Core Workouts At The Gym: Targeting The Abs And Lower Back

Adulthood comes with its fair share of back pain! Muscle strain, inappropriate lifting form, sitting for long periods, bad posture, and overuse are among the leading causes of low back discomfort. Building strength in your abdominal and lower back muscles can help alleviate lower back discomfort.

To alleviate low back discomfort, strengthen your spine, and avoid injuries, it is crucial to work on strengthening the outside (global) muscles as well as the smaller, deeper (local) muscles. These muscles collaborate to stabilise your pelvis and spine, and you can easily exercise them when doing core workouts at the gym!

So, do not wait for 2025 to make a resolution to get rid of your back pain—instead, try out these exercises and incorporate them when you are doing core workouts at the gym!

1. Squats

If you are looking for core workouts at the gym for beginners, try starting with squats! You can strengthen your gluteals, hamstrings, back, and other muscles with this full-body workout.

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart at the beginning of the exercise.
2. Stay upright and tighten your abdominal muscles.
3. In this sitting-like position, your knees should be bent to a nearly 90-degree angle, and your abs should remain taut.
4. While getting up, begin with your legs and then clench your butt to activate your glutes.
5. Get 10 to 15 reps in.

2.  Leg lifts

If you are looking for advanced core exercises, this is the one to try! 
In this position, you should lie on your back, legs stretched out and arms resting at your sides.

1. Lower your legs slowly till they meet the floor, and then lift them up again just before they contact the floor.
2. Keep your buttocks firmly planted on the floor.
3. Perform 10 to 16 reps in 1 to 3 sets.

A word of advice: if you feel your lower back lifting off the floor, pause and return your legs to their starting position. To provide additional support, you can form a triangle with your hands and place them behind your sitting bones. These bones are located at the junction of the lower back and the glutes.

For a change of pace, try a single-leg drop (bringing one leg down, then raising it, and then switching legs) or a half-drop (bringing both legs up to a 45-degree angle).

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3. Planks

You can build strength in your glutes and deep core with this exercise that you should include for core workouts at the gym!

1. The correct way to perform it is to lie on your stomach and press your forearms into the mat.
2. Keep your abs tight and raise yourself up until your forearms and toes support your weight.
3. Always maintain a neutral spinal posture, meaning your back isn't drooping or your butt isn't lifted.
4. After 20 to 30 seconds, bring yourself down to the floor while holding the plank place.
5. Two to five sets of this workout should be your goal.

4. Hip raise

Focus on engaging and using your lower abdominal muscles, not your momentum, for this action. Exhale with every rise, and keep your hips in as you lower yourself to the floor.

1. Position yourself on your back, arms stretched side by side.
2. Stand up straight with your legs extended.
3. To lift your hips off the floor, press your feet towards the ceiling.
4. Return your hips to the ground and do it again.
5. Perform 10–15 reps in 1–3 sets.

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5.  Dead bug

In addition to strengthening the core, this move also stabilises the hips and trunk.

1. Start by laying on your back and reaching up towards the ceiling with both arms.
2. Breathe out to lower your rib cage; then, with your back flat on the floor, rotate your pelvis upward and tighten your core muscles to form a beginning posture that you'll need to maintain for the rest of the exercise.
3. To begin, stand with your left leg extended, knees and hips straight, and bring the leg down to a slight angle from the floor (be careful not to arch your lower back), while simultaneously bringing your right arm back up to a slight angle from the floor.
4. Return your right arm and left leg to the beginning position while maintaining a strong core and gluteal muscles.
5. Then switch to your left arm and right leg and repeat.
6. Do 20 sets of alternating sides.