Beyond Crunches: The Core Exercises Experts Say Women Should Really Focus On

Head to nearly any packed gym, and you’ll probably see at least one woman working on her core. Maybe she’s whipping out some bicycle crunches, or holding still in an impressively-long plank. There are good reasons why these moves are so popular: Core exercises for women aren’t just about our cultural obsession with flat abs—they create stability that helps keep us strong and healthy throughout all stages of life.  

But what are the best kinds of core exercises for women to do? Well+Good spoke to a handful of experts about how different kinds of core moves compare, their top picks, and how to get the most out of this kind of training.  

Why core exercises are so essential for women

Of course, women aren’t the only ones who should work their core (which, FYI, includes the torso muscles like the abs and obliques, plus the pelvis, lower back, and diaphragm). “Core training offers a wide range of benefits for everyone, but there are several that are particularly important for women’s health,” says Laura Quinn, CPT, head Pilates trainer at Alo Wellness Club in Los Angeles.

For women in particular, core work can bolster your pelvic floor health, which can impact your posture, balance, and bladder control, says trainer Jenna Willis. “If we focus on strengthening the pelvic floor, it’s like the foundation to our house,” she says. 

Sarah Tyndall, PT, OCS, a physical therapist and Pilates instructor in North Carolina, points out that the hormone relaxin, which is present during various times of our menstrual cycle as well as during pregnancy and postpartum, increases the mobility of our joints, particularly in our pelvis and lower back. Proper core strength can help us counterbalance that extra instability. 

And we can’t ignore the fact that women of all ages are famous multitaskers, Willis adds: It’s not uncommon to see a woman carrying a kid on one hip, groceries on the other shoulder, while somehow also walking the dog. Building up functional core strength can give you the stability and lower back protection you need to pull that all off without hurting yourself. 

The best kinds of core exercises for women

Not all core work is going to give you the same results. Different types of core training come with different risks and benefits. Here, experts break down the various scenarios and life situations where certain kinds of core work will serve you best. 

To start: Breathwork

Before diving into more active exercises, Tyndall likes to start to engage the core with some dedicated breathwork. “Your oblique muscles help to control and stabilize your ribs to your pelvis,” she says. “Your inhale is lengthening the obliques, and during your exhale, the obliques actually pull the ribcage down and in, and the lower abdominals lift up.” 

Since most of us spend the majority of our lives only taking shallow breaths, Tyndall says nearly anyone can benefit from starting a workout this way, then keeping the breath in mind as you move into more active core work.

Here’s how:

1. 1.
   Sit in a comfortable position, with your hands resting on your thighs or the sides of your lower ribs.  
2. 2.
   Think about expanding your lower ribcage in 360 degrees—to the front, back, and sides—as you inhale.
3. 3.
   Then, contract and engage the abdominals on the exhale.   

For beginners: Isometric holds

Both Tyndall and Willis recommend fitness newbies start with isometric exercises like a plank or yoga’s boat pose where you hold one position still. “They build endurance and stabilize the spine, which goes back to having great posture,” Willis says. Tyndall adds that isometrics can be useful for people with a low intensity tolerance, since they’re a gentle way to build up your core muscles’ ability to properly activate.  

In particular, Quinn recommends plank variations. One favorite way to spice things up is to rest the feet on a Pilates ball: 

1. 1.
   Place your shins on top of the ball and walk your hands forward until you're in a high plank position (hands under shoulders, arms straight). Your body should be in a straight line from head to heels, with your core engaged and your legs extended behind you, resting on the ball.
2. 2.
   Start by aiming for 10- to 20-second holds, and work your way up to a minute or longer. 
3. 3.
   To increase the difficulty, turn it into a tuck crunch, adding some flexion to the isometric hold by bringing your feet in toward your torso, then straightening them out again.  

Just keep in mind that isometrics don’t typically build the most functional strength for daily life, Tyndall warns. “The core is actually very dynamic,” she says. “We're never really holding a sustained heavy contraction.” So once you feel comfortable with isometric exercises, switch things up to include other types of core exercises for women as well.   

For daily life: Anti-rotational exercises

Whether you’re carrying a heavy travel bag over your shoulder or a squirmy toddler on your hip, your core needs a good amount of stability to stay straight despite that one-sided load. “Anti-rotational moves train our core to resist unwanted twisting, which is common in daily life,” Willis says. “Your body needs to prevent rotation in these moments to protect your spine and to keep moving efficiently.” 

In addition to exercises like the Pallof press and single-arm carry, Willis suggests the dead bug, a beginner-friendly move that’s easy to scale up or down: 

1. 1.
   Lie on your back with your hands and knees in tabletop position. 
2. 2.
   Start by reaching just one leg out away from your torso, then slowly bringing it back in before switching to the other leg. 
3. 3.
   Once that’s comfortable, reach the opposite arm out overhead at the same time as you release the leg. 
4. 4.
   Then, try releasing the arms and legs on the same side simultaneously. 
5. 5.
   Once you’re ready for a bigger challenge, add light dumbbells in your hands and/or ankle weights.   

