Developing core is still a fantasy for many of us; developing core strength is very important for everyday activities and well-being.
A better and strong core allows confidence and builds self-esteem also comes with advantages like protecting the spine, reducing back pain, improving movement patterns, and improving posture, balance, and stability.
As a beginner, we need to build or maintain a strong core by performing various easy ab workouts, from sit-ups to flutter kicks.
The most important thing to remember is to train the core muscles without using too much momentum and with awareness of using the core muscles.
This article will tell you about the easy ab workouts for beginners for better core muscle and a good posture.
Let’s get started,
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A Brief of Easy Ab Workouts for Beginners
Plank
Plank and its variations are yet another popular and most common abdominal and best and easy ab workout for beginners. 115-120 seconds of plank three times are sufficient for a day.
Planking is great for neck, arm, and shoulder strength, as plank needs to hold your body weight on your elbows and toes.
Planks strengthen the spine, rhomboids, lats, trapezius, core, quads, glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, and triceps when done accurately.
Benefits of plank
- Improves stability and posture
- Improve flexibility
- Better metabolism
- Reduce back pain
- Reduce belly fat and makes tummy tight
- Strengthens your core
How to do a plank?
- Lie your body weight on your elbow and toes like you are in a pushup position
- Your elbows should fall directly under your shoulders.
- Make sure your head is facing toward the floor, and your spine is aligned.
- Hold tight on your abdomen, and be sure no movement.
- Hold this position for 60 seconds if possible.
Note
Do not go with a plank while having a shoulder injury.
It would be best if you were doing a plank for at least 2min. And beginners should be trying to get for 1 min at least to reap the benefits of this exercise.
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Bicycle Crunches
The bicycle crunch is an effective abdominal exercise, it’s great for engaging the rectus abdominis, upper abdominal muscles, and transverse abdominal muscles.
Bicycle crunches develop core strength but also develop the hamstring and quads as these muscles are involved in bicycling.
This abdominal exercise needs no equipment to perform, as bicycle crunch yet the most straightforward workout to do this is why it’s a beginner’s level exercise.
Benefits of a Bicycle crunch
- Activates your obliques
- Protect spines
- Develop core muscles
- Improves posture
- Toning your thighs and hamstrings
How to do bicycle crunch?
- Starting, lie down on your back with your knees in the air and bend for about a 90-degree angle, your hand behind your head making sure the elbow is pointing outward
- Now, rotate the torso by moving your left knee to the 45-degree angles and right elbow to each other, make sure to exhale while contracting each other
- Hold for a second, and return to the starting position while inhaling
- Again, do this with your right knee and left elbow
- Perform 15 reps from each leg
Note
Try not to do this when suffering from back and neck pain and consult with a doctor.
Crunches
Crunches are one of the most popular and easy ab workouts for beginners. This workout engages the front muscles called rectus abdominis also known as six-pack muscles.
When performed crunches correctly, it engages all the core muscles, but primarily it works the rectus abdominal muscle and the obliques.
Crunches help develop core muscles for stability and performance and also allow a strong core that prevents back pain and stabilizes the pelvic and spinal cord.
Benefits of crunches
- Strengthening your core (e.g., lower back muscles and oblique)
- Provide stability
- Better performance
How to do Crunches?
- Lie on your back and bend your knees and place your hand on your chest or behind your neck.
- Squeeze your core area
- Exhale and lift your body till your head touches your knees
- Hold for a second and slowly return to the starting position
- Perform 15 rep with controlled movement
Note
Try not to do this when experiencing back and neck pain and consult with a doctor or rest for a day.
Mountain Climber
Mountain climber is a cardiovascular exercise and is great for improving endurance and core strength.
This exercise is also great for improving balance and stability. When you perform this workout your body uses shoulders, chest, legs, arms, and core which helps muscles tone.
Benefits of Mountain Climber
- Burns calories
- Good for health health
- Improve balance and stability
- Build endurance
How to do Mountain Climber?
- Lie down in plank position, hand a little wider than the shoulder
- Keep your abdominal braced, back flat and head aligned
- Pull one knee to your chest and switch one knee to another
- Keep your hip down and inhale and exhale when switching knees
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Seated Russian Twist
The twist exercise is known as the Russian twist. The Russian twist is basically an intermediate-level workout but we make it easy ab work out for you.
