Many fitness trainers, in the quest for core strength, resort to isolation and floor-based ab exercises. Of course, this tends to make some sense since these movements are performed directly in a stable environment that goes straight to the target of the core muscles.

These exercises will let you zero in on pushing your muscles to the limit of going full throttle, promoting strength and hypertrophy. However, most floor and isolation core exercises have very minimal correlation to athletic performance and improved ability in everyday activities.

They don’t build functional strength, period. For instance, how often are you doing crunches or sit-ups in real life? Probably very rarely.

As a personal trainer with over 15 years of experience, I’m always suggesting that my clients do more functional core exercises. These movements are typically done standing and involve multiple muscle groups—just not the core.

These exercises create usable core strength that makes daily activities easier and perhaps even safer. Functional core exercises also improve athletic performance and translate well into many sports.

Below, in this article, I’ll share my seven favorite exercises for developing functional core strength—all battle-tested and proved to work with my clients.

Table of Contents:

• Core Basics
• The Top Exercises for Building Core Strength

1. Stability Ball Dead Bug
2. Pallof Press
3. Plank Pull Across
4. Renegade Row
5. Medicine Ball Slam
6. Suitcase Deadlift
7. Single-Arm Farmers/Waiters Carry

• Overview

Core Basics

Before getting into the top list of functional core exercises, here are some general principles of core training. These will help you understand the reasons behind the effectiveness of these exercises and how they will help you in your fitness and physique goals. Learn more about what functional strength training is and how it can benefit you.

Core Anatomy

Many people make the mistake of using the terms “core” and “abs” interchangeably. While your abs are a part of your core, there are other muscles involved in the core. These all work together to help keep your spine stable and provide support for a lot of different motions.

Core muscles include:

Rectus abdominus: This is the six-pack muscle in front of your abdomen. It flexes and laterally flexes the spine and helps in compression of abdominal contents, hence increasing intra-abdominal pressure.

Obliques: Basically, those are the waist muscles—the internal and external obliques on either side of the midsection. They are concerned with lateral flexion and rotation in the spine.

Transverse abdominis: The TVA acts much like a weight-lifting belt, wrapping around your abdomen. It is a muscle that squeezes inward when contracted to form the IAP that will provide support and stabilization for the spine.

Multifidus: In the lower back, the multifidus is responsible mainly for spinal stabilization but also contributes some to spinal extension, rotation, and lateral flexion.

Erector spinae: This trio lies lateral on either side of your vertebral column. They extend and laterally extend the spine.

While these muscles do participate in dynamic movements like flexion and extension, they are also key stabilizers. Functional core exercises, therefore can be large in movement or they can be isometric and stationary. They work to prevent excessive movement of the spine at each respective segment.

Benefits of Functional Core Training

Why You Should Stop Doing Crunches and Sit Ups and Start Training for Usable Core Strength—Let’s Discuss!

Improved Athletic Performance: Your core is the bridge between your upper and lower body. More importantly, though, it’s a force-transferring area of the body. Take, for example, when you are lifting something from the floor. Most of that work is in the legs. Still, if you have something heavy in your arms, you’re going to have to have a strong core to transmit this force with effectiveness. A weak core can leave you inefficient and, at worst, injured by rounding your lower back during squats or deadlifts.

Better Posture: This is posture, but it’s about the alignment of the joints. Good posture puts less tension to the muscles, bones, and connective tissues. Poor posture leads to straining of muscles and joint wear and tear. Powerful core muscles, dominated by the TVA, multifidus, and erector spinae, aid in maintaining good posture both in passive status and during motion.

Reduced Risk of Injury: Any unwanted spinal movements can be related to injury. For example, one may have tissues torn when being pushed or pulled out of good posture in the process of being tackled playing football. A strong core provides stability and hence reduces the risk of injury. It also forms an effective intervention for back pain.

A Better-Looking Midsection: As we say in fitness, “form follows function.” Training a certain way shapes your appearance. Functional core exercises aren’t designed specifically for looks, but they enhance the look of your midsection as a byproduct. Most traditional abs exercises are done solely for looks, but functional core exercises will benefit both looks and performance. Hence, training with them in your workouts makes sense to achieve a stronger and more beautiful-looking core.

The Top Exercises for Building Core Strength

Want to build a strong, capable, good-looking core? Here are my seven favorite exercises to build usable core strength!

1. Stability Ball Dead Bug

Despite my general preference to avoid floor exercises for core training, one exercise that does make my list is the stability ball dead bug. The best thing about this exercise is that it teaches you how to stabilize your core while moving your arms and legs. This is basic to many of the more advanced exercises, so it’s important to get this right before progressing to other movements outlined in this guide.

