How These 9 Common Core Exercises Affect Your Waistline

Why is paying attention to your waistline important? The muscles that make up your midsection — your abdominals, obliques, pelvic floor muscles, and a few others — play a huge role in daily physical movement and activity.

Why Waist Size Matters for Health

But remember that waist size depends on more than how fit the muscles of the core are. You cannot spot reduce fat, Kasee says. “Nothing will change the size of your waist except for dropping body fat.”

And to reduce body fat, focus on maintaining a small and sustainable calorie deficit by making nutritious food choices, and increasing cardiovascular activity and strength training, Kasee says.

How These 9 Common Core Exercises Affect Your Waist

For a fitter waistline, does it matter which core exercises you choose? Different core exercises work different muscles. But because all of the muscle groups are connected and engaged somewhat in most of these exercises, it’s hard to truly isolate just one core muscle group (for example, working the obliques without working the transversus abdominis), Kasee says.

Yes, the core muscles will grow in size as they get stronger. But unless you have very minimal body fat and are lifting heavy weights, you likely won’t notice much of a visible increase in waist size attributable to core exercises, Kasee says.

Also, remember that your waist size and shape is the result of more than just your muscles and fat. “The shape of your waist is going to be determined, too, by the size of your rib cage and pelvis as that is where the muscles will connect,” Kasee says.

These nine exercises from Kasee each work all of your abdominal muscles simultaneously, while emphasizing some muscles than others. To do them as a workout, do 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise. That’s one set. Do 2 to 3 sets. As you get stronger, you can increase the number of reps or sets. Aim to do these exercises two to four times per week.

1. Plank

From kneeling on the ground, step your feet back so your body weight is supported by your toes and both hands pushing into the ground (with your shoulders aligned directly over your hands), while keeping your body in a straight line from your head to toes. This is a plank position. Hold for 30 to 45 seconds.

“The plank is a staple because it teaches us to keep our rib cage and pelvis in alignment and resist extension,” says Kasee. As a result, planks tend to emphasize the rectus abdominis. “A lot of life is a ‘moving plank,’ from squats to carrying heavy objects around your house,” he adds.

2. Deadbugs

Lie on your back with your arms reaching straight up overhead (perpendicular to the floor) and knees bent. Press your lower back into the ground, and lift your legs off the floor with your thighs and calves forming a 90-degree angle. Reach out with your right leg and left leg at the same time while keeping your lower back flat on the ground, while keeping your hips off the ground. Switch sides and repeat.

“The deadbugs will work the entire core, connecting our diaphragm to our pelvic floor,” says Kasee. They force your core to resist motion and stabilize your spine as you extend your legs and arms.

3. Bear Plank

Start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Lift your knees an inch above the ground. Hold for 30 to 45 seconds.

“Bear Planks are usually a little easier on our abs compared to regular planks,” says Kasee, “but they also add shoulder stability as well as a little isometric leg strengthening.” Bear planks will engage the rectus abdominis much like a plank.

4. Suitcase Carry

Grab a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand, keep your chest up, and walk with good posture.

“This exercise has a lot of benefits to everyday life, from picking up and carrying kids to walking with groceries or heavy household objects,” Kasee explains. Because you’ll carry a weight on just one side, it emphasizes your obliques as well as your lower back muscles.

5. Crunches

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Keep your arms crossed in front of your chest and lift your chest upward until you feel your core activate. Then, return to the ground and repeat. Avoid pulling your neck forward.

“Abdominals help us sit up, twist, and roll over,” says Kasee. That’s why it’s important to strengthen your core with a variety of movements and directions. The classic crunch is a go-to for a reason, Kasee says.

6. Shoulder Tap Planks

Get into a push-up position. Keep your body straight from head to toe and don’t let your lower back sag. Then, carefully lift one hand and tap the opposite shoulder while preventing your torso from twisting. Return your hand and repeat on the other side.

These are a great way to make traditional planks more challenging as you get stronger. “Shoulder taps target the entire core,” Kasee adds. “When both hands are on the ground, we are favoring the rectus, and as we remove a hand, we are tying in our obliques.”

7. Stir the Pot

Get into a plank with your forearms resting on a stability ball. While keeping your torso still, move your forearms in a circle. Then, switch directions. Don’t let your lower back sag.

This exercise makes your core training more challenging by adding instability — in this case, using a yoga or exercise ball. It targets all of your ab muscles because, as you move the ball, you’re continually shifting how your core has to stabilize itself during the exercise.

8. Ab Rollouts

Get on both knees while holding an ab-wheel in front of you on the ground. Keep your arms straight and descend forward as low as you can, pushing the wheel out, while keeping your lower back flat, not sagging forward. Then, pull yourself back up.

“Ab rollouts teach us to resist extension and stabilize through a stretched position,” Kasee says. It’s another great progression from traditional exercises, which also encourages shoulder mobility and stability as well as targeting your rectus abdominis.

9. Side Plank

Lie on your right side and place your right forearm on the ground, perpendicular to your body. Lift your hips up so that your body forms a straight line from head to toes and you’re supporting your body weight with your right forearm and feet. Keep your body straight, your glutes squeezed, and your shoulders pulled back. Don’t let your hips sag. Hold, and switch sides.

The key to core training is to target your abdominal muscles from several different directions. “A lot of ab exercises focus on the muscles at the front of our body, but the side plank allows us to create stability from our side and strengthen our obliques and lower back muscles,” explains Kasee.

The Takeaway

• A strong and fit midsection is vital for your overall health.
• Waist circumference, which is the measure of your waistline, is linked with many risk factors and is even a strong predictor of all-cause mortality.
• The best way to reduce your waistline is to combine a healthy diet with cardiovascular exercises and resistance training, including specific exercises to target the core.