The oblique twist is a very effective exercise for building abdominal muscles. This workout hits the most muscles for instance obliques, rectus, transverse abdominal, and hip flexor.
The Russian twist is excellent for crushing the midsection area and alsoloves handles.
Benefits of Russian twist
- Build core
- Crushing side fat
- Strengthen your core
- Improves balance, posture, and movement
- Get rid of the love handle
- Prevent lower back pain
Variation of Russian twist
- Weighted twist
- Decline twist
- Leg-cross twist
- Punch twist
How to do a Russian twist?
- Sit on the floor and bend your knee
- Slightly lean back, so your trunk and thigh make a form of V-shape.
- Embrace your abdominal area, and grasp your hand.
- Twist your torso from one side to another without moving your legs.
Note
The Russian twist workout is for developing your core, but if you have a back issue or feel stress in your lower back or shoulder, avoid this exercise entirely for a few days.
Scissor kicks
The abs exercise targets the upper and lower abs.
Scissor kicks are one of the easy ab workouts for beginners. This exercise involved mostly core muscles, quads, glutes, and abductors.
Scissor kicks strengthen the core, spine, and pelvis. Doing ab workouts helps to reduce back pain so you can do more physical activities without worries.
Benefits of scissors kicks
- Build rectus abdominis, obliques, transverse abdominis
- Works your core muscles (e.g., quads, glutes, and adductors
How to do Scissors kicks?
- Lie straight on the ground and your legs straight. Place your hands under your glutes facing palm to the ground
- Engage your core and lift your legs a little bit
- Now, lift one leg to 45 degrees and another leg in the air
- Continue with another leg
- Perform 15 reps from each leg
Note
If you have a back issue or feel stress in your lower back or shoulder, avoid this exercise entirely for a few days.
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Side Plank
Side plank is one of the variations of planks and it’s an easy ab workout for beginners. This workout can be done anywhere.
This workout is good for engaging oblique muscles. Train oblique muscles to attain strong core stabilization.
The best way to do a side plank is to hold your body with one hand and one foot and ensure that your chest is facing the wall. This exercise assists in better stiff posture, strong core muscles, and better balance
Benefits of side plank
- Improve balance
- Protect spine
- Reduce the risk of back injury
- Build core
How to do slide plank?
- Lie on your side and put one foot to another one.
- Place your elbow underneath the shoulder so your elbow makes 90 degrees angle
- Engage your core and squeeze your glutes
- Inhale and push yourself up off the ground
- Hold onto this position for 20 seconds and continue to the other side
Note
Do not indulge with side plank if you have an injury to your shoulder, arm, elbow, or ankle.
Hold for at least 20 seconds to reap the benefits of the side plank.
V-Sit
V-Sit or V-ups are an excellent workout for developing a strong core. In this exercise, you need to form a v shape by direct upper body and thighs.
This exercise engages your rectus abdominis, internal and external oblique, and hip flexor.
V sit is good for improving body posture by improving trunk balance, core strength, balance, and coordination.
Benefits of V-Sit
- Improve body posture
- Improve coordination
- Great for overall core muscles
How to do Beginner V sit
- Lie on your back to the ground, arms extended on your side and legs extended
- Engage your core and lift your legs slightly in the air
- Now, lift your upper torso and bring your knees to your chest
- Continue this movement for 10 reps
Note
To gain a maximum of benefits make sure that your back and shoulder are straight.
Without the proper formation of V-Sit will negatively affect your spine and neck.
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Flutter Kicks
Flutter kicks are great and easy ab workouts for beginners.
Flutter kicks mainly involved the mid and lower abs, glutes, hip flexors, quads, and abductors.
Benefits of Flutter kicks
- Improved core strength
- Good for posture
- Improved Stability and balance
How to do Flutter kicks
- Lie down to the ground and place your hand underneath your glutes
- Lift your legs up about 3-4 inches off the ground
- Keep your legs straight and move your legs up and down
- Make sure your legs are extended and your core is tight
- Continue the movement for 15 reps from each leg
Variations of Flutter kicks
- Traditional flutter kick
- Criss-cross flutter kick
- Scissors kick
Note
Do not perform this exercise if you have any lower back pain issues.
Summary
These are the best and easy ab workouts for beginners to build a zero-pack to a six-pack or develop a strong core.
The important thing to remember is to train the core by avoiding using too much or unnecessary momentum.
To develop a strong core, you must follow these exercises and look out for your food consumption.
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