Strengthen Every Muscle in Your Core With These 19 Trainer-Approved Moves

Stir the pot "is essentially a dynamic version of the plank that works more core muscles in a shorter amount of time," Wilcock tells POPSUGAR. This core move activates the same supportive core muscles as a plank but adds movement, passing the workload to different muscle groups. "This is essentially an exercise that works six different core muscle groups in one," Wilcock says.

How to Strengthen Your Core With Stir the Pot:

• Begin in an elbow plank with your forearms resting on the top of a ball.
• Keeping your core strong and your body still, use your arms to roll the ball in a small clockwise circle.
• That's one rep.

The glute bridge "helps to stabilize the core while incorporating the lower half of the body and strengthening the pelvic floor," says Shaina McGregor, ACE-certified group fitness instructor and certified life coach. "In the bridge position, the core muscles (rectus abdominis, transverse, and obliques) activate to maintain stability. It also helps to reduce back pain and improve posture."

How to Strengthen Your Core With Glute Bridges:

• Lie faceup on a mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Be sure to keep your feet underneath your knees, not in front. Plant your hands by your sides, palms facing down.
• Press into your heels to raise your hips up to the ceiling, tensing your abs and squeezing your butt as you do. You should be making a long diagonal line with your body, from shoulders to knees.
• Hold for a few seconds, making sure your spine doesn't round and your hips don't sag. Keep your abs and butt muscles engaged.
• Lower your hips to the ground. That's one rep.

The Pallof press challenges your obliques to resist rotation, Bonney says. "This is a core stabilization exercise that helps train the entire body to protect the back when doing bigger movements, such as squats or even running," she explains. If you don't have a cable machine, you can also do this core-strengthening exercise using a resistance band.

How to Strengthen Your Core With Pallof Presses:

• Lower the carriage of a cable machine so that it's about chest height, and attach a handle to the pulley. Adjust the weight so that it's at 10 pounds. (If this is too heavy or too light, feel free to change the weight.)
• Standing with the left side of your body closest to the machine, grab the handle with both hands and take two or three steps out so that there's tension on the cable. Hold your hands at your chest, and make sure that your body is square. If you feel like you're getting pulled to the left, this is an indicator that you should lighten the weight.
• On an exhale, press the cable straight out in front of your body. Be sure not to rotate toward the machine. Hold for two seconds before returning to the starting position. That's one rep.

"This slow-paced exercise allows for core engagement throughout," says NASM-certified trainer Keisha Villarson. "It also exercises the entire core, activates the transverse abdominis, and builds spine stability."

How to Strengthen Your Core With Dead Bug Crunches:

• Lie faceup on the floor with your knees bent at 90 degrees and stacked directly over your hips, so shins are parallel to the floor. Extend your arms up toward the ceiling.
• Reach your right arm next to your ear, and extend your left leg toward the floor, stopping when it's a few inches above the floor. Keep your lower back flat on the floor.
• Pause, then return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side. That's one rep.

Pilates 100s challenge every part of your core, says Daniela Mazal, a certified Pilates teacher at Old School Pilates. Lifting your head engages your abs, pumping your arms engages your back muscles, and your pelvic floor and glutes are working to support your legs. "The focus on breath throughout this exercise engages the diaphragm, which stabilizes the core from the inside out, especially on the deep exhalations," Mazal adds.

How to Strengthen Your Core With Pilates 100s:

• Start lying on your back with your legs in a tabletop position (knees over hips and knees bent at a 90-degree angle). Engage your deep abs to press your lower spine into the floor.
• Exhale and lift your upper back off the floor until the bottom tips of your shoulder blades skim the floor. Straighten your legs to a 45-degree angle (but make sure your low back is staying connected to the floor). Reach your arms long by your sides, holding them about two inches off the floor.
• Pump your arms up and down with a small range of motion, keeping your elbows straight. Inhale for five arm pumps, and exhale for five pumps. That completes one set or cycle. Over time, work your way up to 10 cycles.

A classic elbow plank is a good choice because "it contracts every portion of your core," says celebrity fitness trainer DeBlair Tate. "This exercise also helps improve your balance, which directly reflects your core strength." You can even use this move to test your core strength level; just see how long you can hold the plank while maintaining your form, Tate suggests.

How to Strengthen Your Core With Elbow Planks:

• Find a low-plank position, holding your weight on your elbows and toes, making a straight line from head to heels.
• Contract your abdominals to prevent your hips from lifting up or dropping down. Keep your back flat and glutes tight.
• Hold as long as you can. Aim for 20 to 30 seconds in the beginning, and work your way up to one minute as you get stronger.

"This is one of my favorite moves, as you're targeting your obliques while not putting additional pressure on your spine by crunching," says NASM-certified personal trainer Holly Roser.