For athletes: Rotational exercises

During most of our more active movements—even walking and running—we naturally rotate our torso a bit. So practicing rotational exercises that work on that twist can be incredibly helpful to prepare the core for all kinds of activity, whether your goal is to run a marathon, crush your next pickleball game, or enjoy an afternoon on the golf course. 

“Incorporating rotational exercises are key for range of motion and fluidity,” Willis says. “Especially someone who is training more like an athlete, they will want to have a lot of rotational moves.”

In particular, Tyndall likes to give the athletes and dancers she works with the rotating Pilates bicycle exercise. “It's often done very poorly at the gym—people will whip through it, pulling through their neck,” she says. “But done in a controlled manner where you're really rotating the ribcage, thinking about pulling the shoulder to the knee, that's a great mat exercise.” 

1. 1.
   Lying on your back with your knees gently bent and feet on the floor, rest your hands behind your head. 
2. 2.
   Keeping your pelvis level and lower back on the floor, draw one knee in toward your chest while bringing the opposite shoulder up toward it. Straighten the other leg out long away from you, hovering just off the floor. 
3. 3.
   Slowly switch sides, taking the time to maintain proper form, rotating the upper body as much as you can to meet the opposite leg. 

For posture, pregnancy, and postpartum: Pelvic floor exercises

Most of us don’t think about our pelvic floor too much until pregnancy, when it can affect our labor and delivery experience (and how much incontinence and pelvic pain we might experience afterward). But Willis points out that all women can benefit from strengthening this muscle group, since it can affect our posture and balance. “It is important in all stages of life,” she says. 

For the most part, since few of us are super eager to spend time directly on the pelvic floor, she recommends just thinking about activating it during exercises like deadbugs, bird dogs, marching glute bridges, and side planks. “Really, every single core exercise you do, you should focus on your pelvic floor and having that breath connection,” she says. 

For those who really want to zero in on their pelvic floor specifically, however, she suggests pelvic tilts:

1. 1.
   Standing with your feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart, and hands on your hips, shift your hips back on an inhale. “Imagine sucking up through the straw,” she says, sharing an image to help you lift the pelvic floor. 
2. 2.
   On an exhale, bring your hips back to a neutral position and release your pelvic floor. 

Willis adds that to hit the rest of the core during pregnancy and the initial postpartum period, she recommends isometric and anti-rotational exercises. “They are the safest and lowest impact,” she says. 

During perimenopause and menopause: Lifting heavy

You might not think of loaded squats and bench presses as core exercises. But your core kicks in as an automatic reflex during these movements to keep your body stable. 

And although all women can benefit from lifting heavy, it’s particularly important once you hit your perimenopause and menopause years, since moving those bigger loads is the most effective way to build muscle. “Muscle mass can help your body go through menopausal changes much better so that your body doesn't have to pull the nutrients from the bone, leading to osteoporosis changes, or even sometimes from the brain, leading to Alzheimer’s and dementia-like changes,” Tyndall says. That’s why, during these years, Tyndall recommends getting in much of your core work with more full-body movements that incorporate higher loads and resistance. 

For instance, here’s how to correctly do a loaded squat: 

1. 1.
   Holding a kettlebell or dumbbells in front of your chest, or a barbell on your shoulders, stand with feet shoulder-width apart and feet pointed slightly out. 
2. 2.
   Keeping your torso straight, push your hips back, as though you’re about to sit in a chair. Keep your knees in line with your toes. 
3. 3.
   Aim to lower down until your thighs are parallel to the floor or just below. 
4. 4.
   Squeeze your glutes and push through your heels to stand back up 

One caveat: If you find your core isn’t strong enough to control heavy weights, Tyndall suggests going back to more isolated core work (like isometrics, rotation, and anti-rotation exercises) to build up that stability.  

Another option: Flexion and extension

Flexion exercises that involve curling up from the spine like sit-ups and crunches might be the most classic examples we think of when talking about core exercises. But Willis says they’re not actually the safest or most effective core moves you can do. They can support some functional activities—like bending up when getting out of bed. “There are just other exercises that work more efficiently and hit the deep core activation muscles more,” she says. 

That said, if you enjoy this kind of work, don’t let that stop you, Willis says. Just think of it more as the cherry on top of other core training you’re doing. 

Quinn recommends these oblique crunches using a Pilates ball: 

1. 1.
   Sit on the floor with knees bent, and a Pilates ball right behind your back.
2. 2.
   Slowly lean your torso back over the ball, reaching one arm toward the floor behind you.
3. 3.
   Lift your torso back up to the start, facing forward and reaching both arms toward the ceiling.
4. 4.
   Switch sides. 
5. 5.
   To increase the difficulty, hold light dumbbells in your hands. 

Also: Don’t forget working in the opposite direction with extension exercises that have you bending back at the waist like in superman pose. This will work those back muscles to balance out your strength. 

Keep in mind…

There’s no one perfect core exercise. (Despite what FitTok might say.) Doing a variety of different types of core training will work your core in different ways. Just be smart about scaling up or down based on what feels best—and is safest—for your body. “It's about choosing the appropriate intensity, both for your ability level but also for how you're feeling,” Tyndall says.