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Exercises

Core exercises for men: bracing, carries, lower back and rotation

Published October 29, 2026

The best core exercises for men are the ab wheel rollout, plank and dead bug for keeping your lower back from arching, the Pallof press and side plank for resisting twisting and side bending, the farmer's walk and suitcase carry for holding your trunk steady under load, and the back extension for the muscles along your spine. Your core's main job is to keep your trunk still while your arms and legs produce force, so most of these train holding position, not crunching. Do three of them, one from each group, for 2 to 3 sets, twice a week after your main lifts.

  1. Ab Wheel Rollout Abs
  2. Pallof Press Abs
  3. Farmer's Walk Forearms, Traps, Shoulders
  4. Dumbbell Suitcase Carry Abs, Quads
  5. Plank Abs
  6. Side Plank Abs
  7. Dead Bug Abs
  8. Back Extension Lower Back

Bracing against an arching lower back

These train the front of your core to keep your ribs and pelvis stacked, the position you need under a squat or overhead press. Move from the dead bug to the plank to the rollout as each gets easy.

Deep core, back pressed flat while limbs move

Dead Bug

Abs

It teaches the core to hold the spine still while the arms and legs move, which is what the core does in every lift. Start here if planks make your lower back ache.

How to do it

  1. Lie face up, arms pointing up and knees bent at right angles over your hips.
  2. Press your lower back into the floor.
  3. Reach one arm overhead and the opposite leg out long, both hovering above the floor.
  4. Bring them back and repeat with the other pair.

Cues

  • Back glued down
  • Breathe out as you reach
  • Opposite arm and leg

Common mistakes

  • Letting the back arch when the leg goes long: reach less far.
  • Going fast: each rep should take about three seconds.

Swap for: Plank, Alternating Leg Raise

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Front core, static brace

Plank

Abs

A plank held hard for 20 to 45 seconds teaches you to brace: ribs down, glutes squeezed, belly tight. Past 45 seconds, reach one arm forward and lift the opposite foot rather than holding longer.

How to do it

  1. Set your forearms under your shoulders and your feet behind you, body in a straight line.
  2. Squeeze your glutes and pull your ribs down toward your hips.
  3. Hold, breathing normally, without letting your hips sag or rise.
  4. For the harder version, reach one arm forward and lift the opposite foot, hold, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Ribs down
  • Glutes tight
  • Straight line

Common mistakes

  • Hips sagging toward the floor: that hangs on your lower back.
  • Holding for minutes at an easy level: make it harder instead.

Swap for: Long Lever Plank, Plank Shoulder Tap

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Front core, loaded rollout

Ab Wheel Rollout

Abs

The strongest anti-extension exercise most men can do at home. A full rollout from the knees with a flat back is a solid core strength goal.

How to do it

  1. Kneel with the wheel under your shoulders and your arms straight.
  2. Brace and roll forward, letting your hips follow, until just before your back starts to sag.
  3. Pull the wheel back to your knees using your abs, not your hips.

Cues

  • Tuck the pelvis
  • Roll only as far as you own
  • Arms straight

Common mistakes

  • Letting the lower back cave at the far end.
  • Sitting the hips back first on the return instead of pulling with the abs.

Swap for: Stability Ball Body Saw, Plank

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Resisting twisting and side bending

The obliques and deep core stop your trunk from twisting when one side is loaded. These hold still against a pull from the side or with one arm off the floor.

Obliques and deep core, anti-rotation press

Pallof Press

Abs

A cable or band pulls you sideways and you press straight out without turning. It trains the trunk to stay square, which carries over to one-arm lifts and contact sports.

How to do it

  1. Set a cable at chest height, stand side-on to it and grip the handle two-handed at your chest.
  2. Step away until the cable pulls, feet hip-width.
  3. Press the handle straight out, hold for two seconds without turning, then bring it back.

Cues

  • Hands on the midline
  • Don't turn
  • Hold it out

Common mistakes

  • Standing too close, so the cable barely pulls.
  • Letting the arms drift toward the stack.

Swap for: Cable Woodchop, Landmine Twist

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Obliques and side core, side hold

Side Plank

Abs

It trains the side of the trunk that holds you upright in a carry or a one-arm press. Lift the top leg for a harder version.

How to do it

  1. Lie on one side with your elbow under your shoulder and your legs stacked.
  2. Lift your hips until your body is straight from head to feet.
  3. Hold, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Hips high
  • Stacked feet
  • Elbow under shoulder

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips drop toward the floor as the hold goes on.
  • Rolling the chest forward or back.

Swap for: Dumbbell Side Plank, Copenhagen Plank

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Core and shoulders, plank with one hand lifted

Plank Shoulder Tap

Abs

Lifting one hand turns the plank into an anti-rotation exercise. Keep your hips still; if they rock, widen your feet.

How to do it

  1. Hold a straight-arm plank with feet a little wider than hips.
  2. Lift one hand and tap the opposite shoulder.
  3. Replace it and tap with the other hand, keeping your hips from rocking.

