and left leg toward the floor while keeping your trunk stable.
- Pause briefly before returning to the starting position.
- Alternate sides while maintaining steady breathing.
Recommended Sets and Reps: Knock out 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side. Rest for 30 to 45 seconds between each set.
Best Variations: Bent-knee dead bugs, heel tap dead bugs, and tempo-controlled dead bugs.
Form Tip: If your lower back lifts off the floor, shorten the range of motion.
Hollow Holds
Hollow holds build full anterior core tension from the shoulders to the hips. This exercise teaches your body to brace as a single unit, supporting posture and spinal control. It also quickly exposes weak links, allowing you to adjust intensity before fatigue sets in. Done well, it creates deep core engagement without excessive spinal movement.
Muscles Trained: Rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, hip flexors, and shoulder stabilizers.
How to Do It:
- Lie on your back with your arms overhead and legs extended.
- Brace your core and press your lower back into the floor.
- Lift your arms, shoulders, and legs slightly off the ground.
- Hold the position while maintaining steady breathing.
- Relax and reset before the next rep.
Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 to 4 sets of 20 to 40 second holds. Rest for 45 seconds between each set.
Best Variations: Tucked hollow hold, one-leg hollow hold, and hollow body rocks.
Form Tip: Quality matters more than duration. End the set as soon as tension fades.
Bear Crawls
Bear crawls train the core to stabilize while the limbs move under load. This pattern improves coordination, shoulder stability, and hip control simultaneously. It also raises heart rate without impact, providing an additional conditioning benefit. Over time, this movement builds resilient strength that carries over to sports and daily tasks.
Muscles Trained: Entire core, shoulders, glutes, and hip flexors.
How to Do It:
- Start on all fours with your knees hovering just off the floor.
- Brace your core and keep your back flat.
- Move your opposite arm and leg forward together.
- Continue crawling slowly while staying low and controlled.
- Reverse direction or rest when the form starts to slip.
Recommended Sets and Reps: Knock out 3 sets of 20 to 40 seconds. Rest for 60 seconds between each set.
Best Variations: Forward-only bear crawls, backward bear crawls, and lateral bear crawls.
Form Tip: Imagine balancing a glass of water on your back and keeping it steady.
Reverse Crunch
Reverse crunches emphasize lower abdominal control without excessive spinal strain. They teach the pelvis to tilt under control, which supports healthier movement patterns. This exercise also reduces momentum compared to traditional crunches, making it more joint-friendly. Done with intent, it delivers strong core activation with minimal stress.
Muscles Trained: Lower abdominals, hip flexors, and obliques
How to Do It:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet lifted.
- Place your arms by your sides for support.
- Brace your core and lift your hips slightly off the floor.
- Lower slowly while keeping tension through your abs.
- Reset before the next rep.
Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps. Rest for 30 to 45 seconds between each set.
Best Variations: Bent knee reverse crunch, single leg reverse crunch, and slow tempo reverse crunch.
Form Tip: Focus on lifting the hips, not swinging the legs.
Bird-dogs
Bird dogs reinforce spinal stability through controlled limb movement. This exercise improves balance, coordination, and postural control. It also encourages proper breathing patterns that support core engagement. Over time, bird dogs help build confidence in movement and reduce unnecessary tension.
Muscles Trained: Deep core muscles, glutes, lower back stabilizers, and shoulders.
How to Do It:
- Start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders.
- Brace your core and keep your spine neutral.
- Slowly extend your opposite arm and leg.
- Hold briefly before returning to the starting position.
- Alternate sides with control.
Recommended Sets and Reps: Knock out 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side. Rest for 30 seconds between each set.
Best Variations: Elevated bird dogs, pause hold bird dogs, and resistance band bird dogs.
Form Tip: Move slowly enough that balance never feels rushed.
Best Core Training Tips After 50
Strong cores come from consistency, intention, and thoughtful progression. Training effort matters, but training well matters more as the years add up. These principles help maximize results while keeping joints happy and recovery smooth.
- Prioritize quality over fatigue: End sets when form slips, not when exhaustion hits.
- Train your core frequently: Short sessions several times per week are practical.
- Breathe with purpose: Controlled breathing improves bracing and spinal support.
- Progress gradually: Increase time, reps, or complexity before adding volume.
- Integrate movement: Pair core work with walking, lifting, and daily activity for better carryover.
Build your core to move, stabilize, and support everything you do. When it gets stronger, the rest of your body follows.
