We’re living in a crazy time right now, amidst a COVID-19 pandemic, that is leaving us stuck at home more than a lot of us are used to. Many gyms, workout facilities, and our access to equipment can be pretty limited. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t get some quality bodyweight core strengthening exercise while at home.

While this might be a change of pace for some, it can be used as a time to work on some areas of weakness that have gotten pushed aside with previous routines. These strengthening exercises are not meant to be (although they certainly can be) used to just get you sweating and out of breath. There’s plenty of workouts and Google searches that can help you do that without much structure. You won’t see long plank holds and mountain climbers on here. This isn’t because these movements aren’t important or valuable, they’re just commonly performed incorrectly and for many there are better alternatives.

These bodyweight strengthening exercises are designed to get you strong in the right areas. The areas that we see so limited time and time again for people coming to see us for back pain, for knee pain, for hip pain, and for shoulder pain and injuries.

Quadruped Plank

Harder than your typical planks! This is because these put you in a better position and help you to perform the movement correctly. Start with 5-10 reps of 5-10 seconds. Increase the holds as you get stronger with it.

Hollow Holds

One of our favorite go-to’s! This is the first progression in the series, but make sure to check out the other progressions on YouTube as well. Work up to 60 second holds before moving to the next progression. 

Supine Curl Ups

Slower the better for these! Great way to simultaneously stretch those hamstrings out, we love 2 for 1 exercises.

QL Butt Walk

Butt Walk? QL? What does that have to do with my core? Don’t forget – the core is so much more than just your stomach muscles. Try these out and see how far you can get before those backs and sides start working!

Side Planks

An old standby, and for good reason. These work the lateral part of our core and hips, an area that is so commonly weak and limited as so many of us do most of our activities in the straight forward and back planes. Only start increasing time once you can maintain a nice straight alignment.

Give these a try to build your bodyweight core strength from home. If this is your first time doing these, start going slowly through them to get the hang of it. If you’re looking for more of a challenge and want to turn these into a ‘workout’, increase the reps and decrease the rest time between movements.

If you’re not getting the progress you want at home, or you have pain or injury that you’re trying to work around, we can help (even remotely)! We help busy individuals looking to get back to the activities they love every single day, and if pain or injury is holding you back we can help you do the same. We do this through in-person sessions at our clinic, but we also offer telehealth and virtual evaluations and treatment, remote exercise programming and mobility programming, and nutrition coaching that is made custom to you and done at home.

If you’re not sure if or how we can help, click here to fill out our contact form to speak with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy. We’ll get on the phone with you, at no charge, to see if we’re a good fit. And if we’re not, we’ll do our best to point you in the direction to get the help you need today.

Don’t wait to live your best life, we’d love to help you reach your goals – even from home!