Cues

  • Hips stay still
  • Feet wide for balance
  • Slow taps

Common mistakes

  • Rocking side to side: widen the feet and slow down.

Swap for: Plank, Push-Up Plus, Bear Crawl

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Carries and crawls

Walking with weight trains your whole core at once, along with grip and shoulders, for as long as the carry lasts. A one-sided carry is one of the hardest core exercises you can do with a single dumbbell.

Whole core, grip and traps, two-hand carry

Farmer's Walk

Forearms, Traps, Shoulders

Heavy dumbbells in both hands make every muscle around the trunk work to keep you upright while you walk. Build up to carrying your bodyweight in total.

How to do it

  1. Pick up two heavy dumbbells with your back flat.
  2. Stand tall with your ribs down and walk with short, quick steps.
  3. Set the weights down with a flat back when the time or distance is up.

Cues

  • Ribs down
  • Crush the handles
  • Quick steps

Common mistakes

  • Letting the shoulders round forward.
  • Walking so slowly the dumbbells start to swing.

Swap for: Dumbbell Suitcase Carry, Dumbbell Single-Arm Overhead Carry

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Obliques and side core, one-hand carry

Dumbbell Suitcase Carry

Abs, Quads

One heavy dumbbell on one side tries to bend you over, and your obliques stop it., the same job they do when you carry a heavy bar or one dumbbell up the stairs.

How to do it

  1. Pick up one heavy dumbbell and stand tall with it at your side.
  2. Walk with short, steady steps without leaning toward or away from it.
  3. Set it down, switch hands and walk back.

Cues

  • Shoulders level
  • Tall walk
  • Grip hard

Common mistakes

  • Leaning away from the weight to balance it.
  • Picking a dumbbell so light that nothing has to work.

Swap for: Farmer's Walk, Dumbbell Single-Arm Overhead Carry

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Core and shoulders, crawling

Bear Crawl

Abs, Shoulders

Moving on hands and feet with your knees just off the floor trains the core to stay steady while you move. A good finisher and warm-up.

How to do it

  1. Start on hands and toes with knees bent and just off the floor.
  2. Move one hand and the opposite foot forward together, then the other pair.
  3. Keep the hips low and your back flat as you crawl forward and backward.

Cues

  • Knees hover low
  • Opposite hand and foot
  • Flat back

Common mistakes

  • Hips riding high: keep them at shoulder height.

Swap for: Gorilla Walk, Walkout, Plank Shoulder Tap

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The back of your core

The muscles along your spine are part of the core too, and most ab routines skip them. One back exercise a week keeps the front and back in balance.

Lower back and glutes, back extension

Back Extension

Lower Back

It trains the spinal muscles that hold your back straight under a deadlift. Use bodyweight first, then hold a plate.

How to do it

  1. Lie face down with your hands behind your head and elbows out.
  2. Squeeze your glutes and lift your chest off the floor while your legs stay down.
  3. Lower slowly back to the floor.

Cues

  • Lift the chest, not the chin
  • Legs stay heavy

Common mistakes

  • Jerking up fast: lift and lower at the same steady speed.

Swap for: Superman, 45-Degree Back Extension, Band Good Morning

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Lower back, floor hold

Superman

Lower Back

The home version of the back extension. Lifting arms and legs together and holding for a few seconds trains the back of the core with no equipment.

How to do it

  1. Lie face down with your arms stretched overhead and legs straight.
  2. Raise arms, chest and legs a few inches off the floor together.
  3. Hold for a second, then lower everything together.

Cues

  • Long, not high
  • Eyes on the floor

Common mistakes

  • Cranking the head back to lift higher: keep your neck in line with your spine.

Swap for: Back Extension, Exercise Ball Back Extension, Band Good Morning

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Rotation and power

For golf, baseball, hockey and combat sports, the core also has to turn fast. Train rotation after you can hold still, with throws and controlled twists.

Obliques, explosive rotation

Med Ball Rotational Throw

Abs

Throwing a ball against a wall trains the core to turn fast, the way it does in a swing or a punch. Short sets, full effort, plenty of rest.

How to do it

  1. Stand side-on to a wall in your hitting stance, holding a medicine ball at your back hip.
  2. Load into the back leg as you would before a swing.
  3. Turn the hips hard and throw the ball into the wall.
  4. Catch, reset, and repeat. Train both sides.

Cues

  • Load, then turn
  • Hips lead the arms
  • Throw through the wall

Common mistakes

  • Throwing only with the arms: start with the back hip.
  • Training only your dominant side: do both directions.

Swap for: Med Ball Woodchop, Landmine Rotational Press, Cable Woodchop

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Obliques, controlled loaded rotation

Landmine Twist

Abs

Moving the bar end from hip to hip trains rotation with load while your feet stay planted. Turn through your hips and trunk, not just your arms.

