Whenever I start working with a new personal training client, I usually have them do some kind of plank variation. These are a great exercise for testing core strength and stability, they are easy to modify for beginners, and you can make them more challenging by adding different shapes or increasing the hold time.
However, the plank is far from the only exercise that will strengthen your core. Muscles like the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and internal obliques are responsible for stabilizing your body during movement, so it’s important to train them in multiple positions and ways.
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How to Do a Basic 4-Move Workout
Tell your doctor before taking any new steps. If you’re just starting to exercise, consider meeting with a certified personal trainer first. They can help you with form tips or provide alternative exercises if necessary.
For these exercises, you’ll need a yoga mat, a set of light dumbbells (2-5 pounds), and a medium-weight resistance band.
Hold the hollow hold position for 15 to 30 seconds and perform 10 to 15 repetitions of weighted heel taps, weighted bird dogs, and Pallof presses. Perform 2-3 sets of each exercise with short rest between sets.
Feel free to reduce the number of repetitions and sets if you are a beginner. You can also do any of the exercises without weights. If you’re more advanced, you can add reps, sets, and weight to increase the difficulty.
Exercises:
1. Empty grip
- Lie on your back with your legs extended and your arms extended above your head.
- Engage your core.
- Lift your legs, arms, shoulders and head off the mat.
- Keep your lower back pressed to the floor and avoid arching.
- Stay in this position for 15-30 seconds.
2. Weighted heel strikes
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- Lie on your back, bend your knees and place your feet on the floor.
- Hold a dumbbell in your hands and extend your arms toward the ceiling, keeping the weight at chest level.
- Engage your core.
- Raise your knees to a tabletop position.
- Lower your left heel toward the mat.
- Raise your left leg back to tabletop position.
- Lower your right heel toward the mat.
- Return your left right leg to the starting position.
- Continue alternating your left and right legs for 10-15 reps on each side.
3. Weighted Bird Dogs
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- Get on all fours on the mat.
- Hold a light dumbbell in each hand.
- Engage your core.
- Extend your right arm in front of you, lengthening your left leg.
- Take a short break.
- Return to the starting position.
- Extend your left arm in front of you, lengthening your right leg.
- Take a short break.
- Return to the starting position.
- Continue alternating both sides for 10-15 reps on each side.
4. Pallof Press
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- Wrap the resistance band around a strong anchor point, such as a stair railing or power rack.
- Hold the ends of the resistance band.
- Move away from the anchor point until the resistance band becomes taut.
- Turn around and look to the left.
- Engage your core.
- Raise the band to chest level.
- Extend your arms in front of you, holding the band at chest level.
- Return the tape to your body.
- Continue for 10 to 15 reps, then repeat by twisting to the right.
The benefits of these exercises
These exercises target the core muscles of the core: the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and internal and external obliques. Your shoulders, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles will also work, helping to stabilize and support your body.
While both the plank and hollow hold are stationary exercises, the hollow hold requires additional effort from the lower abdomen and is generally considered a more “intense” exercise. Like planks, they can be modified or improved depending on your fitness level.
Heel taps, bird dogs, and Pallof presses require the core to stabilize the rest of the body during the movement. During heel taps, your abs should support your pelvis and spine as your legs move, and during bird dogs and Pallof presses, your core resists rotational forces and prevents your body from twisting from side to side.
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