How to Do It:

1. Start Position: The supinee lies on his back with the knees bent and the feet flat on the floor. Press your lower back firmly into the floor to attain a posterior pelvic tilt.
2. Setup: Place a stability ball against your legs, holding it in place with the extended arms. Lift your legs until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and your arms extend straight up.
3. Movement: Slowly extend one leg and the opposite arm, keeping the ball stationary. Throughout this movement, ensure that your lower back is kept pressed to the floor.
4. Return and Repeat: Return to the starting position before switching to the opposite arm and leg. Continue this alternate motion for the number of repetitions prescribed.

Tips:

• Lower Back Awareness: You should stop immediately in case you are not able to keep your lower back pressed into the floor.
• Engage Your Core: The user shall consciously push against the ball to elicit core activation.
• Breathing: One breathes in synch with movement and does not hold the breath.

The stability ball dead bug is one such potent tool that helps create a stable, functional core, setting the stage for more complex exercises.

2. Pallof Press — Exercises for Core Strength

The Pallof press, developed by physical therapist John Pallof, is arguably the premier anti-rotation exercise for strengthening the core for its function of bracing against lateral forces. It’s performed standing and coupled with dynamic arm movement, making it probably the most functional core training exercise.

How to Do It:

1. Attach a D-shaped handle to a cable machine at shoulder height. With the handle held in front of your chest, using both hands. Stand sideways to the weight stack and engage your core.
2. Step away from the weight stack to create tension in the cable.
3. Reach out fully in front of you with your extended arms. You’ll feel your core musculature further contract as it fights to maintain good posture and not overly rotate.
4. Slowly lower your hands back to your chest and repeat.
5. Once you have performed your desired repetitions, turn around to the other side and perform an equal amount on that side.

Tips — Exercises for Core Strength:

Next, your arms’ height will define the angle, by which you’ll hit your core. For a variation, perform this exercise in a half-kneeling position. If you are training at home, you could substitute the cable machine with a resistance band and the effect will be close.

The Pallof press is one of the best exercises to create core stability and strength; thus it’s an obligatory basic movement for any functional core workout.

3. Plank Pull Across

The plank is one of those core exercises that so many people are already familiar with that it tends to lose some of its initial punch. Not challenging enough? Then it’s time you tried the plank pull across. This variation is a much more demanding core exercise from both a loading and stability standpoint, making it the most useful variation of the plank you can add to any functional core program.

How to Do It:

1. Assume high plank/push-up position with dumbbell placed on ground just behind one of the hands, core engaged, legs tight, and body in a straight line from head to heels.
2. Reach under body with opposite hand to grab the dumbbell and pull it across to placed beside opposite hand.
3. Use opposite arm to grab the dumbbell and pull it back across.
4. Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions or for a set amount of time.

Pro Tips:

• Push the weight further from your hand to make the exercise more challenging.
• If you lack a dumbbell, kettlebell, water bottle, or even a little medicine ball can do the trick.
• Apply good pressure to the floor with your hand holding you up to help engage your core and bring that extra bit of stability.

This is an effective core challenge and hence the exercise of the plank pull across, which is powerful in boosting functional strength and stability.

4. Renegade Row — Exercises for Core Strength

The renegade row is an advanced version of the plank exercise that builds core strength while challenging your stability. By lifting and moving one arm at a time, you force your body to work hard to stay balanced, engaging muscles across your front. This makes the renegade row an excellent way to develop functional core strength.

How to Do It:

1. Begin by holding a dumbbell in each hand and getting into the high plank or push-up position. Make sure to tighten your core and legs to maintain stability.
2. Shift your weight to one side and bend your opposite elbow to row the dumbbell up towards your lower ribs.
3. Lower the dumbbell back to the floor and extend your arm. Then, switch sides and repeat the movement with the other arm.
4. Continue alternating arms for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips:

• If you prefer, you can use kettlebells for this exercise instead of dumbbells.
• Start with lighter weights to focus on maintaining core engagement rather than overloading your biceps and lats.
• For a comprehensive workout, combine the renegade row with a push-up to target both your upper body and core simultaneously.

The renegade row not only strengthens your core but also enhances overall stability, making it a powerful addition to any functional training routine.

5. Medicine Ball Slam

The medicine ball slam is one of my top exercises to perform for developing core strength, and it’s a real punch of fun. To many slams, in contrast, to most core exercises that are slow and controlled, are fast and explosive, and this adds to the dynamic effect of your workout—try them, you’ll find it as much fun as I do!

