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Hate crunches? Don’t worry. There are various other core exercises for women that aren’t crunches but are effective and interesting enough to give them the desired results.
While it can’t be denied that crunches are a classic core-strengthening exercise, it's also true that doing it daily can make your routine boring and less efficient. Experts also believe that repetitive crunches can damage the intervertebral disks and lumbar spine and can lead to severe lower back pain, especially in women.
So, it’s time to make a change and add some of the non-crunch core-killing exercises to your routine. From beginner to advanced level, below we’ve listed a few of the most effective core exercises for women to fire up their entire midsection.
Best non-crunch core exercises for women
Add a few of the following five exercises to your abs workout day and spice up your training:
1) Stability ball mountain climber
The mountain climber is one of the best core exercises for women that engages multiple muscle groups in the body.
It's a compound exercise that not only targets the core but also strengthens the shoulders, back, arms, and legs, and elevates heart rate, thereby burning more calories. Practicing this exercise on a stability ball challenges the muscles even more and trains the abs even harder.
To do the exercise:
- Lie on your stomach, and position your elbows on a stability ball just in front of you. Position your feet back into a straight plank position.
- Pull your right knee up, and bring it towards the ball. Pause, and return it back to its starting position.
- Pull your left knee up, and bring it towards the ball. Continue alternating movements for a few reps.
- To make the exercise more intense, try assuming a push-up position or place your feet elevated on a bench.
2) Lying overhead reach
The lying overhead reach is another beneficial core exercises for women that targets the abs and shoulders at the same time.
To do the exercise:
- Lie on your back with your knees and hips bent at 90 degrees.
- Keep your lower abs pressed on the floor, and lift your arms towards the ceiling while keeping your elbows slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell with both hands.
- Move the dumbbell over your head safely, going as far as you can without flaring out your elbows or letting your back round away from the floor.
- Move your arms back to their starting position, and repeat.
- Complete a few more reps.
3) Pall of press
One of the most effective core exercises for women, the pall of press targets the obliques, abdominals, and core muscles all at once while also improving shoulder mobility and strength. This exercise enhances core stabilization and also works wonders in improving posture and reducing lower back pain.
To do the exercise:
- Stand next to a pulley machine. Grab the handle in both hands at shoulder level close to your chest.
- Secure a cable or a resistance band to something sturdy at your shoulder height.
- With your abs tight and shoulders rolled back and down, extend your arms straight, but do not allow the lever to pull you towards the machine.
- Bend your arms, and slowly push your hands away.
- Repeat the exercise.
4) Abs rollout
Abs rollout is one of the most challenging core exercises for women that particularly targets the abs and also helps strengthen the thigh and hip muscles. The exercise requires more upper body strength than crunches and boosts stability and strength as a whole. You can do this exercise using an ab wheel or a barbell.
To do the exercise:
- Lie down on your knee with an ab wheel in front of your body on the floor.
- Tighten your core, and grab the ab wheel with your arms fully extended. Start to roll the wheel forward till your body gets parallel to the floor.
- Squeeze the core muscles, and roll yourself back to the starting position without arching your spine up.
- Repeat the exercise.
Also read: Ab wheel exercises for beginners.
5) Inchworm
Inchworm is one of the most solid core exercises for women that stretches and strengthens different muscles at the same time. It targets the anterior chain while stretching the posterior chain muscles and helps increase the heart rate.
To do the exercise:
- With your feet together and hands on the sides, stand upright keeping your knees straight.
- Lean forward, and go down, placing your hands flat on the floor.
- Keep your core engaged, and slowly walk your hands forward as far as you can, assuming a push-up position.
- Walk your hands back towards your feet, and stand back up.
- Repeat the exercise for a few reps more.
Wrapping up
As you can see, there are various core exercises for women that aren’t crunches, but are super-effective and impressive when it comes to strengthening the midsection.
Most of the movements mentioned above are beginner-friendly and can be easily added to any workout routine. Practitioners just need to be mindful of their form to prevent unnecessary muscle strains and injuries.
