The 20 Most Effective Standing Core Exercises (with sample workout)
Standing core work or standing ab work is a surprisingly popular question that both coaches and google gets asked. So here are some standing ab exercises that you can use at home or in the gym.
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- Sample Standing Ab Exercises Workout
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How Do You Work Your Core Whilst Standing?
- Is Standing Ab Workout Effective?
- Are Standing Crunches Effective?
- Other Effective Standing Exercises
- References
So you’ve had enough of planks and dead-bugs, maybe your gym floor just isn’t clean enough or your had some sort of injury meaning you can’t sit down. Whatever the reason, its time to get off the floor and do some of the best standing core work available to strengthen your core. Here we’ve listed 20 extremely effective core variations you can use in your training (without sitting down). Also check out the core workout we put together for you to get done today.
Core stability and ab exercises have been shown to prevent injury(1) so it’s important to work on it even if you’re only able to do standing exercises. For even more variety of core exercises, check out our core movement library that contains 198 core movements!
Sample Standing Ab Exercises Workout
Complete 3 rounds
1. Pallof Press with Circle
2. KB Farmers Carry
3. Single Leg Ring Fall-Outs
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Work Your Core Whilst Standing?
Use the exercises above to train your core whilst standing, start doing these workouts consistently for a few months and you’ll see progress whilst likely improving your health.
Is Standing Ab Workout Effective?
Yes, but only if you pick standing abs exercises which are effective. When trying to find out if an exercise is effective our not, ask yourself if it applies any stress at all on the body. A lot of answers to this question focus on movements that apply zero stress and therefore create zero adaptation. This is why core work whilst standing with no equipment is not at all effective, no stress can be applied to the abs.
Are Standing Crunches Effective?
No. Please don’t do this movement.
Other Effective Standing Exercises
If you are looking for more standing exercises that do not require you to sit down then your in luck, because luckily, squats , hinges , pulling and vertical pressing do not require you to be sat down. Have a look through our movement library and you will find plenty of exercise variations for your training.
References
If you enjoyed this resource you can find more below or try Programme, a fitness app that plans every workout for you – based on your progress, equipment and lifestyle.
This resource was written by Sean Klein. Sean Richard Klein has thousands of hours of coaching experience and a BSc in Sports Science with Management from Loughborough University. He owns a gym in Bayonne France, CrossFit Essor, which runs group classes and a Personal training studio.
Sean Klein