How to Do It:

1. Stand with feet at shoulder width; chest out.
2. With both hands, grab the medicine ball and raise it up over your head.
3. Hurl the ball down toward the floor in front of you about 18-24 inches away from your feet.
4. As the ball bounces up, catch it; then, go right back into the hurl again.

Pro Tips:

If you are new to the medicine ball, then avoid the gel-filled ones for this exercise.

• Whenever possible, rise onto the toes just before you bring the ball down for a slam.
• Make sure your abdominals are fully engaged when each repetition starts to fire the slam. In this way, you won’t be overusing your shoulders or arms.Med ball slams are not just powerful, but they also make your core workout session a bit enjoyable and fierce.

6. Suitcase Deadlift — Exercises for Core Strength

If there was one exercise that can be designated as the most functional core exercise a person could perform it would be the Suitcase Deadlift. Due to the everyday nature of this movement, it is something you could simply fold into almost any core workout program.

How to do it — Exercises for Core Strength:

1. Stand next to a loaded barbell with your feet set shoulder- to hip-width apart. Brace your core by pulling your shoulders down and back.
2. Begin by hinging at the hips and grasping the middle of the barbell. Push your hips back and lift your chest to keep your back in an extended position.
3. Drive into your feet and stand up with the barbell, maintaining an elevation pattern in your hips such that you do not twist on the way up.
4. Lower the barbell under control back to the floor, then repeat.
5. Switch arms and do the same number of reps on the other arm.

 Tip: 

• This exercise can be done with a dumbbell or kettlebell if you want to change things up a bit from the barbell version.
• Do the exercise in front of the mirror to ensure proper form.
• Use gym chalk for a grip that is so much better than the basic hold on the bar, especially if you are going very heavy with the weight.

It develops not only the core but also real-world strength and, thus, is worth being present in your workout schedule.

7. Single-Arm Farmers/Waiters Carry

Dragging weights of this degree around may not be the most glamorous exercise, but it will sure help you build some very functional strength. When you carry a load on one side, your core muscles get an additional workload of stabilizing your spine and keeping you upright. Thus, the farmer’s carry and waiter’s carry are both two of the best core exercises.

How to do it:

1. Start with a heavy dumbbell in one hand. In the farmer’s carry, hold the arm straight down your side. In the waiter’s carry, raise the dumbbell overhead.
2. Contract through the core and fix the position of the shoulder.
3. Walk around your training area in a straight line, without any leans forward or sideways.
4. Walk the set distance or time taking short, quick steps, and switch the weight to the other hand and repeat for the same distance or time.

 Tips:

• This exercise increases in difficulty with the waiter’s carry, so go with the farmer’s carry at first if this is your first time performing the move.
• If you don’t have dumbbells, you can use kettlebells or any other heavy object in their place.
  However, do make sure to gently put the weight down if you’re done to not get hurt or hurt someone near you.

These exercises give you strengthened core muscles, but they also improve your overall stability and balance. By carrying out all of these exercises as daily routines, carrying groceries or baggage will become both easier and much safer.

Overview — Exercises for Core Strength

While core isolation and floor-based exercises certainly have their place, they are not always the best use of your time and energies. Traditional crunches and sit-ups can be done in efforts to make the abs strong; however, they really seldom deliver that added functional strength to your core.

On the other hand, functional core exercises such as one-arm farmers carries, suitcase deadlifts, Pallof presses, and renegade rows are constructed for a core that not only looks good but also performs even better. These movements challenge your core dynamically in real-world scenarios to bring about increased strength and stability throughout daily activities.

Even if getting abs is your main priority, these functional exercises will help in that regard. You also need to know that visible abs are not made in the gym; proper nutrition does. Always remember that “abs are made in the kitchen,” so you should really be very careful about how you plan your meals and then exercise accordingly.

References;

• Luo S, Soh KG, Soh KL, Sun H, Nasiruddin NJM, Du C, Zhai X. Effect of Core Training on Skill Performance Among Athletes: A Systematic Review. Front Physiol. 2022 Jun 6;13:915259. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.915259. PMID: 35755428; PMCID: PMC9227831.
• Smrcina Z, Woelfel S, Burcal C. A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Core Stability Exercises in Patients with Non-Specific Low Back Pain. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2022 Aug 1;17(5):766-774. doi: 10.26603/001c.37251. PMID: 35949382; PMCID: PMC9340836.
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