How to do it

  1. Hold the end of a landmine bar at chest height with both hands and arms nearly straight.
  2. Turn your trunk and arms to lower the bar toward one hip in an arc.
  3. Bring it back over the middle and down to the other hip.

Cues

  • Arc, don't drop
  • Pivot the feet
  • Brace

Common mistakes

  • Letting the bar fall to the hip and bouncing it back.
  • Adding plates before the arc is smooth.

Swap for: Cable Woodchop, Russian Twist

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Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in.

Session 1

First core routine at home, 15 minutes

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets15 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You sit most of the day, your back gets stiff, and you want a core routine you can do on the floor with no equipment.

Floor exercises recover fast, so three short sessions give about 15 sets a week without leaving you sore. Across the three days, the front, side and back of the core all get trained.

Day 1
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Dead BugPer side. 3 × 6–10 3 1 min
Side PlankSeconds per side. 2 × 15–30 2 45 s

Open Day 1 in the session builder

Day 2
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
PlankSeconds per hold. 3 × 20–40 2 1 min
SupermanHold 2 seconds at the top. 2 × 8–12 3 1 min

Open Day 2 in the session builder

Day 3
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Plank Shoulder TapPer side. 3 × 8–12 2 1 min
Bear CrawlSeconds per crawl. 2 × 20–40 2 1 min

Open Day 3 in the session builder

How to run it
Do one session on three days a week, such as before work. Each day takes about 15 minutes.
How to progress
Stay at 2 to 3 reps in reserve. Add 5 seconds to each hold or 2 reps to each set per week. When the plank passes 45 seconds, start the ab wheel from your knees at a short range instead.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Gym lifter who wants a stronger squat and deadlift

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets13 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentAb Wheel, Dumbbells, Adjustable Cable, Hyperextension

You squat, deadlift and press, and you feel your trunk fold or your back round before your legs give out.

Your heavy lifts already train the core, so two short blocks of 6 and 7 sets are enough on top. They target what the barbell does not: rollouts for the front, carries and the Pallof press for the sides, and back extensions for the spine.

Block A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Ab Wheel Rollout 3 × 6–12 2 90 s
Dumbbell Suitcase CarrySeconds per side. 3 × 30–45 2 90 s

Open Block A in the session builder

Block B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Pallof PressPer side. 3 × 10–12 2 1 min
Back Extension 2 × 10–15 2 90 s
Farmer's WalkSeconds per carry. 2 × 30–45 2 2 min

Open Block B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Block A after your squat day and Block B after your deadlift or upper day. Never before heavy lifts, since a tired core gives way under the bar.
How to progress
Add 10 lb to the carries when you can walk the full time with an upright trunk. On rollouts, extend further before you add reps. On the Pallof press and back extension, add load when every set reaches the top of the range at 1 to 2 reps in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Rotational sport: golf, baseball, hockey or combat

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets13 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentMedicine Ball, Landmine, Dumbbells

You play a sport where you swing, throw or hit, and you want a core that turns fast and stays steady when you are bumped.

Power training needs fresh, short sets, so the plan uses about 6 to 8 sets per session twice a week. Each day pairs an explosive throw or twist with an exercise that resists rotation, so you learn to both produce and stop it.

Day 1: Throw and hold
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Med Ball Rotational ThrowPer side. Every throw at full speed. 4 × 5–8 3 90 s
Side PlankSeconds per side. 2 × 20–40 2 45 s

Open Day 1: Throw and hold in the session builder

Day 2: Twist and carry
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Landmine TwistPer side. 3 × 8–12 2 75 s
Dumbbell Suitcase CarrySeconds per side. 2 × 30–40 2 90 s
Bear CrawlSeconds per crawl. 2 × 20–30 2 1 min

Open Day 2: Twist and carry in the session builder

How to run it
Do these early in a gym session, after your warm-up, on two days away from games. In season, keep only Day 1.
How to progress
On the throws, keep the ball weight and focus on speed; move up a ball size when every throw feels fast. On the landmine twist and side plank, add load or time when sets reach the top of the range at 2 reps in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What are the best 3 core exercises?

The ab wheel rollout, the Pallof press and the suitcase carry. Between them they train the core against arching, twisting and bending sideways, which is most of what it does.

What are the 10 best core exercises?

The rollout, plank, dead bug, Pallof press, side plank, farmer's walk, suitcase carry, back extension, bear crawl and a med ball rotational throw. Pick a few from different groups rather than doing all ten.

Is 20 minutes of core enough?

Yes, 20 minutes is plenty, and 10 minutes twice a week works for most men who already lift. Hard sets matter more than total time.

Is core the same as abs?

No. Abs are one part. The core also includes the obliques, the deep muscles under the abs, the muscles along your spine and the hips, all working to keep your trunk steady.

Do squats and deadlifts train the core?

Yes, heavily, but mostly against bending forward. Add carries and anti-rotation work to train the directions the barbell does not.