Core Conditioning: How to get toned abs at home

Strong core, great posture, nice abs—what else could you want?! Whatever your fitness goals are, a strong core is the foundation to your health. You can start working on your abs from home with a few simple exercises and no equipment at all! Or you can add in some fun accessories to make your workouts more interesting. 

Core Conditioning Exercises

Some of these will be familiar to you—these basic ab exercises target different muscle groups and work best when combined with each other. Note that most traditional exercises only focus on the center of your abdominals but for a well-rounded fitness routine, it’s important to target the higher, lower, and side abdominal muscles as well so your back and your vital organs are truly protected. Try these exercises at home, using a basic yoga mat:

• Plank and side plank: remember to keep your spine in a straight line and not strain your neck. Use a mirror to double-check your form and technique as that is most important, especially when starting out. 

• Oblique twists target the sides of your abdominals.

• Squats not only focus on your glutes and your legs, they also target core and require a straight back for the best form. Squats are actually one of the most well-rounded exercises out there!

• Lunges with weights also require you to tighten your core, tuck in your tailbone, keep a straight back and bring the power to the legs.

• Sliding plank adds an extra level of heat to a regular plank and puts more intensity on your core for balancing.

What do I need to get abs at home?

To get started with basic core conditioning at home, try using free weights like low-weight dumbbells or kettlebells. A good exercise mat is key, whether you use a yoga mat or a different type of fitness mat. Fun accessories like steppers add in a bit of variety to exercises like planks and mountain climbers. You can also tap into your dance side and use aerobic steppers for an extra height when doing lunges, for example. Or you can combine core conditioning with balance training by incorporating a balance ball or board. Resistance bands are also great for resistance training and targeting even more muscles than core workouts without equipment. The options are endless! 

After reading this, think about what ab exercises you will realistically do multiple times per week and go from there!