How to Strengthen Your Core With Side Planks:

• Begin by lying on your left side. Bring your left elbow directly under your left shoulder. Place your right foot on top or in front of your left foot.
• Lift your hips up into a side elbow plank, balancing on your elbow and the side of your left foot. Make sure your hips are in line with your shoulders and feet, and try not to collapse into your left shoulder; think about making space between your shoulder and neck.
• Hold this position. Start with 15-30 seconds, and build up to one minute as you get stronger.

The bear hold "provides all the benefits of a traditional plank pose, with limited to no pressure on the lower back," says Nicole Romano Uribarri, barre, yoga, and HIIT fitness instructor. This core-strengthening move specifically targets your transverse abdominals, which "act as stabilizers and support the lower back."

How to Strengthen Your Core With Bear Holds:

• Start in a quadruped position (on hands and knees) with hands directly underneath your shoulders and your knees directly underneath your hips. Your core should be engaged and your spine should be neutral.
• With control, lift and hold your knees one inch off the ground. Be sure to keep your back flat, your neck long (look straight down at the floor, not forward or at your feet) and your abs engaged.
• Hold this position. Try 15-30 seconds, and work your way up to a minute as you get stronger.

Johnathan Smith, AAAI/ISMA-certified personal trainer and founder of iRobotFit, recommends double leg lifts because they're "simple, effective, and can be done anywhere," he says. This move targets your abdominal muscles in particular.

How to Strengthen Your Core With Double Leg Lifts:

• Lie faceup on the floor with your legs extended straight up toward the ceiling. Place your hands underneath the back of your head. For added stability, place your arms out to your side, allowing your palms to grip the floor, or under your hips.
• Pressing your lower back into the ground, slowly lower both legs down toward the floor. Pause when you feel your lower back lifting off the ground.
• Exhale to slowly raise them back up to return to the starting position. That's one rep.

This simple-but-challenging core exercise works "your entire rectus abdominis, core muscles from your pubic bone and ending at the sternum," says Villarson. To modify this move, bend your knees.

How to Strengthen Your Core With V-Ups:

• Lie faceup on the floor with arms and legs extended and resting on the floor. Lift up both arms and legs so they're hovering off the floor in a hollow-body hold.
• Simultaneously reach your arms and legs toward each other, as if you could touch your toes directly over your belly button.
• Lower your arms and legs, without allowing them to rest on the floor. That's one rep.

"Some of the best exercises you can do to strengthen your core are some of the simplest ones," says Kristie Alicea, ACE-certified group fitness instructor and cofounder of ABC Fit Collective. The farmer's carry forces your core to resist flexion (bending), strengthening it through an "antimovement" move.

How to Strengthen Your Core With Farmer's Carries:

• Start standing, holding a medium-weight dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand by your sides. (Here's more on how to choose the right weight.) Make sure your body weight is evenly distributed on each foot, your spine is in a neutral position, and your shoulders are back and open.
• With your arms extended, hold the dumbbells about a few inches away from the sides of your legs; this will activate your abdominal muscles.
• Walk forward, maintaining a neutral spine and keeping your shoulders up and open. Repeat for a set number of steps or a specific amount of time.

"This is such a great exercise because toe taps primarily activate the transverse and rectus abdominis," McGregor says. "This exercise doesn't place too much pressure on the low back, and helps to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor, which is also part of your core muscles." You can modify this move by lowering one foot at a time.

How to Strengthen Your Core With Bent-Leg Toe Taps:

• Lie faceup on the floor with your knees over your hips and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle so your shins are parallel to the floor. Your arms can be behind your head or extended by your sides, palms pressing into the floor.
• Make sure your pelvis is in a neutral position so that there's a slight curve in your lower back (it's not pressed flat against the floor). Your ribs should also be in contact with the floor.
• Inhale, then exhale as you pull in your deep abdominal muscle, and drop both feet towards the floor. Maintain a neutral spine and rib positioning and keep your knees at a 90-degree angle. There should be no movement or arching in your spine.
• Inhale as you bring your legs back to the starting position. That's one rep.

The seated knee tuck "engages and strengthens the innermost core muscle, the transverse abdominus (TVA), that wraps around your torso," says NASM-certified personal trainer Chris Lee of Hau.fit. You can either hold the tucked position for a tough isometric move, or perform reps as explained below.

How to Strengthen Your Core With Seated Knee Tucks:

• Start seated on the ground or on a weight bench. Place your hands about an inch behind your back with your fingers facing forward. Your feet should be on the ground.
• Lift both feet up off the ground, and extend both legs as you simultaneously lower your upper body. Be sure to get full extension at your hips and legs.
• With control, bring your legs back to your chest without touching the ground with your feet and return to the starting position.
• This counts as one rep.