Core workouts at home: Try these beginner workouts & exercises

Having a strong core isn’t just an aesthetic thing – it’s essential for good running form and injury prevention. Strong core muscles keep your spine, pelvis and hips stable when you run, preventing you from moving too much from side to side. This enables you to run more powerfully and efficiently, as it prevents the legs from having to work too hard just to keep you stable, and encourages a more upright posture. And being more upright in turn can help you avoid stitches or other strains, like pain in the neck and shoulders from becoming more hunched over.

A strong core therefore really reduces your risk of getting injured, as a weak core can force unnatural movement compensations and increased strain on other parts of the body – including of the knees and hips.

If you’re new to running, it’s worth building two core workouts into your training every week – and the three beginner core workouts below are a great place to start. These can be done at home and don’t require any equipment and really don’t take long. The time you invest in these exercises will pay off, long term.

We’ve also included five beginner core exercises, which you can link together to form a circuit – repeat this two or three times.