Whenever I tell a client that it’s time to do planks, I usually get a groan. Which is a bummer for them because I have my clients do a lot of planks! But, sometimes, just like my clients, you may want some great core exercises that aren’t planks.
Still love planks? Here are 5 of my favorite plank variations!
There are a lot of core exercises out there! What makes these exercises different is that in addition to working your abdominal muscles, they will also recruit muscles in your back, hips flexors, glutes, and shoulders, making them all over great core exercises for athletes.
Yes, those glutes are important for athletes!
5 Great Core Exercises for Athletes
Bird Dog with a Tuck
Muscles Recruited: Rectus Abdominus, Obliques, Transverse Abdominus, Erector Spinae (back), Glutes, Shoulders.
To Perform: Start on all fours, making sure your wrists are under your shoulders and knees are under your hips. Engage your core by pulling in your belly button and bracing it (as if expecting a punch). Extend your right arm and left leg so that they are parallel to the ground. Hold for a second the bring your right elbow to your left knee underneath you. Hold for a second then repeat. Complete 15 repetitions, then do the set with your left arm and right leg.
V-Sit
Muscles Recruited: Rectus Abdominus, Obliques, Hip Flexors
To Perform: Sit on the ground with your legs extended in front of you and your spine neutral. Engage your core as above. Lean back slightly without rounding your back. Lift both legs up to about a 45-degree angle (like a “V.”) Reach your arms toward your feet. Hold for several seconds. Lower back to start. Just before your legs touch the ground, pause and hold for several seconds. Complete 3-5 repetitions.
This is a challenging exercise. It is important to keep your spine neutral throughout the movement. At first, you may need to bend your knees and pull them into your chest. You can also keep your hands on the ground behind you. Use these variations if your back is uncomfortable or if you can’t perform the movement with good form.
Lunge with a Twist
Muscles Recruited: Obliques, Hip Flexors, Hamstrings, Glutes, Quadriceps
To Perform: From a standing position, engage your core, step forward with your left leg into a lunge position. Extend both arms in front. Twist to the left. Return to center, then step back to standing. Repeat with the right leg. Do 10-15 Repetitions on each side. Optional: Hold a weight or medicine ball in your hands.
One-Leg Deadlift
Muscles Recruited: Transverse Abdominus, Erector Spinae, Glutes, Hamstrings. Also, improves balance.
To Perform: Stand with your weight on your right foot. Allow the standing knee to bend slightly. Engage your core, then bend at the hips allowing your left leg to extend behind you. Keep your spine neutral. Squeeze your glutes as your return to a standing position. Complete 10-15 repetitions, then repeat on the other side. Optional: Hold a weight or kettlebell in one or two hands. This exercise takes good balance. Hold on lightly to something stable if necessary, making sure to maintain your form.
Tethered Squat
Muscles Recruited: Transverse Abdominus, Obliques, Hips, Glutes, Hamstrings, Quadriceps
To Perform: Attach a band to something stable. Take one handle in both hands and stand sideways to the attachment point. Stand far enough from the attachment point so that you feel the pull of the elastic. Hold the band in front of your abdominals and engage your core. Squat down without twisting. You will feel the pull of the band, but you should resist it. Complete 10-15 repetitions on one side, then turn and repeat on the other.
Okay, I’m opening this up. Planks: Love them or hate them? What is your favorite great core exercise (that is not a plank)?
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I am not a plank lover either as they can bother my wrists. I do love to do core classes though! These are some of my favorites. I try to do a 10 min core daily and it makes a huge difference
I do not enjoy any exercise.
But I do appreciate all your tips.
Believe it or not, I joined a PLANK challenge for March. I am up to 90 secs. Yay me!
Haaaaate planks. Hate hate hate, yet somehow I survived a February core challenge and came to really appreciate some of the other core exercises. I love the idea of the Bird dog with a tuck. Will try to incorporate these as well.
I used to love planks but not anywhere. Im not sure what happened. Maybe I just find them harder? But I also get bored. I do alot of the exercises you shared. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the tethered squat!
Just reading about these hurt my abs! Haha!!! 🙂 Planks are hard and I do not enjoy them at all. However, I do know that core exercises are beneficial for runners.
I don’t love planks but i love all the other things you’ve listed here. I can v-sit like a boss, but v-ups are a bit discouraging, so maybe I should just let myself be ok with the pose and not the dynamic move.
Ha ha, you have to read my post today about “ultra plankers.” I do a lot of planks, and I also do some of the other exercises you mention here. V sits are so hard for me and I’ve been avoiding them- I should probably try them again!
I don’t mind planks but the basic one is pretty much the only one I can do “easily”. hmmm maybe that’s a hit to work at the others. These ones are good though – I’ve been doing a couple of them the last several weeks. I did not realise for example that the one-leg deadlift was a great core exercise!! but boy do you feel the burn after several of those!!
You know I love me some planks, but RA has not been playing nice lately–my wrists are affected right now. It’s nice to have alternatives to work the core. Last week SJ had me doing flutter kicks…ouch…
Other than tethered squat, pretty much all of these exercises have — or will — appear in my Better Balance & Strong Core challenge (some only in the FB group).
Great minds think alike. 🙂
I LOVE LOVE LOVE planks (But you probably already knew that). I did a bunch of single leg dead lifts recently, and I think they were what caused the evil DOMS a day later LOL I haven’t done bird dogs in awhile…they’re tricky with my knee.
I love planks, but also enjoy mixing up my core work so I don’t get bored. THose V-sits are evil 😉
I will have to try some of these moves! I definitely feel like my core isn’t as strong as it used to be!