With the rising situation and gyms being closed, learning exercises that use no equipment or minimal equipment is essential. It would be best if you learned core exercises as they target the area where most fats accumulate.
Here are the top 10 core exercises without equipment that any individual of any fitness level can perform.
List of Top 10 Core Exercises without Equipment for Man and Woman to Keep Body Fit & Healthy
1. Planks
The favorite and oldest core exercise is the plank. It targets the core and also tones the arms, forearms, and shoulders.
Place yourself in a pushup position, but instead of placing your weight on your hands, you need to place your weight on your forearms.
Make sure to keep your body straight and not to stick out your torso. Contract your core and stay in that position for approximately 30 seconds.
Perform five reps for optimal results.
2. Bicycle Crunches
As hard as they sound, they are fun to do and give excellent results. Lay on your back, place your hands behind your head.
Bring one elbow up towards your core, simultaneously bringing the alternative knee up and trying to touch them both.
Consecutively perform this action with the other pair of elbows and knees. This particular action equals one rep. Try to perform four sets of 15 reps for a good set of results.
3. Leg Raises
The leg raises mainly target the lower core. Lie flat on your back, place your hands under your lower back for support, and raise your legs.
Make sure to keep the legs straight, and while lowering it, do not touch it to the ground. Do four sets of 20 reps to feel the pump and the burn in the lower abdominals.
4. 100’s Leg Rise and Bend
This core exercise is excellent for toning the lower abs and also tones the arms, shoulders, upper back, and legs, making this exercise a great core and compound exercise.
Sit on your bottom, raise your legs and bend them, keeping sure your back is straight.
Ensure your feet are lifted at least 6 inches from the floor to give that nice contraction in your core.
While holding your feet up, straighten your arms in front of you and sway them up and down repetitively with fast speed.
One rep equals the arms going up and down once. Do three sets of 25 reps for best results.
5. Mountain Climbers
The Mountain climber is also a compound exercise that is also performed to increase cardio health too.
Position yourself in a pushup position, keeping your arms straight. Bend each leg until the knees come close to the close.
Keep bending the legs one after another in a quick motion—the Mountain climber tones the core, the chest, shoulders, arms, and the glutes.
Perform five sets of 30 seconds or 1 minute, depending on your fitness level.
6. Crunches
The crunches are the basics of any core toning program and are the best ab exercise for beginners. It works the whole abdominal.
Lay flat on your back with your legs bent and apart. In front of you, keep your feet to the ground.
You can place your hands behind your head, or you can cross them across your chest. Lift your chest and bring your ribcage closer to your core.
Stay in that position for 1 or 2 seconds to feel the contraction and get yourself back down to the starting position.
Remember to raise yourself and bring yourself back down slowly. 4 sets of 25 reps should be enough to feel the burn.
7. Russian Twists
Let’s not forget, the obliques are also part of the core. This exercise works the whole core, including the obliques.
As same in the 100’s movement, position yourself sitting on your bottom, back straight, legs bent, and feet 6 inches off the ground.
Keep in mind that you don’t want to lift your feet too much so that you fall backward, and you also don’t want to keep them too low to miss the core contraction.
During this position, swing your body from left to right, keeping your chest facing the front.
You can use your arms for support and extended contraction. One rep equals a single swing from left to right and vice versa. 4 sets of 25 reps are ideal for shaping your core.
This exercise can also be done with weight in your hands for extra resistance.
8. Reverse Crunches
This exercise is more complex than its other variant, ‘Crunches.’ It helps strengthen the core, legs, and lower back, but the only individual with an intermediate fitness can perform this.
Lie straight and flat on your back, keeping your legs straight.
To begin the exercise, bring forth your legs towards the ceiling until you’re in a perpendicular position.
Keep your feet pointed upwards and legs straight with no bend in the knees.
When your legs are in the air, lift your lower back so your core is contracting, bring your back down and gradually bring your legs down in the same manner.
It would be best if you keep your arms straight on the ground beside you with palms facing downwards for support. Perform four sets of 20 reps.
9. Jack Knives
As the name refers, the motion of this exercise is similar to a jackknife. Jack knives are performed similarly to reverse crunches, except while the legs are raised, the chest and upper body are also raised, and both legs and upper body are brought close together near the core.
In this exercise, you are not to lift the lower back, and arms will be straight above the head, which is also lifted in sync with the upper body. Perform four sets of 20 reps
10. Side Planks
Side planks are another exercise that targets the core and the obliques. Lie on your side body and lift yourself with your forearms.
It would be best if you placed your weight on your forearms; your legs should be together and placed on the floor.
Keep your body straight, and you should form an ascending slope with your body from head to toe.
Stay in this position for 30 seconds to complete this core exercise. It is optimal that you do 4 to 5 sets.
Conclusion
The exercises mentioned above are ab exercises for ladies and gents. They can be performed without equipment, but you can also use weights such as plates and dumbbells to increase the resistance.
You should perform these exercises with consistency, and after a reasonable period of effort, they will provide results that you have been longing for.